Sue Woolfe is the author of four novels, including the acclaimed best-selling, internationally translated Leaning Towards Infinity, which won Australia’s distinguished prize, the Christina Stead Award, for the year it was published, as well as the Asia Pacific Region section of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, and was shortlisted for the Tip Tree prize in the US. It was short-listed for almost every major Australian prize. It was translated into French, Italian, and Dutch, and in 1999 was named in Australia as one of the most important books of the century. Her first novel, Painted Woman was also nominated for the Commonwealth Prize, and was runner-up in the Australian Bicentennial Award in the year of publication. It was republished several times, including in France in 2007 where it was published in translation. She has adapted both novels for ABC radio, for the professional stage, and Leaning Towards Infinity has been optioned for a film in the US. Her third novel, The Secret Cure, is currently being adapted for an opera. Her fourth novel, The Oldest Song in the World has recently been published in Australia and New Zealand, and currently is only available there. Her latest book is a collection of short stories, Do You Love Me or What?
Until recently Sue Woolfe taught Creative Writing at Sydney University, but now teaches creativity and narration at NIDA(National Institute of Dramatic Art), Australia. She also takes retreats overseas teaching her unique method of how to create inspired stories by combining a successful author’s practical know-how with what cognitive science reveals about creative thinking. She has co-authored, to acclaim, Making Stories: How Ten Australian Novels Were Written (1991) and more recently, as solo author: The Mystery of the Cleaning Lady: a Novelist looks at Neuroscience and Creativity (2007).
And most nights, she dances Tango, Argentinian style.