John Marsden (writer) - Early Life

Early Life

Marsden was born in Melbourne, Australia but spent the first 10 years of his life living in the country towns of Kyneton, Victoria and Devonport, Tasmania. When he was 10 years old, Marsden moved to Sydney and attended The King's School, Parramatta. Following his time there, Marsden was accepted into Sydney University to study a double degree in Law and Arts, and attended university despite being confused about what he wanted to do. However, Marsden struggled during his time there, and due to a sense of alienation and loneliness deriving from family rifts, educational experiences, and simply disliking law, he dropped out.

After leaving University, Marsden became depressed, and attributes this depression in part to his inability to find a job that suited him. As his depression deteriorated into suicidal thoughts, Marsden began seeing a psychiatrist. His psychiatrist eventually admitted him to a psychiatric hospital following a diagnosis of depression.

Marsden credits his stint in the psychiatric hospital as an important period in his life:

It actually was very, very helpful, very constructive and very useful. Because I started learning about feelings and relationships and communication, and the way the world really worked. Where as I guess in the 1950s, at school especially, there was an emphasis on manners and appearances, and that seemed far more important than reality. So ever since, I've really distrusted appearance. I've been much more interested in reality and trying to get past that mask or that nice veneer and to find out what's really going on inside. —John Marsden

After his stint in hospital, Marsden continued to take on many different jobs, and through his 20s Marsden worked in as many as 32 different jobs, including an abattoir, working in a mortuary, delivering pizzas, working as a motorbike courier, working as a nightwatchman, selling encyclopaedias and working with chickens.

Following this period of drifting, Marsden decided, in 1978, to try a teaching career. Marsden claims to have always had an inkling that he may try teaching, and from the first day of his teaching course Marsden was confident that this was the career that suited him.