George Henry Johnston OBE (20 July 191222 July 1970) was an Australian journalist, war correspondent and novelist, best known for ''

My Brother Jack ''My Brother Jack'' is a classic 1964 Australian novel by writer George Johnston. It is part of a trilogy centering on the character of David Meredith. The other books in the trilogy are '' Clean Straw for Nothing'' and '' A Cartload of Clay'' ...

''. He was the husband and literary collaborator of Charmian Clift.

Life

George Henry Johnston was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

and spent his childhood in the family home in

Elsternwick Elsternwick is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Glen Eira local government area. Elsternwick recorded a population of 10,887 at the 20 ...

and was educated in local secondary schools before taking up an apprenticeship as a

lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

. He was subsequently taken on as a journalist for the Melbourne '' Argus'' newspaper. He achieved a certain fame due to his dispatches as a correspondent during World War II. With his second wife, Charmian Clift he was posted to London as a European correspondent. In 1951, Albert Arlen tried to engage Johnston's services as writer of his musical ''

The Sentimental Bloke ''The Sentimental Bloke'' is a 1918 Australian silent film based on the 1915 verse novel ''The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke'' by C. J. Dennis. Produced and directed by Raymond Longford, the film stars Arthur Tauchert, Gilbert Emery, and Lottie Ly ...

'', but he was not interested. Johnston abandoned his journalism career in 1954 and moved with Clift to the Greek island of Hydra, where he began writing full-time and took part in the island's circle of international artists, including Canadian poet

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

and Scandinavian novelists

Axel Jensen Axel Buchardt Jensen (12 February 1932 – 13 February 2003) was a Norwegian author. From 1957 until 2002, he published both fiction and non-fiction texts which include novels, poems, essays, a biography, and manuscripts for cartoons and animate ...

and

Göran Tunström Göran Tunström (14 May 1937 in Borgvik, Grums Municipality – 5 February 2000 in Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

. While there he contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...

. He returned to live in Sydney in 1964. Johnston is best known for his trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels: ''

'', ''

Clean Straw for Nothing ''Clean Straw for Nothing'' (1969) is a Miles Franklin Award-winning novel by Australian author George Johnston. This novel is a sequel to ''My Brother Jack'', and is the second in the Meredith trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels by Johnst ...

'' and '' A Cartload of Clay''. He was the father of four children, daughters Gae (with his first wife Elsie Esme Taylor), and Shane, and two sons: Jason and the poet

Martin Johnston Martin Johnston (12 November 1947 – 21 June 1990) was an Australian poet and novelist. Martin Johnston was born in Sydney in November 1947, son of the writers George Johnston and Charmian Clift. His early childhood was spent in London ...

. From the names of his children, he created the pseudonym Shane Martin, under which name he published a total of five detective novels. George Johnston was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) in 1970 for services to literature. He died later that year from pulmonary tuberculosis, aged 58.

Awards

Miles Franklin Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–1 ...

for ''

'', 1964 *

for ''

'', 1969 * The Sydney Morning Herald Literary Competition for ''High Valley'', 1948The Sydney Morning Herald Literary Competition
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Bibliography

Novels

* ''Death Takes Small Bites'' (1948) * ''The Moon at Perigee'' (1948) * ''High Valley'' (1949; with Charmian Clift) * ''The Big Chariot'' (1953; with Clift) * ''The Cyprian Woman'' (1955) * '' The Sponge Divers'' (1955; with Clift) * ''The Darkness Outside'' (1959) * ''Closer to the Sun'' (1960) * ''The Far Road'' (1962) * ''

'' (1964) * ''The Far Face of the Moon'' (1965) * ''

'' (1969) * '' A Cartload of Clay'' (1971) Novels as Shane Martin * ''The Saracen Shadow'' (1957) * ''Twelve Girls in the Garden'' (1957) * ''The Man Made of Tin'' (1958) * ''The Myth is Murder'' (1959) * ''A Wake for Mourning'' (1962)

Non-Fiction

* ''Battle of the Seaways: From the Athenia to the Bismarck'' (1941) * ''Grey Gladiator: H.M.A.S. Sydney with the British Mediterranean Fleet'' (1941) * ''Australia at War'' (1942) * ''New Guinea Diary'' (1942) * ''Pacific Partner'' (1944) * ''Skyscrapers in the Mist'' (1946) * ''Journey Through Tomorrow'' (1947) * ''The Australians '' (1966)

Edited

* ''Images in Aspic'' (1965)

Sources

* Kinnane, Garry, ''George Johnston: A Biography'', Thomas Nelson 1986, and reprinted by Melbourne University Press, 1996, .