John Harwood was born in Hobart, Tasmania and is an Australian poet, literary critic and novelist. Educated at the University of Tasmania and Cambridge University, Harwood has worked as an academic at Flinders University in South Australia. He left Flinders University in 1997 to become a full-time writer. While he is better known for his writing on poetry, Harwood made an impact with his first novel, The Ghost Writer, which was commended in literary awards in Australia and which was a winner of a major International Horror award. Harwood is the son of the poet, Gwen Harwood. 

January 1st, 1946 in Hobart (Age 78)