Ion Idriess The Desert Column Audio Book mp3 CD

From his late teens, he worked in rural New South Wales, particularly in the Narrabri and Moree districts. He travelled extensively around the state, working in a variety of itinerant jobs including employment as a rabbit poisoner, boundary rider, drover, prospecting for gold as well as harvesting sandalwood. He also worked as a shearer and dingo shooter. While working as an opal miner at Lightning Ridge in about 1910, he wrote short pieces for The Bulletin about life on the opal fields.

He later headed north, working in several tin mines around Cairns and Cooktown including his own claim. In 1913 he moved to Cape York Peninsula, where he lived with an Aboriginal clan, learning their customs and lifestyle.

With the outbreak of war, in 1914 he returned to Townsville and enlisted in the 5th Light Horse Regiment, AIF, as a trooper. He saw action in Palestine, Sinai and Turkey, being wounded at Beersheba and Gallipoli – where he acted as spotter for noted sniper Billy Sing.

After returning to Australia and recuperating from his wounds, he travelled to remote Cape York, and worked with pearlers and missionaries in the Torres Strait islands and Papua New Guinea where he worked as a gold miner. Other ventures included buffalo shooting in the Northern Territory, and journeys to Central and Western Australia.

In 1928 Idriess settled in Sydney where he wrote as a freelance writer. His writing style drew on his experiences as a soldier, prospector, and bushman. He wrote on a multitude of topics, including travel, recollection, biography, history, anthropology and his own ideas on possible future events. His books were generally non-fiction, but written in a narrative, story style. Most of his books were published by Angus & Robertson. Idriess wrote from real life experiences using knowledge he had personally gained by travelling extensively and working at a variety of occupations. "Idriess was no stylist, but his writing was immediate, colourful, well paced and, despite the speed at which it was written, always well structured."

In 1968 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for his services to literature.

Idriess died at a nursing home in Mona Vale in Sydney on 6 June 1979, at the age of 89. His work slipped from favour after his death, but has experienced a renewal of interest. In 2017, Nicolas Rothwell said: "As so often in Australian literature, an initial fall into obscurity and the harsh judgments of the literary establishment serve as good upside-down indicators of a writer's true worth".

His work was never adapted for the screen although several books were optioned by producers.

One hundred years after the charge of the 4th Light Horse Brigade at Beersheba in October 1917, the Desert Column is based on the diaries that Ion Idriess kept throughout the war. Published in 1932, it is one of Idriess ' earliest works. Harry Chauvel noted in the foreword that it was the only book of the campaign that to his knowledge was 'viewed entirely from the private soldier's point of view.' Idriess served as a sniper with the 5th Australian Light Horse. Enlisting in 1914, he began his diary 'as we crowded the decks off Gallipoli' and he continued writing until returning to Australia. The diaries cover his experience of some of the war's major events from life in the trenches at Gallipoli to the battles at Romani and Beersheba. Reviews

"It is impossible for idriess to be dull . " - Country Life "One of Idriess ' strengths as a writer is his ability to place the reader at the scene of the action. The diaries reveal a keenness of observation and a descriptive and pacey style that Idriess would develop further in The Desert Column ." - The Australian War Memorial "Excellent! Loved this audio book. Listened to it years ago and enjoyed it just as much 2nd time around. Idriess is one of Australia's greatest authors. Have read some of his other books, all very good, uincluding The wog dog, another of his classics. John Derum's narration was very good." - GoodReads Review "This is the second time I have read this book, the first being some years ago. I find it hard to describe my feelings. Awe and admiration for the men who fought the desert war, disbelief at the stupidity and arrogance of the British commanders at both Gallipoli and North Africa but mostly an overall sadness at the sheer senseless of war. What this book does give though is the truth of what transpired from the view of a participant in the events as opposed to the accounts recorded by third parties. All this being said, I love Ion Idriess’s writings on Australian history." - Amazon Reviewer

On Media

Audiobook on CD-ROM, complete with artwork on CD. Supplied in windowed CD sleeve, no case provided.

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