Gerald Kingsland
Encyclopedia
Gerald W. Kingsland was a journalist, adventurer and writer, born and raised in Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire
, England
. He was five times married. He had five sons and two daughters from the total marriages. He died from a heart attack at age 70 in London
, England.
After a stint in the British Army where he fought combat during the Korean War
in 1951, he became a successful journalist and publisher in England, then a wine grower in Italy
. In 1980 he set out to become a modern Robinson Crusoe
seeking a remote tropical island where he could be self-sufficient together with a female companion. He advertised in Time Out magazine in 1980 for a woman to share life with him on a deserted island. When Kingsland was 49, he met up with 24-year-old Lucy Irvine
. They went to Tuin Island, in the Torres Strait
between Australia
and Papua New Guinea
, uninhabited and lacking a dependable water supply, where they nearly perished, but were saved by Badu Islanders. Kingsland and Irvine wrote separate accounts of their adventure. His book, The Islander was published in 1984. Irvine's Castaway
was published in 1983. The story was also depicted in the film Castaway
. Kingsland was portrayed by Oliver Reed
. The role of Lucy Irvine
was played by Amanda Donohoe
.
Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire
Whitchurch is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located about four miles south of Winslow, four miles north of Aylesbury and has approximately 850 residents....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was five times married. He had five sons and two daughters from the total marriages. He died from a heart attack at age 70 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England.
After a stint in the British Army where he fought combat during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in 1951, he became a successful journalist and publisher in England, then a wine grower in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In 1980 he set out to become a modern Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe that was first published in 1719. Epistolary, confessional, and didactic in form, the book is a fictional autobiography of the title character—a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and...
seeking a remote tropical island where he could be self-sufficient together with a female companion. He advertised in Time Out magazine in 1980 for a woman to share life with him on a deserted island. When Kingsland was 49, he met up with 24-year-old Lucy Irvine
Lucy Irvine
Lucy Irvine is a British adventurer and author. Born in Whitton, London, after a tumultuous and free spirited adolescence, in which she replaced formal education with travel and adventure, she joined forces with writer Gerald Kingsland and, as an experiment in isolation, became self imposed...
. They went to Tuin Island, in the Torres Strait
Torres Strait
The Torres Strait is a body of water which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is approximately wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost continental extremity of the Australian state of Queensland...
between Australia
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...
and Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, uninhabited and lacking a dependable water supply, where they nearly perished, but were saved by Badu Islanders. Kingsland and Irvine wrote separate accounts of their adventure. His book, The Islander was published in 1984. Irvine's Castaway
Castaway (book)
Castaway, a 1983 autobiographical book by Lucy Irvine about her year on the Australian tropical island of , having answered a want ad from writer Gerald Kingsland seeking a "wife" for a year in 1982. It was published by Victor Gollancz Ltd.. Irvine stated she longed for a “major personal challenge”...
was published in 1983. The story was also depicted in the film Castaway
Castaway (film)
Castaway is a 1986 film starring Amanda Donohoe and Oliver Reed, and directed by Nicolas Roeg. It was adapted from the 1984 book of the same name by Lucy Irvine, telling of her experiences of staying for a year with writer Gerald Kingsland on the isolated island of Tuin, between New Guinea and...
. Kingsland was portrayed by Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough guy" roles...
. The role of Lucy Irvine
Lucy Irvine
Lucy Irvine is a British adventurer and author. Born in Whitton, London, after a tumultuous and free spirited adolescence, in which she replaced formal education with travel and adventure, she joined forces with writer Gerald Kingsland and, as an experiment in isolation, became self imposed...
was played by Amanda Donohoe
Amanda Donohoe
Amanda Donohoe is an English film and television actress. She is known for her 1980s relationship with popstar Adam Ant and her later work on television — including L.A. Law and Emmerdale — and her roles in successful movies including Liar, Liar.-Early life:Donohoe was born in London, the daughter...
.
Publications include
- The Islander - Publisher: Sevenoaks, Kent : New English Library, 1984.
- The voyager : the further adventures of the man who wanted to be Robinson Crusoe - Publisher: Sevenoaks, Kent : New English Library, 1987.
- In quest of glory : Korean War memoirs - Publisher: Sevenoaks London : New English Library, 1989.
- Comfort for a Castaway - Publisher: London : Gerald Kingsland Pub., 2000.
- Robinson Crusoe heute : Leben auf einsamer Insel.