person or book cover
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Debra Oswald Debra Oswald i(A27378 works by)
Born: Established: 1959 ;
Gender: Female
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BiographyHistory

Debra Oswald has written for film, television, stage, radio and has also written children's novels. Her first play, Two-Way Mirror (1976), was written when she was 17, and was workshopped at the 1977 Australian National Playwrights Conference and broadcast on ABC Radio. She studied at the Australian National University and the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. Her play Gary's House has been included on the New South Wales secondary school drama syllabus as well as being shortlisted for the New South Wales Premier's Awards.

Oswald is also a prolific writer of Australian television series. These include the mini series Palace of Dreams (1985) as well as Dancing Daze (1986), Police Rescue (1991), Bananas in Pyjamas (1992), Wildside (1997), The Secret Life of Us (2001), and Outriders (2001). Her Police Rescue scripts have been nominated for AFI, AWGIE, and State Library awards. She also wrote the screenplay for the film Police Rescue (1994).

Most Referenced Works

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon The Family Doctor Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2021 20481921 2021 single work novel

'A novel of searing emotional truth, told with the relentless pull of a thriller.

'Paula, a much-loved GP, comes home one evening to the house she is sharing with her friend Stacey and Stacey’s two children, who have moved in with Paula after the break-up of Stacey’s marriage and the increasingly disturbing behaviour of her ex. Paula opens her front door to discover a scene from hell: Stacey and her children are lying dead in pools of blood. As Paula tries to breathe, in walks Matt, who then shoots himself.

'When an obviously scared woman brings in her little boy for a consultation some weeks later, Paula’s eyes are drawn to the bruises around her neck. Determined to never see another woman suffer like Stacey did, Paula talks to the woman, who admits she is being beaten by her husband. A few weeks later, the abusive husband comes in to see a doctor. She realises she has the chance to set things to rights and give the abused woman the freedom she has dreamed of. But can she go against everything she believes to make sure one woman is safe, one child?

'A book to inspire ferocious discussion in book clubs and beyond – the classic moral dilemma writ large and made into a deeply human situation we can all relate to.' (Publication summary)

2022 shortlisted Davitt Award Best Debut
2022 shortlisted Davitt Award Best Adult Crime Novel
2022 shortlisted Ned Kelly Awards for Crime Writing Best Novel
form y separately published work icon Total Control Black B*tch ( dir. Rachel Perkins et. al. )agent Australia : Blackfella Films Australian Broadcasting Corporation , 2019-2023 15284926 2019 series - publisher film/TV

'An unlikely national hero, Alex is catapulted into government in a cynical power play. Used, abandoned and underestimated, now she's on a path that will send the political establishment into meltdown.'

Source: Screen Australia.

2024 nominated Logie Awards Most Outstanding Drama Series
2022 nominated Logie Awards Most Popular Drama Program
2021 nominated Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards Best Television Drama Series
2019 winner Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards Best Television Drama Series
y separately published work icon Useful Scoresby : Penguin , 2015 8141941 2015 single work novel

'Sullivan Moss is useless.

'Once a charming underachiever, he's now such a loser that he can't even commit suicide properly. Waking up in hospital after falling the wrong way on a rooftop, he comes to a decision. He shouldn't waste perfectly good organs just because they're attached to his head. After a life of regrets, Sully wants to do one useful thing: he wants to donate a kidney to a stranger.

'As he scrambles over the hurdles to become a donor, Sully almost accidentally forges a new life for himself. Sober and employed, he makes new friends, not least radio producer Natalie and her son Louis, and begins to patch things up with old ones, like his ex-best mate Tim. Suddenly, everyone wants a piece of him.

'But altruism is not as easy as it seems. Just when he thinks he's got himself together, Sully discovers that he's most at risk of falling apart.' (Publication summary)

2015 winner The Fellowship of Australian Writers Victoria Inc. National Literary Awards FAW Christina Stead Award
Last amended 22 Nov 2012 12:38:35
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