Peter Kocan

Peter Raymond Kocan (born Peter Raymond Douglas, 4 May 1947) is an Australian author and poet who attempted to assassinate Australian Opposition Leader Arthur Calwell on 21 June 1966. He fired a shot at point-blank range through a car window, but Calwell escaped with only minor facial injuries from broken glass. Kocan, 19 years old at the time, was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was transferred to the Morisset Mental Hospital and released in 1976.

He began writing in prison and has published several volumes of poetry. After his release from prison he continued to write poetry and novels.

Early life Kocan was born Peter Raymond Douglas on 4 May 1947 in Newcastle, New South Wales. His father, an engineer, was killed in a car accident three months before his birth. When he was five years old, his mother married Ludowit Kocan and the family moved to Melbourne. The marriage did not last and they moved on to Sydney, but Peter retained his step-father's surname. His mother later stated that his step-father had rejected him and that he had "never known the affection of a father".

Kocan left school at the age of 14, and according to his mother gave up sport and spent most of his time reading.

Kocan began to write poetry in 1967. Two selected works of poetry, Ceremonies for the Lost (1974) and The Other Side of the Fence (1975), were published while he was at Morisset. He was released on licence from Morisset in August 1976, and began to write about his experiences. Two autobiographical novellas, The Treatment (1980) and The Cure (1983), told of his life in the asylum. The Cure won the 1983 NSW Premier's Literary Award for Fiction. His other works include the poetry volumes Freedom to Breathe (1985), Standing with Friends (1992) and Fighting in the Shade (2000), the joint collection Primary Loyalties (1999), and the science-fiction novel Flies of a Summer (1988). The novel Fresh Fields (2004), is a fictionalised account of his youth. His most recent novel, The Fable of All Our Lives (2010), is based on his life after his release from Morisset.

Kocan lived for many years at Tuggerawong on the Central Coast of New South Wales, teaching and writing one act plays, poetry and fiction. He acted in twenty plays, and directed four for the Wyong Drama Group from 1981 to 2002. He gained public recognition for his work, receiving regular support from the Literary Board of the Australia Council, and has won various literary prizes. He graduated from the University of Newcastle in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours), and obtained a master's degree. He moved to Brisbane in 2003.

Awards and nominations

1977: Commonwealth Institute of London Prize for The Other Side of the Fence (poetry collection) 1982: Mattara Poetry Prize for From the private poems of Governor Caulfield 1983: New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Christina Stead Prize for fiction for The Cure 2005: New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, shortlisted for Christina Stead Prize for fiction Fresh Fields (semi-autobiographical novel) 2005: Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, shortlisted for Best Fiction Prize for Fresh Fields 2010: Australia Council Writer's Emeritus Award