Jean Holkner was born in Australia to Jewish parents who had migrated from Palestine. With some facility in Yiddish, she taught creative writing courses for the Education Faculty at Melbourne University and at colleges of Advanced Education. She has also written literature texts for children including children's readers as part of the Children of the Kingdom series.
She was a member of the Fellowship of Australian Writers and of the Australian Society of Authors. Her work has been read on radio and at literary festivals. Holkner contributed to several Australian newspapers and educational magazines, and wrote in the genres of children's fiction, fiction, humour, science fiction and literature for young adults.
