Peter Corris was born in Stawell, Victoria, Australia on May 8, 1942. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Melbourne, a master's degree in history from Monash University, and a PhD in history from the Australian National University. He worked as a professor until 1975 when he decided to become a journalist. He was as literary editor of The National Times from 1979 to 1980. He decided to become a full-time writer in 1982.
His first book, The Dying Trade, was published in 1980. He was best known for the Cliff Hardy series. He also wrote collaborative biographies with Philip Nitschke, Fred Hollows, John Sinclair, and Ray Barrett. His autobiography, Sweet and Sour: A Diabetic Life, was published in 2000. He received the Ned Kelly Award for lifetime achievement in 1999, the Ned Kelly Award for best novel in 2009 for Deep Water, and the Bad Sydney Crime Writers Festival's inaugural Danger Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. He died on August 30, 2018 at the age of 76.
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