Charles Shaw (writer)
Encyclopedia
Charles Herbert Shaw was an Australia
n journalist and novelist.
Shaw was born in South Melbourne
, Victoria
. During the Depression years
he held a variety of jobs in the countryside and his interest in writing led him to work at a newspaper in Forbes, New South Wales
. Shaw had several stories published by The Bulletin
and eventually was employed by the magazine as a rural editor.
He had two collections of Outback
short stories Outback Occupations (1943) and A Sheaf of Shorts (1944) and one volume of verse The Warrumbungle Mare (1943) published as well as two detective stories
The Green Token (1943) and Treasure of the Hills (1944).
Shaw decided after several rejections that no one outside Australia had an interest in stories about the Outback
. He wrote a novel Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
, published in 1952. about a U.S. Marine
and a nun
on a Japanese-held Pacific island
. It was adapted for the screen as a 1957 film
by John Huston
and John Lee Mahin
. The film won an Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
in 1957.
Shaw wrote a series of four detective novels about Dennis Delaney under the nom de plume
of "Bant Singer", named after his favourite car, a Singer Bantam
.
He died of a cerebral haemorrhage in Sydney
on 1 August 1955.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n journalist and novelist.
Shaw was born in South Melbourne
South Melbourne, Victoria
South Melbourne is an inner city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Port Phillip and Melbourne...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. During the Depression years
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
he held a variety of jobs in the countryside and his interest in writing led him to work at a newspaper in Forbes, New South Wales
Forbes, New South Wales
-Notable residents:*Carolyn Simpson - Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales; Member of the first all-female bench to sit in an Australian court*NSW Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt was born and raised in Forbes....
. Shaw had several stories published by The Bulletin
The Bulletin
The Bulletin was an Australian weekly magazine that was published in Sydney from 1880 until January 2008. It was influential in Australian culture and politics from about 1890 until World War I, the period when it was identified with the "Bulletin school" of Australian literature. Its influence...
and eventually was employed by the magazine as a rural editor.
He had two collections of Outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
short stories Outback Occupations (1943) and A Sheaf of Shorts (1944) and one volume of verse The Warrumbungle Mare (1943) published as well as two detective stories
Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
The Green Token (1943) and Treasure of the Hills (1944).
Shaw decided after several rejections that no one outside Australia had an interest in stories about the Outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
. He wrote a novel Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (novel)
Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison is a 1952 novel by Charles Shaw. It tells the story of Marine Corporal Allison shipwrecked on an island in the Pacific during World War II. The only inhabitant is a nun, Sister Angela...
, published in 1952. about a U.S. Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
and a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
on a Japanese-held Pacific island
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
. It was adapted for the screen as a 1957 film
Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison is a 1957 CinemaScope film which tells the story of two people stranded on an island in the Pacific Ocean during World War II....
by John Huston
John Huston
John Marcellus Huston was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics: The Maltese Falcon , The Treasure of the Sierra Madre , Key Largo , The Asphalt Jungle , The African Queen , Moulin Rouge...
and John Lee Mahin
John Lee Mahin
John Lee Mahin was a prolific screenwriter and producer. He was the son of John Lee Mahin, Sr. , a Chicago newspaper and advertising man, and Julia Graham Snitzler....
. The film won an Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay
The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. It is awarded each year to the writer of a screenplay adapted from another source...
in 1957.
Shaw wrote a series of four detective novels about Dennis Delaney under the nom de plume
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
of "Bant Singer", named after his favourite car, a Singer Bantam
Singer Bantam
The Singer Bantam is a car formerly made by the Singer Motor Company. It was the first model produced by the company to have a Pressed Steel body. It was offered as a new economy model at the 1935 Motor Show in London.-History:...
.
- You're Wrong, Delaney (1953)
- Don't Skip, Deleney (1954)
- Have Patience, Delaney (1954)
- Your Move, Delaney (1956)
He died of a cerebral haemorrhage in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
on 1 August 1955.