Marion Halligan AM, a literary icon in Canberra and beyond, has died. She was 83.

A prolific writer and novelist, she wrote more than 20 books from short stories to non-fiction to children’s books. She won the ACT Book of the Year three times and was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin and the Nita Kibble awards.

Her last book, Words for Lucy, was highly commended for the 2022 ACT Book of the Year. It is described as a masterful reflection of a mother surviving the aftershocks of her daughter’s death and finding the space to live.

Born and educated in Newcastle, NSW, Halligan moved to Canberra in the ’60s, working as a teacher and journalist before publishing her first short stories in the ’80s.

During her lifetime, she was a prolific writer and novelist, authoring more than 20 books from short stories to non-fiction to children’s books.

Paying tribute, Arts Minister Tara Cheyne describes the author as “warm and insightful, generous with her time”.

“Marion will be so dearly missed by the Canberra community,” the minister says.  “And just as she has inspired and made an enduring impression on her contemporaries – from her readers, to so many authors, and the broader Canberra community – through her artform she will continue to reach, engage and impassion countless future generations.”