John Hughes

Author
Inducted 6th December 2006

John Hughes was born in Cessnock in 1961. He completed his education locally at Cessnock High School, and then attended the University of Newcastle, Cambridge University, and the University of Technology, where he completed his PhD.

In 2004, John published 'The idea of home', an autobiographical work about growing up in Cessnock in a household dominated by memories of the Ukraine, from where his mother and grandparents were forced to flee during the Second World War.

'The idea of home' won the Douglas Stewart Prize for non-fiction in the 2005 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, and the National Award for Biography in 2006.

In 2008 John won the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, Australian Short Story Collection – Arts Queensland Steele Rudd Award for his collection of fictional essays 'Someone Else.

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Plaque location
105 Vincent Street, Cessnock (garden bed)