Donald Stuart (Australian author)
Donald Robert Stuart (13 September 1913 – 25 August 1983) was an Australian
Early career
Donald Stuart was born in Cottesloe, Western Australia[1] and apart from his time spent overseas during World War II, he lived all his life in that state. His father was Julian Stuart, a poet and activist, and he was the brother of Lyndall Hadow, also a writer. Stuart left home at age 14 and began a career as a swagman (an itinerant who wandered the roads seeking casual work). He travelled through much of northern Western Australia finding work on cattle stations and it was during these years that he came into close contact with Aborigines.
The war years
Stuart volunteered at the start of World War II for the
"We built a railway from near Bangkok to near Rangoon—thousands of us POWs starved, scourged, racked with malaria, dysentery,
Writing career
Stuart's first novel, Yandy, was published to critical acclaim in 1959. It became a modest best seller and was studied at the high school level in some Australian school systems. The events take place against the background of the
"Donald Stuart probably comes the closest of any White Australian writer during this period to a sensitive depiction of the Aboriginal people as Aboriginal human beings."[4]
Yandy was followed by a series of novels featuring
In 1974, Stuart published the first book in what would become the series known as The Conjuror’s Years. Prince of My Country recounts the story of an Aboriginal station owner who makes a success of running his business, against all odds. This was set at a time when
Death
Donald Stuart died in Broome in 1983.
Bibliography
- Stuart, Donald (1959). Yandy. Melbourne: Georgian House.
- Stuart, Donald (1961). The Driven. London: Michael Joseph.
- Stuart, Donald (1962). Yaralie. London: Michael Joseph.
- Stuart, Donald R. (March 1965). "The blue horse". Meanjin Quarterly. 24 (1): 55–61.
- Stuart, Donald (1971). Ilbarana. Melbourne: Georgian House.
- Stuart, Donald (1973). Morning Star, Evening Star: Tales of Outback Australia. Melbourne: Georgian House.
- Stuart, Donald (1974). Prince of My Country. Melbourne: Georgian House.
- Stuart, Donald (1975). Walk, Trot, Canter and Die. Melbourne: Georgian House.
- Stuart, Donald (1976). Malloonkai. Melbourne: Georgian House.
- Stuart, Donald (1977). Drought Foal. Melbourne: Georgian House.
- Stuart, Donald (1978). Wedgetail View. Melbourne: Georgian House.
- Stuart, Donald (1979). Crank Back on Roller. Melbourne: Georgian House.
- Stuart, Donald (1981). I Think I'll Live. Melbourne: Georgian House.
- Stuart, Donald (1983). Broome Landscapes and People, photography by Roger Garwood. Fremantle Arts Centre Press.
See also
References
- ^ Clarke, Sally, In the Space Behind His Eyes, A Biography of Donald. R. Stuart, 1913 - 1983, Claverton House, Lesmurdie, Western Australia, 2006
- ^ Stuart, Donald, I Think I’ll Live, Georgian House, Melbourne, 1981
- ^ Stuart, Donald, quotation from: Sacred places – Australian battlefield pilgrimages, Hellfire Pass, Australian government website, http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/pilgrimages/ Archived 7 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved on 7 January 2011
- ^ Shoemaker, Adam, Black Words, White Page: Aboriginal Literature 1929-1988, University of Queensland Press, Queensland, 1992