Colleen McCullough – 20th–21st 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.
📚 The Thorn Birds (1977) is often called “the Australian novel of the century” – it sold millions worldwide. 🎬 In 1983 it was adapted into a TV miniseries, a global phenomenon. 🧠 Before writing, she worked in medicine, specialising in neurophysiology. 🌍 Her Masters of Rome series meticulously reconstructed ancient Roman life. ✒️ Known for epic novels combining scholarly detail with rich storytelling. 📖 Her works have been translated into dozens of languages. 👩🎓 Studied in Australia, worked in the US, later settled on Norfolk Island. 😲 Curious: medical colleagues joked she “traded brains for love stories.” 😂 Funny: she quipped she wrote “such thick books so they could double as tea-tray props.”