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David Ireland (author)

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For other people with the same name, see David Ireland.

David Ireland

AM
Ireland in 1979
Ireland in 1979
Born(1927-08-24)24 August 1927
Lakemba, New South Wales, Australia
Died26 July 2022(2022-07-26) (aged 94)
OccupationNovelist
Notable works
Notable awardsMiles Franklin Award (1971, 1976, 1979)

David Neil Ireland AM (24 August 1927 – 26 July 2022) was an Australian novelist.[1]

Background

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David Ireland was born in Lakemba in south-west Sydney in New South Wales in 1927.

Before taking up full-time writing in 1973, he undertook the classic writer's apprenticeship by working in a variety of jobs, ranging from greenskeeper to an extended period in the Siverwater oil refinery, on the river downstream of Parramatta.[1]

This latter job inspired his second (and best-known) novel, The Unknown Industrial Prisoner, which brought him recognition in the early 1970s. It is still considered by many critics to be one of the best and most original Australian novels of the period.

Writings

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Ireland became a full time writer in his late 40s, and was a prolific novelist from the 1970s to the 1980s, winning the Miles Franklin Award three times (1971, 1976 and 1979). He is one of only four Australian writers to win the Award more than twice; the others are Thea Astley (4) and Tim Winton (4), and Peter Carey (3).

His work concentrates on "... sweeping existential issues and their impact on the lives of those oblivious to them... haunted by the plight of society’s underclasses and the great silence about them. Characters in his early novels are factory workers, the unemployed, the homeless, and those lost to alcohol or beset by mental illness." Van Ikin, 2022.[2]

In 1978, Film Australia offered government funding for a movie of The Unknown Industrial Prisoner. Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser’s Home Affairs Minister, Bob Ellicott, intervened to stop this. This was seen as unwelcome political interference in a small but growing Australian film industry.[2] The Glass Canoe was set as a NSW high-school text in 1982, but this attracted complaints.[2]

Personal Life

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Little is reported. He was married to Elizabeth Ruth Morris from 1955-1976, with two sons and two daughters. He married Christine Hayhoe in 1984.[3]

Ireland lived and died in New South Wales, Australia. He died on 26 July 2022 aged 94.[4][5]

Honours and awards

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He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Queen's Birthday Honours of June 1981.[11][12]

Bibliography

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Novels

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Drama

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  • Image in the Clay (1964)

References

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  1. ^ a b "Austlit — David Ireland". Austlit. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b c ""Farewell to David Ireland, three-times Miles Franklin winner and master of mosaic fiction"". The Conversation. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  3. ^ ""Ireland, David"". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  4. ^ Jason Steger (29 July 2022). "David Ireland, 'giant of letters' and three-time Miles Franklin winner, dies". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  5. ^ "David Neil Ireland – Death Notice". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  6. ^ ""Award"". The Canberra Times, 29 March 1972, p3. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  7. ^ ""Author's third Miles Franklin"". The Canberra Times, 28 April 1976, p3. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  8. ^ ""Miles Franklin Literary Award – Every Winner Since 1957"". Better Reading. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  9. ^ ""Authors share 'Age' award"". The Age, 29 November 1980, p23. ProQuest 2676337338. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  10. ^ "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  11. ^ "The Queen's Birthday Honours Lists – Commonwealth". The Canberra Times. Vol. 55, no. 16, 696. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 13 June 1981. p. 11. Retrieved 30 July 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "David Neil Ireland". honours.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  13. ^ Heino, B. (2024). ‘Those who make no effort deserve no consideration’: Ecofascism in David Ireland’s The World Repair Video Game. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/25148486241258696
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