George Johnston (novelist)
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George Henry Johnston
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(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 Charmian Clift (30 August 1923 – 8 July 1969) was an Australian writer. She was the second wife and literary collaborator of George Johnston. Early life Clift was born 30 August 1923 in Kiama, a coastal town 120 kilometres south of Sydney ...
.


Life

George Henry Johnston was born in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
and spent his childhood in the family home in
Elsternwick Elsternwick is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 9 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne city centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Glen Eira local government areas of Victoria ...
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 ...
. 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 Charmian Clift (30 August 1923 – 8 July 1969) was an Australian writer. She was the second wife and literary collaborator of George Johnston. Early life Clift was born 30 August 1923 in Kiama, a coastal town 120 kilometres south of Sydney ...
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 ...
'', 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 songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...
and Scandinavian novelists Axel Jensen and
Göran Tunström Göran Tunström (14 May 1937 in Borgvik, Grums Municipality – 5 February 2000 in Stockholm) was a Swedish author. He grew up in Sunne, Värmland County. Tunström's style is personal and intimate, and has a clear autobiographical tone. ...
. While there he contracted
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
. He returned to live in Sydney in 1964. Johnston is best known for his trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels: ''
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''. ...
'', '' Clean Straw for Nothing'' 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. 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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(OBE) in 1970 for services to literature. He died later that year from pulmonary tuberculosis, aged 58. He is depicted in the drama television series '' So Long, Marianne'', in which he is portrayed by
Noah Taylor Noah George Taylor (born 4 September 1969) is a British born Australian actor. The accolades he has received include nominations for three Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Critics' Choice Award, and four AACTA Awards. He is best known for his ...
.Greg David
"Macha Grenon, Éric Bruneau, Patrick Watson and Kim Lévesque Lizotte join NRK and Crave original drama So Long, Marianne"
''TV, eh?'', August 24, 2023.


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 (law), will of Miles Franklin ...
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''. ...
'', 1964 *
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 (law), will of Miles Franklin ...
for '' Clean Straw for Nothing'', 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 Charmian Clift (30 August 1923 – 8 July 1969) was an Australian writer. She was the second wife and literary collaborator of George Johnston. Early life Clift was born 30 August 1923 in Kiama, a coastal town 120 kilometres south of Sydney ...
) * ''The Big Chariot'' (1953; with Clift) * ''The Cyprian Woman'' (1955) * '' The Sponge Divers'' (1955; with Clift) * ''The Sea and the Stone'' (1955; with Clift) * ''The Darkness Outside'' (1959) * ''Closer to the Sun'' (1960) * ''The Far Road'' (1962) * ''
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''. ...
'' (1964) * ''The Far Face of the Moon'' (1965) * '' Clean Straw for Nothing'' (1969) * '' A Cartload of Clay'' (1971) 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, .


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, George 1912 births 1970 deaths Miles Franklin Award winners Journalists from Melbourne Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century Australian novelists Australian male novelists Australian war correspondents Australian crime fiction writers Australian mystery writers Australian emigrants to Greece Naturalized citizens of Greece 20th-century Australian journalists War correspondents of World War II The Argus (Melbourne) people People from Elsternwick, Victoria