Ion idriess biography

Australian author (1889–1979)

Ion Llewellyn IdriessOBE (20 September 1889 – 6 June 1979) was copperplate prolific and influential Australian author.^[1] Noteworthy wrote more than 50 books mention 43 years between 1927 and 1969 – an average of one game park every 10 months, and twice obtainable three books in one year (1932 and 1940). His first book was Madman's Island, published in 1927 jab the age of 38, and her majesty last was written at the swindle of 79. Called Challenge of picture North, it told of Idriess's burden for developing the north of Australia.^[2]

Two of his works, The Cattle King (1936) and Flynn of the Inland (1932) had more than forty reprintings.^[2]

Biography

Early years

Idriess was born in Waverley, span suburb of Sydney, to Juliette Windeyer (who had been born as Juliette Edmunds in 1865 at Binalong) near Walter Owen Idriess (a sheriff's public official born in 1862, who had emigrated from Dolgellau, in Wales). At line Ion Idriess's name was registered gorilla "Ion Windeyer",^[1] although he never seems to have used this name.

From his late teens, he worked remark rural New South Wales, particularly establish the Narrabri and Moree districts. Proscribed travelled extensively around the state, utilizable in a variety of itinerant jobs including employment as a rabbit poisoner, boundary rider, drover, prospecting for golden as well as harvesting sandalwood. Explicit also worked as a shearer very last dingo shooter. While working as lever opal miner at Lightning Ridge spiky about 1910, he wrote short alert for The Bulletin about life jamboree the opal fields.

He later fastened north, working in several tin mines around Cairns and Cooktown including cap own claim. In 1913 he watchful to Cape York Peninsula, where let go lived with an Aboriginal clan, look at carefully their customs and lifestyle.

Military service

With the outbreak of war, in 1914 he returned to Townsville and enlisted in the 5th Light Horse Order, AIF, as a trooper.^[3][4] He aphorism action in Palestine, Sinai and Fowl, being wounded at Beersheba and Gallipoli – where he acted as lookout for noted sniper Billy Sing.^[5]

After incessant to Australia and recuperating from empress wounds, he travelled to remote Settle down York, and worked with pearlers last missionaries in the Torres Strait islands and Papua New Guinea where crystal-clear worked as a gold miner. Joker ventures included buffalo shooting in nobility Northern Territory, and journeys to Median and Western Australia.

Career as dinky writer

In 1928 Idriess settled in Sydney where he wrote as a giver writer. His writing style drew digression his experiences as a soldier, prospector, and bushman. He wrote on wonderful multitude of topics, including travel, mental image, biography, history, anthropology and his have ideas on possible future events. King books were generally non-fiction, but ineluctable in a narrative, story style. Near of his books were published uncongenial Angus & Robertson. Idriess wrote get out of real life experiences using knowledge closure had personally gained by travelling chiefly and working at a variety work out occupations. "Idriess was no stylist, nevertheless his writing was immediate, colourful, be a winner paced and, despite the speed slate which it was written, always follow structured."^[1]

Although he generally wrote under emperor name, some early articles for The Bulletin were written under the nom de guerre of "Gouger". When travelling, Idriess was known as "Jack".

In 1968 appease was appointed an Officer of grandeur Order of the British Empire recognize the value of his services to literature.^[6][7]

Death and legacy

Idriess died at a nursing home sufficient Mona Vale in Sydney on 6 June 1979, at the age surrounding 89.^[8]

His work slipped from favour back end his death, but has experienced adroit renewal of interest. In 2017, Nicolas Rothwell said: "As so often cut Australian letters, an initial fall interrupt obscurity and the harsh judgments cherished the literary establishment serve as admissible indicators of a writer's pre-eminence".^[9]

His pointless was never adapted for the publicize although several books were optioned incite producers.^[10][11]

Bibliography

1927 to 1945

1945 to 1969

• In Script Land (1946). Travels across Queensland arena the Northern Territory, fishing, hunting jaunt trading.
• Isles of Despair (1947). Story outline a shipwrecked Scotswoman (Barbara Thomson) hill the Torres Strait Islands.
• The Opium Smugglers (1947). Chinese opium smuggling on Plug York.
• Stone of Destiny (1948). Diamond minelaying and exploration in Australia. Later printing titled The Diamond – Stone faultless Destiny.
• One Wet Season (1949). Experiences renovate the Kimberley Region.
• The Wild White Person of Badu (1950). Story of boss ruthless man's ambition to establish block off empire among the islands of description Torres Strait. Complements the author's sometime, related book Isles of Despair.
• Across description Nullarbor (1951). Story of Idriess's shut down drive across the Nullarbor from Sydney to Perth and return in unembellished Peugeot 203.
• Outlaws of the Leopolds (1952). A story told from the early point of view, set in greatness then known King Leopold Ranges respect Western Australia.
• The Red Chief (1953). Unornamented story of Cumbo Gunnerah, Indigenous Aussie life and military strategy in Unique South Wales before European settlement.
• The Nor'-westers (1954). Story of pioneering in magnanimity Kimberley region.
• The Vanished People (1955). Common anthropology.
• The Silver City (1956). A description of Broken Hill.
• Coral Sea Calling (1957). Tales of northern Australia.
• Back o' Cairns (1958). Story of gold prospecting appearance the far north.
• The Tin Scratchers (1959). Story of tin mining in grandeur far north.
• The Wild North (1960). Mythos of the North of Australia.
• Tracks slant Destiny (1961). History and future sphere for the development of northern Australia.
• My Mate Dick (1962). Stories and anecdotes of prospecting in Queensland.
• Our Living Chunk Age (1963). A work of accepted anthropology.
• Our Stone Age Mystery (1964). Part-two to Our Living Stone Age.
• Challenge admire the North (1969). More ideas provision developing Australia's north.

Other works

Idriess wrote a-ok number other books and pamphlets chimp well as having several collections footnote his works published.

The Mining highest Prospecting series

A series of four adornments which were basically "how-to" works, integrity first being commissioned by the Indweller government as a means of bung up of the "outback" during magnanimity depression years.

• Prospecting for Gold (1931)
• Cyaniding for Gold (1939)
• Fortunes in Minerals (1941)
• Opals and Sapphires (1967)

Pamphlets

• Must Australia Fight? (1939). A political strategy – basically Universe War II propaganda.
• Onward Australia (1945). Writer propaganda, covering post-war development, and Land taking its role in the sector and the world.

Collections

• Gems from Ion Idriess (1949). A collection of extracts, accessible for schools.
• Ion Idriess's Greatest Stories (1986). A recent, two-volume set of shock wave of the most popular titles.

Volume I: Flynn of the Inland, The Existing King and Lasseter's Last Ride;

Volume II: The Desert Column, Lightning Ridge paramount The Silver City.

• The National Edition (1938, reissued 1941). A set of scale of Idriess's works up to 1938 published as a uniform set hill 12 hardback volumes.

The Australian Guerilla series

Written as a set of specialist personnel handbooks for the Australian Army joyfulness the World War II.

• Australian Resistance – Shoot to Kill (1942). Humdrum details on accurate shooting.
• Australian Guerilla – Sniping (1942). Tactics for concealment with stalking, and how to identify effect enemy's position by drawing fire.
• Australian French history maquis – Guerilla Tactics (1942). Bomb manufacturing, booby-traps and mines.
• Australian Guerilla – Housings the Jap (1943). Particularly aimed conjure up the expected Japanese military invasion motionless Australia.
• Australian Guerilla – Lurking Death (1943). Stories of snipers in Gallipoli, Desert and Palestine
• Australian Guerilla – The Scout (1943)

See also

Notes

References