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Ion L. Idriess Ion L. Idriess i(182 works by) (a.k.a. Jack Idriess; Ion Llewellyn Idriess; see more)
Also writes as: Gouger ; Up North ; see more
Born: Established: 20 Sep 1889 Waverley, Bondi area, Sydney Eastern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales, ; Died: Ceased: 6 Jun 1979 Mona Vale, Northern Beaches area, Sydney Northeastern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,
Gender: Male
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BiographyHistory

Ion L. Idriess was educated in several New South Wales towns before attending the Broken Hill School of Mines. At the age of sixteen he began a twenty-five year period of travel around most regions of Australia, working in a variety of jobs, including miner, rabbit-exterminator, boundary-rider, rouseabout, opal miner, crocodile hunter and drover. He served at Gallipoli and in the Sinai and Palestine in World War I. He was badly wounded in 1918. After the war, he continued his nomadic lifestyle, but in 1928 he settled in Sydney to begin a career as a freelance writer.

Idriess contributed to the Bulletin's 'Aboriginalities' column and other journals under such pseudonyms as 'Gouger', 'Up North' and 'Emucrest' and had some success with earlier books such as his first, Madman's Island (1926); in 1931 he wrote his first best-seller, Lasseter's Last Ride, and Prospecting for Gold, a practical guide to gold mining. From this time until his last book appeared in 1969, he regularly published at least one book a year, providing tales of Australian adventure in a congenial and well-structured style. He also wrote several books for children about historical events in Australia. Many of Idriess's books, such as The Cattle King (1936) and Flynn of the Inland (1932) went through multiple printings. The Desert Column (1932), Drums of Mer (1933), Nemarluk (1941), and the collections The Yellow Joss (1934) and Forty Fathoms Deep (1937), are also notable. The success of Idriess's style influenced later authors such as Frank Clune and Colin Simpson (qq.v.).

Ion Idriess was awarded an OBE in 1968.

Most Referenced Works

1
y separately published work icon Lasseter's Last Ride : An Epic of Central Australian Gold Discovery Lasseter's Last Ride Ion L. Idriess , Sydney : Angus and Robertson , 1931 Z236497 1931 single work biography 7.6811457
2
y separately published work icon Drums of Mer Ion L. Idriess , ( nar. Bob Mercer ) Burwood : Royal Blind Society of New South Wales , 29244120 1933 single work novel historical fiction 6.0827627
3
y separately published work icon The Desert Column : Leaves from the Diary of an Australian Trooper in Gallipoli, Sinai and Palestine The Desert Column Ion L. Idriess , Sydney : Angus and Robertson , 1932 Z107525 1932 single work autobiography diary correspondence war literature

'One hundred years after the charge of the 4th Light Horse Brigade at Beersheba in October 1917...The Desert Column is based on the diaries that he kept through out the war. Published in 1932, it is one of Idriess' earliest works. Harry Chauvel noted in the foreword that it was the only book of the campaign that to his knowledge was "viewed entirely from the private soldier's point of view"...Idriess served as a sniper with the 5th Australian Light Horse. Enlisting in 1914, he began his diary "as we crowded the decks off Gallipoli" and he continued writing until returning to Australia...The diaries cover his experience of some of the war's major events from life in the trenches at Gallipoli to the battles at Romani and Beersheba. One of Idriess' strengths as a writer is his ability to place the reader at the scene of the action...The diaries reveal a keenness of observation and a descriptive and pacey style that Idriess would develop further in The Desert Column.' (Synopsis)

 6.0827627
4
y separately published work icon Flynn of the Inland Ion L. Idriess , Sydney : Angus and Robertson , 1932 Z201072 1932 single work biography 6.0
5
y separately published work icon Men of the Jungle Ion L. Idriess , Sydney : Angus and Robertson , 1932 Z275930 1932 single work autobiography travel 5.656854
VIEW ALL WORKS BY (182)

Affiliation Notes

  • Idriess spent some time in the north of Western Australia and set a number of books in Western Australia.
Last amended 22 Jan 2015 12:05:31
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