Arthur Upfield
Arthur Upfield was a loner, sent on a one way passage to Australia by a father he continued to disappoint. He served in the Australian Infantry Force throughout the Great War, a trauma that haunted him for the rest of his life.
He loved the Australian outback and, took a job fixing the Rabbit Proof Fence. It’s was a safe Government job that gave him a roof over his head and allowed him time to write, not something his estranged wife, Anne, seemed to appreciate.
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| Robert Menzies as
Arthur Upfield |
Unlike most white Australians of the period, he had a genuine
fascination with the Aboriginal way of life, and drew much of his
inspiration from his experiences in the bush.
Arthur Upfield was one of Australia’s most successful crime novelist, best known for his works featuring Detective Inspector Napolean Boneparte (‘Bony’), a part Aboriginal detective who roamed the outback from the 20’s to the 50’s.
Born in Gosport, England, Upfield was shipped off to Australia in 1911 by his father after doing poorly in his exams. For most of the next twenty years he carried his swag throughout the bush, scraping a living and learning about frontier life. He was particularly interested in exploring Aboriginal culture, something he later used in his books.
With the outbreak of World War 1, he joined the army, fighting in Gallipoli and France. He also spent time in Egypt where he met and married, Anne, a nurse, and they returned to Australia in 1921 with their son, James.
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| Portrait of Bomy Arthur Upfield’s
fictitious detective character. National Library of Australia
pic-an23182714 |
Upfield wrote 33 novels, 29 of them on the Bony mysteries, which he set all over Australia. His novels became bestsellers, and he was particularly popular in America. The books were translated into more than 40 languages, including German, French, Japanese and Spanish. For many overseas readers it was their only introduction to Australian life.
He was the first foreigner to be a full member of the Mystery Writers of America. In the 1970’s his popularity reached an all time high when the books were adapted into a television series. New Zealand actor, James Laurenson was controversially cast to play the part of the Aboriginal detective. Bony was later played by Cameron Daddo.