Garner was born in Geelong in 1942. She attended the Manifold Heights State School, Ocean Grove State School and The Hermitage. She graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English and French. She then worked as a high school teacher between 1966 and 1972. In 1968 she married Bill Garner and was divorced in 1971.

In 1972, Garner was fired by the Victorian Department of Education for her publications in the magazine, The Digger. Throughout the 1970s, Garner also published in the Women's Liberation journal Vashti's Voice.

Her first novel, Monkey Grip, was published in 1977. The book was very successful, winning the National Book Council Award in 1978. In 1982, garner wrote the script for the feature film Monkey Grip (Cameron, 1982). The film followed the lives of a small group of inner city people and how sex and drugs impacted their lives.

In 1980, she married Jean-Jacques Portail and divorced in 1985. She has also married and divorced Australian writer Murray Bail.

In 1986, her collection of short stories, Postcards from Surfers, won the 1986 NSW Premier's Literary Award and her novel The Children's Bach won the 1986 SA Premier's Literary Award. Also in 1986, Garner wrote the script for Two Friends (Campion, 1986).

In 1991, Garner wrote the script for the dramatic comedy The Last Days of Chez Nous (Armstrong, 1992). Produced by Jan Chapman, the film explored the relationship between two very different daughters and their father.

In 1993, her novel Cosmo Cosmolino was nominated for a Miles Franklin Award.

In 1995, her non-fiction The First Stone: Some Questions About Sex and Power, caused intense uproar amongst feminists.

Events

1993

Walkley Award (Print) - Best Feature Writing, ' Why Did Daniel Have To Die?', Time Australia

2005

Walkley Award (Literary) - Non-Fiction Book, 'Joe Cinque's Consolation', Pan Macmillan

Sources used to compile this entry: Flesch, Juliet and McPhee, Peter, 'Helen Garner (1942 - )', in University of Melbourne - 150 Years: 150 Stories (On-line edition), Flesch, Juliet and McPhee, Peter, University of Melbourne, 2002, http://www.unimelb.edu.au/150/150people/garner.html; Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (Australia) - records of the W.G. Walkley Awards, 1956 - 1999, 1956 - 1999, MLMSS 6898; Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (Australia); Australian Journalists' Association; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales; http://www.walkleys.com/winners/database.html.