{{short description|Australian novelist}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}} {{Use Australian English|date=October 2016}} '''Robert Nicholas Jose''' (born 9 November 1952), known as Nicholas, is an Australian novelist.

==Early life and education == Robert Nicholas Jose,<ref name =bookseller/> known as Nicholas, was born on 9 November 1952<ref name =nlapapers/> in London, England, to Australian parents.<ref name =bookseller/> After the family moved to Australia, he grew up in Broken Hill, Traralgon, Perth, and Adelaide.<ref name =nlapapers>{{cite web | title =MS 8714 Papers of Nicholas Jose (1952- ) | format =catalogue entry |publisher = National Library of Australia| url = https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-294489417/findingaid | accessdate = 27 February 2024}}</ref>

He was educated at the Australian National University (ANU), before being awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University in 1974.<ref name =nlapapers/>

== Career == Jose has travelled extensively, particularly in China, where he worked from 1986 to 1990.<ref name =bookseller/> He has lived and worked in Canberra and other parts of Australia as well as in England, Italy, and China. He was an English lecturer at ANU, and was a cultural counsellor for the Australian Embassy in Beijing from 1987 to 1990.<ref name =nlapapers/>

He was Visiting Chair of Australian Studies at Harvard University from 2009 to 2010, and in 2012 was Professor of English and Creative Writing both at the University of Adelaide and Bath Spa University, England.<ref name =bookseller>{{cite web |title=Weldon and Hensher head to Bath Spa |url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/weldon-and-hensher-head-bath-spa.html |work=The Bookseller |accessdate=9 November 2012 |archive-date=6 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140506210245/http://www.thebookseller.com/news/weldon-and-hensher-head-bath-spa.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In early 2017 Jose became involved in a research project, ''Other Worlds: Forms of "World Literature"'',<ref>[http://www.formsofworldliterature.com 'Other Worlds: Forms of "World Literature'"]</ref> for which he is leading a theme on "Antipodean China", exploring the relationship between Chinese literature and world literature.<ref> [http://www.formsofworldliterature.com/antipodean-china/ Other Worlds]</ref> === Writing === Jose has written widely on contemporary art and literature from Asia and the Pacific.<ref name =nlapapers/> He has also written short stories, novels, and a book on English literature, based on as his doctoral thesis. He wrote ''Paper Nautilus'' and ''Avenue of Eternal Peace'' while living in Italy and China.<ref name =nlapapers/>

He won a Literature Board Fellowship in 1989 and 1997.<ref name =nlapapers/>

==Other activities == Jose was president of Sydney PEN from 2002 to 2005.<ref name =bookseller/>

In 2016 Jose presented "Gifts from China" for the Eric Rolls Memorial Lecture.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=20 March 2016|title=Jose Nicholas: Gifts from China|url=https://www.nla.gov.au/audio/nicholas-jose|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-10-08|website=National Library of Australia|language=en}}</ref>

==Awards and nominations== * 1973 University Medal for English, Australian National University * 1990 shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award - ''Avenue of Eternal Peace'' * 1997 shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, South-East Asia - ''The Custodians'' * 2003 shortlisted for ''The Age'' Book of the Year, Non-fiction - ''Black Sheep''

==Bibliography==

===Novels=== * ''Rowena's Field'' (1984) * ''Paper Nautilus'' (1987) * ''Avenue of Eternal Peace'' (1989) * ''The Rose Crossing'' (1994) * ''The Custodians'' (1997) * ''The Red Thread'' (2000) * ''Original Face'' (2005) * ''The Idealist'' (2023)

===Short story collections=== * ''The Possession of Amber'' (1980) * ''Feathers or Lead'' (1986) * ''Bapo'' (2014)

===Non-fiction=== * ''Chinese Whispers'' (1995) * ''Black Sheep: Journey to Borroloola'' (2002)

===As editor=== * ''Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature'' (2009) * ''The Literature of Australia'' (2009)

===As writer=== * ''Children of the Dragon'' (novel) (1 episode, 1992)<ref>[https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/t/children-of-the-dragon-1991/1023/ ''Children of the Dragon'' (1991) - Crew]. Screen Australia</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.nicholasjose.com.au Official site] * [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/arts/bwriting/stories/s1484149.htm Interview] Radio National * [http://www.macquariepenanthology.com.au Macquarie PEN Anthology]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jose, Nicholas}} Category:1952 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century Australian novelists Category:21st-century Australian novelists Category:Academics of Bath Spa University Category:Australian male novelists Category:Australian non-fiction writers Category:Australian male short story writers Category:English emigrants to Australia Category:Writers from Adelaide Category:Novelists from London Category:20th-century Australian short story writers Category:21st-century Australian short story writers Category:20th-century Australian male writers Category:21st-century Australian male writers Category:Australian male non-fiction writers

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