Sean Condon

Since 1996 I have published seven books, beginning with the genre-busting travelogue 'Sean & David's Long Drive' up to 2013's comic novel 'Splitsville', my most accomplished work so far. I've also had work in many anthologies, including 'The Best of McSweeney's Humor'. I also co-wrote an episode of an excellent and very funny sitcom which was made into a non-excellent and mostly terrible pilot (abysmal direction was to blame) as well as several quite-good feature screenplays, one of which was very nearly produced by Michael Bay. I've had columns and articles in newspapers and magazines all around the world. 'Sean & David's Long Drive' was short-listed for the WA Premier's Award and I've received three Australia Council literature grants. All of it while failing to carve out a successful career in advertising.

I live in Melbourne with my wife and daughter. (We have no pets but I promise that if we did we'd have a dog or cat, whichever is your preference.)

Books

Sean & David's Long Drive (Lonely Planet Journeys. 1996)

In 1995 my friend David O'Brien and I drove around the eastern half of Australia in an old Ford or Holden or something. (It was definitely light blue.) This very popular book, which was reprinted nine times, is the result.

"One of the funniest road stories in print." Toronto Globe and Mail

"Funny, pithy, kitch and surreal." Time Out London

"I enjoyed it immensely." Bill Bryson

"Condon can be quite funny." Times Literary Supplement

"An amusingly subversive commentary on stereotypical travel writing... shrewd as well as funny." The Age

"Condon is a cool wit who comes off like Hunter S Thompson on prescription drugs." The Australian

Drive Thru America (Lonely Planet Journeys. 1998)

In 1996, David O'Brien and I, still friends despite the previous year's ordeal, made the mistake of driving around the United States in a rented Chrysler Neon (white). We didn't have much fun. The book has an excellent cover - designed and painted by David - and is genre-busting and brilliant.

"Funny and high on popular culture, it is one of the most accurate accounts of how travellers really experience America, and the most fun." The Times (U.K)

"When it's good [it] reaches well-paced brilliance." The Independent On Sunday (U.K)

"Hilarious." The Philadelphia Enquirer

"Hilarious and cruel." Elle magazine

"Tedious, self-indulgent, unrelentingly unrewarding... a cautionary example of exactly how not to write a book about a road trip across the United States." Sonoma County Independent

My Dam Life (Lonely Planet Journeys. 2003)

A hilarious - and yet frequently moving - account of my first three years in Amsterdam with my wife Sally. Parts of it were even quoted in a speech by the Dutch prime minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, in April 2006. It is an excellent book - in fact, my very best. If you're thinking about going to Amsterdam then this is a great point of reference for you. Although it's more of a memoir than a travel book it is nevertheless full of interesting information about Amsterdam and, to a lesser degree, me. It's also pretty funny.

"Fans of offbeat travel literature rejoice! Stylistically and philosophically, Condon is as close to Bill Bryson as it's possible to be. He mixes fascinating facts with hilarious humor... and keeps us thoroughly in stitches from beginning to end. This one's an absolute must-read." Booklist

"A smart and funny book." San Francisco Chronicle

"Condon is a humorous chap from Australia who writes humorous books... in a David Sedaris sort of way - dry and ironic with a skewed sense of the absurdity of it all." Chicago Tribune

Film (4th Estate. 2003.)

A semi-autobiographical novel about obsession, ambition, failure and redemption. With a beautiful cover.

"A stunning tragi-comedy." Vogue

"Funny and touching... On present form [Condon] is a storyteller who will be delighting us for many years to come." The Bulletin magazine

"Notably lucid and imaginative... whimsical moods, surreal humour and nicely paced set pieces. The spectacular, even virtuosic display of movie lore is bound to delight cineastes. Among the attractions of Condon's book are the lyrical accounts of childhood dreams and puppy love, snappy fantasy screenplays drafted by his hero, beautifully cadenced dialogue... and the carefully plotted build up of character and place. Condon puts into his cross-talking urbanites' mouths strings of glittering puns, spoonerisms and apophthegms connected by flashy backchat and a precisely gauged authorial sense of pace." The Australian

Because I could, I substantially rewrote and re-edited Film for its U.K release. The result is a much improved first-and-a-half novel.

"One of the funniest books I've read in years ... a wonderful book." Saturday Telegraph

"Is this a deliberately bad novel? If so, I can only applaud the bravery in risking [a] fiction debut on such a dull book." The Guardian

The Secret of Success is a Secret (Hardie Grant. 2005.)

A collection of columns and collected wisdom from the funniest writer in Australia (me).

"An authentically hilarious writer - and, it has to be said, a genuine smart-arse - this collection of thoughts and

faux narratives works seamlessly." The Age

"The columns I read [were] very very funny, especially the one about Willem Dafoe." David Sedaris

Michael Sweeney's Method (Penguin. 2007)

My best book by a mile. Charming and lovely in every possible way.