Trent Dalton - Rewriting a fractured childhood through beauty, love and hope

Trent Dalton is a two-time Walkley Award-winning journalist and internationally bestselling author whose work has touched hearts around the world. But behind the accolades lies a childhood marked by immense hardship—substance abuse, domestic violence, parental separation and poverty.

But Trent turned pain into prose. His debut novel, Boy Swallows Universe—a semi-fictionalised take on his childhood—became a literary sensation and later Netflix’s most successful Australian-made series. His 2021 non-fiction work, Love Stories, was adapted for the stage and will tour in late 2025, around the same time his next novel, Gravity Let Me Go, is set for release.

Trent doesn’t shy away from the gritty and uncomfortable, but what sets him apart is his unwavering belief in beauty, love and hope—something he often credits to his wife of 25 years, journalist Fiona Franzmann. They now live in Brisbane with their daughters, Beth and Sylvie.

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