Colleen McCullough โ 20thโ21st century Australian novelist, author of The Thorn Birds and the Masters of Rome series. Her work blended epic, history, and psychological drama. Before her literary fame, she worked as a neurophysiologist at Yale.
๐ The Thorn Birds (1977) is often called โthe Australian novel of the centuryโ โ it sold millions worldwide. ๐ฌ In 1983 it was adapted into a TV miniseries, a global phenomenon. ๐ง Before writing, she worked in medicine, specialising in neurophysiology. ๐ Her Masters of Rome series meticulously reconstructed ancient Roman life. โ๏ธ Known for epic novels combining scholarly detail with rich storytelling. ๐ Her works have been translated into dozens of languages. ๐ฉโ๐ Studied in Australia, worked in the US, later settled on Norfolk Island. ๐ฒ Curious: medical colleagues joked she โtraded brains for love stories.โ ๐ Funny: she quipped she wrote โsuch thick books so they could double as tea-tray props.โ