Clarke, Marcus (1846-1881), was an author and journalist who wrote the Australian classic For the Term of His Natural Life. Originally called His Natural Life, the novel is a vigorous social protest about the sufferings of convicts in settlements in early Tasmania. Clarke originally wrote the story in serial form as a commissioned series of articles about convict life for the Australian Journal. It was published as a book in 1874. The longer title was not added until an edition published in 1929.