Children have limited power to shape their own lives, but when they can experiment with possibilities through books, their optimism can be recharged and kept alive. Morris Gleitzman alivebookchild Change image and share on social
I like to write stories where young people have a strong feeling about something being fair or unfair, right or wrong, cruel or kind, and they act on the basis of that - often in the face of the prevailing limits of behaviour. Morris Gleitzman actbasisbehaviour share on social
I was named after my Jewish grandfather who left Poland early in the 20th century. What I knew from an early age was that he had lived most of his life in England, his Jewish wife had died, and he married a non-Jewish woman who was my grandmother. Morris Gleitzman 20thagecentury share on social
In 1969, we emigrated to Australia. It was a big change. The heat, the flies, and the completely different tinned meats. The shock was so great, I stopped reading books for nearly a year. Morris Gleitzman australiabigbook Change image and share on social
Melbourne is my type of city, much more so than Sydney. Morris Gleitzman citymelbournesydney Change image and share on social
At around nine or 10 years of age, young people start to decide for themselves what's moral or not, and that's why I like writing for that age group so much. Morris Gleitzman agedecidegroup Change image and share on social
Most of your life after puberty, you're either seeking to reproduce or living with the consequences of having done so. At 70, you start going back to being 11 again. Morris Gleitzman backconsequencelife Change image and share on social
I would never write stories with only despair and defeat and the dark side of life. Morris Gleitzman darkdefeatdespair Change image and share on social
Because of my poor writing posture, I started walking in the forest every day, and I found it a potent place to be creatively. It changed me in that it was a new way of doing my creative process, and I realised how much I liked being among tall trees. Morris Gleitzman changecreativecreatively share on social
When I did finally live in the Dandenongs, the mountain ash forests became an important part of my life. Morris Gleitzman ashdandenongsfinally Change image and share on social
