Speakers Profile - Don Watson










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Don Watson was educated in a country high school and at La Trobe and Monash Universities. After completing a Ph.D in 1976 Don Watson taught history and politics before leaving academia and becoming a freelance writer. In the 1980s he wrote satire for the stage and television, and speeches for the Victorian premier John Cain. In 1992 he became Prime Minister Paul Keating�s speechwriter and adviser and remained in the role until the government�s defeat in 1996.� �

Over the past thirty-five years Watson's articles, essays and reviews on politics, history and culture have appeared in most major Australian journals and newspapers.� His books include the acclaimed bestsellers Recollections of a Bleeding Heart (2002), Death Sentence (2003), Watson�s Dictionary of Weasel Words (2004), American Journeys (2008), Bendable Learnings (2010), The Bush (2014), Worst Words (2015) A Single Tree (2016) Enemy Within (2016) and There It Is Again: Collected Writings�(2018).�He has twice won The Age Book of the Year, in addition to the National Biography Award, the Courier-Mail Book of the Year, the Alfred Deakin Essay Prize, the Australian Literary Studies Association Book of the Year, a Walkley Award, the New South Wales Premier�s Award, the Queensland Literary Award, and the Independent Booksellers Book of the Year (twice).� In 2011 Don Watson was awarded the Philip Hodgins Memorial Medal for Excellence in Literature.

His film writing includes The Man Who Sued God (starring Billy Connolly and Judy Davis) and Passion (Barbara Hershey and Richard Roxburgh).

Don Watson is a lover of words and a regular writer for The Monthly.