Michael Gerard Bauer

Australian-born author and educator Michael Gerard Bauer's debut novel The Running Man was met with much praise upon its publication in 2004, and has also earned recognition by several of the country's top awards. The novel's main character is a fourteen-year-old boy named Joseph. A talented artist, Joseph is asked by the woman who lives next door to paint a portrait of her brother Tom, a withdrawn, unsociable man who is known around town primarily because of his status as a Vietnam War veteran. Behind Tom's constant scowl and dark moods is an even darker history that Joseph must unlock in order to clearly capture the man's image on canvas. Joseph's quest to make sense of his older neighbor despite his own shyness also helps the teen deal with his own childhood turmoil and help him avoid the scars that have so clearly damaged Tom.

Bauer studied English at the University of Queensland, and now teaches English and economics at the secondary-school level in the city of Brisbane, where he was born and now lives with his wife and two children. Discussing his second career as a writer on the Scholastic Australia Web site, he noted: "I have always been interested in writing and over the years have dabbled in song lyrics, short stories and poetry with no real thought of ever being published. For quite a few years I kept diaries where I would write about my experiences and innermost feelings in verse heavily disguised by symbols and images. Looking back I think this was probably a good way of developing and improving writing skills without realizing it."

Career

Writer and educator. Teacher of economics and English teacher in Brisbane and Ipswich, Queensland, Australia.

Awards, Honors

Brisbane Writers Festival WriteSmall Competition winner, 2003; New South Wales Premier's Literary Award shortlist, Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year for Older Readers award, Courier Mail People's Choice Award for Younger Readers, and Victorian Premier's Award shortlist, all 2005, all for The Running Man.

Writings

The Running Man, Omnibus Books (Malvern, South Australia, Australia), 2004.

Don't Call Me Ishmael!, Omnibus Books (Malvern, South Australia, Australia), 2006.

Biographical and Critical Sources

Periodicals

• Magpies, November, 2004, Jo Goodman, review of The Running Man, p. 39.
• Viewpoint, autumn, 2005, Nicky Lo Bianco, review of The Running Man, p. 26.

Online

• AustLit Web site, http://www.austlit.edu.au/ (September 26, 2005).
• Booked Out Speakers Agency Web site, http://www.bookedout.com.au/queensland (March 26, 2006), "Michael Gerard Bauer."
• Curriculum Materials Information Services Web site, http://www.amlib.eddept.wa.edu.au/ (December 19, 2005), Les Strong, review of Running Man.
• Scholastic Australia Web site, http://www.scholastic.com.au/ (November 26, 2005), "Michael Gerard Bauer."