Marcus Clarke

Marcus Andrew Hislop Clarke was an Australian novelist and poet, best known for his novel For the Term of his Natural Life. He was born in London on the 24th of April 1846 and was educated at Highgate School. He was the only son of William Hislop Clarke, a barrister of the Middle Temple who died in 1863. He emigrated to Australia, where his uncle, James Langton Clarke, was a county court judge. He was at first a clerk in the Bank of Australasia, but showed no business ability, and soon proceeded to learn farming at a station on the Wimmera River, Victoria.