Brian James Brian James i(A620 works by)
Writing name for: John Tierney
Born: Established: 17 Jun 1892 Eurunderee, Mudgee area, Gulgong - Mudgee - Rylstone area, Central West NSW, New South Wales, ; Died: Ceased: 11 Feb 1972 Sydney, New South Wales,
Gender: Male
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BiographyHistory

Brian James was the writing name used by John Tierney. James grew up on a farm at Eurunderee, and was the son of a school teacher who taught Henry Lawson at Eurunderee School.

In 1922, James graduated from the University of Sydney with a Master of Arts, becoming a primary and later a high school teacher. From 1922-1924 he studied at Oxford University, graduating with a Diploma of Education. On returning to Australia he combined teaching and farming, eventually retiring from teaching in 1951. His teaching posts included working at Grafton High School (1942-1944).

James's first piece of published writing was a short story submitted to the Bulletin's Red Page in 1942. A collection, First Furrow, appeared in 1944, followed by Cookabundy Bridge and Other Stories (1946), and a novel, The Advancement of Spencer Button, in 1950.

James also wrote Lawson's Eurunderee, a tribute to Henry Lawson, and the poet's influence is evident in James's own work, which is frequently set against a rural landscape of teaching and farming. The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature asserts that James' work demonstrates 'a wry, sardonic sense of humour and a capacity for sharp satire, understated realism and stylistic economy'.

Most Referenced Works

Notes

  • Timed summary (5 p.) and transcript (17 leaves)

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Cookabundy Bridge and Other Stories Sydney : Angus and Robertson , 1946 Z89254 1946 selected work short story
1946 winner S.H. Prior Memorial Prize

Known archival holdings

University of New South Wales Australian Defence Force Academy Australian Defence Force Academy Library (ACT)
University of Sydney The University of Sydney Library (NSW)
Barr Smith Library (SA)
Last amended 6 Dec 2019 09:03:38
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