John Bryson (author)
Encyclopedia
John Bryson, is an Australia
n author and former lawyer. He has authored works of fiction, biography and other non-fiction.
. He was a member of the Literature Board of the Australian Council
, later becoming acting Chairman.
Bryson's best known work is his 1985 book Evil Angels which chronicles the story of Lindy Chamberlain's trial for murder, following the disappearance
of her baby daughter, Azaria. It was made into a film starring Meryl Streep
in 1988. It was released under its original title Evil Angels in Australia, and as A Cry in the Dark in the United States.
He is also the author of a 1981 collection of short fiction, Whoring Around and a collection of reportage, Backstage at the Revolution. His novel of the Spanish Civil War, To the Death, Amic was published by Viking in 1994, and as Hasta la Muerte, Amigo by Editorial Milenio Spain in 2006. In 2004 he originated and co-produced Secrets of the Juryroom, a documentary for SBS-TV.
. In 1985, Evil Angels was awarded winner of Penguin Books
' first Allen Lane
award, the Victorian Premiers Award for Non Fiction, the British Crime Writers' Golden Dagger, and the ANA Award. In 2000, a panel of Journalism Schools included him in "The 100 Australian Journalists of the Century."
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 author and former lawyer. He has authored works of fiction, biography and other non-fiction.
Career
In 1971, after practising law for ten years, first as a solicitor and later as a barrister, he became a chairman and managing director for a Melbourne public company. In 1978, he re-joined the Victorian BarVictorian Bar
The Victorian Bar is the bar association for the Australian State of Victoria. Its members are barristers registered to practice in Victoria. On 19 January 2006, there were 1627 counsel practising as members of the Victorian Bar. Once a barrister has been admitted to practice by the Supreme Court...
. He was a member of the Literature Board of the Australian Council
Australian Council
Australian Council may refer to:* Australian Council for Educational Research, a non-governmental educational research organisation based in Camberwell, Victoria* Australian Council of Film Societies, the national body for film societies in Australia...
, later becoming acting Chairman.
Works
Since 1973, Bryson's articles and stories have been published in Australian newspapers.Bryson's best known work is his 1985 book Evil Angels which chronicles the story of Lindy Chamberlain's trial for murder, following the disappearance
Azaria Chamberlain disappearance
Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain was a nine-week-old Australian baby girl, who disappeared on the night of 17 August 1980 on a camping trip to Uluru with her family. Her body was never found. Her parents, Lindy and Michael Chamberlain, reported that she had been taken from their tent by a dingo...
of her baby daughter, Azaria. It was made into a film starring Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television and film.Streep made her professional stage debut in 1971's The Playboy of Seville, before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season in 1977. In that same year, she made her film debut with...
in 1988. It was released under its original title Evil Angels in Australia, and as A Cry in the Dark in the United States.
He is also the author of a 1981 collection of short fiction, Whoring Around and a collection of reportage, Backstage at the Revolution. His novel of the Spanish Civil War, To the Death, Amic was published by Viking in 1994, and as Hasta la Muerte, Amigo by Editorial Milenio Spain in 2006. In 2004 he originated and co-produced Secrets of the Juryroom, a documentary for SBS-TV.
Awards
The Routine, one of the stories that was later included in Whoring Around, received the 1979 Patricia Hackett Award at the University of Western AustraliaUniversity of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
. In 1985, Evil Angels was awarded winner of Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
' first Allen Lane
Allen Lane
Sir Allen Lane was a British publisher who founded Penguin Books, bringing high quality paperback fiction and non-fiction to the mass market.-Early life and family:...
award, the Victorian Premiers Award for Non Fiction, the British Crime Writers' Golden Dagger, and the ANA Award. In 2000, a panel of Journalism Schools included him in "The 100 Australian Journalists of the Century."
Fiction
- Whoring Around Penguin Books (1981)
- Melodram fur eine Heldin aus Plast Spektrum, Berlin (1985)
- Children Aren't Supposed to be Here at All in the Penguin Century of Australian Stories (2000)
- To the Death, Amic Penguin (1994)
- Hasta la Muerte, Amigo Editorial Milenio, Spain (2006)
Non-Fiction
- Evil Angels Penguin (1985) and Hachette (2000) and in 12 languages
- Backstage at the Revolution Penguin (1988)