Markus Zusak (born on 23 June 1975 in Sydney) is an Australian author. He is best known for his books The Messenger (published in USA as I Am the Messenger) and The Book Thief, which have been very successful internationally.
Zusak is the son of an Austrian father, who was a house painter, and a German mother. He is the youngest of four children. In an interview for the Sydney Morning Herald, Zusak said that when he was growing up he heard stories about Nazi Germany, the bombing of Munich, and Jews being marched through the small German town in which his mother lived. These stories inspired him to write The Book Thief.
Zusak was inspired to write after reading the books The Old Man and the Sea and What's Eating Gilbert Grape. He started writing when he was sixteen and his first book, The Underdog, was published seven years later.
Zusak lives in Sydney with his wife and daughter. He enjoys surfing and watching movies in his spare time.