Merlinda Bobis (born 25 November 1959) is a contemporary Filipina-Australian writer and academic.

Biography

Bobis was born on November 25, 1959 in Legazpi City, Albay, Philippines. She started writing poetry at the age of ten. She received her secondary education at Bicol University High School, then completed her B.A. at Aquinas University in Legazpi City, followed by a post-graduate degrees from the University of Santo Tomas. She achieved a Doctorate from the University of Wollongong in 1995, and now lives in Australia. Written in various genres in both Filipino and English, her work integrates elements of the traditional culture of the Philippines with modern immigrant experience. Also a dancer and visual artist, Bobis has taught at Wollongong University. Her play Rita's Lullaby was the winner of the 1998 Awgie for Best Radio Play and the international Prix Italia of the same year; in 2000 White Turtle won the Steele Rudd Award for the Best Collection of Australian Short Stories and the 2000 Philippine National Book Award. In 2006, she received the Gintong Aklat Award (Golden Book Award, Philippines) for her novel Banana Heart Summer, from the Book Development Association of the Philippines. She also won the 2016 Christina Stead Prize for Fiction and NSW Premier's Literary Awards for her book, Locust Girl: A Lovesong.

Work

Poetry

Short stories

Novels

Awards

Among her awards are:

Sources