Bunty Avieson
Quick Facts
Biography
Carolyn "Bunty" Avieson is an Australian journalist, feature writer, novelist and academic. She has a PhD (MQ), a Master of Philosophy (MQ) and an Associate Diploma of Journalism (RMIT). In 2008–2009 she worked as a media consultant to newspaper Bhutan Observer, partly funded by the United Nations Development Program and was a consultant to Journalists Without Borders, Asia Pacific Desk. She has published three novels, a novella and travel memoir; and been translated into Japanese, German and Thai. She is the recipient of two Ned Kelly Awards. In the 1990s she was editorial director of mass market women's magazines, Woman's Day and New Idea.
Awards
- 2002 – Ned Kelly Awards – winner of the Best First Novel and Reader's Vote, for Apartment 255
- 2003 – shortlisted for Ned Kelly Crime Writing Awards – Best Novel for The Affair
- 2004 – shortlisted for Ned Kelly Crime Writing Awards – Best Novel for The Wrong Door
- 2011 – Dean's HDR Award
- 2013 – Vice Chancellor's Commendation for PhD thesis
Personal life
Avieson's partner is the film producer Mal Watson, who made The Cup and Travellers & Magicians, with writer/director Khyentse Norbu. Avieson and Watson have a daughter, Kathryn, who was the baby in the travel book Baby in a Backpack to Bhutan. They live in Sydney. Avieson's father was the late Associate Professor John Avieson, one of Australia's first journalism academics, who authored several books, including Applied Journalism in Australia and Editing Australian Newspapers.