Dal Stivens was an Australian writer.

After serving in the army during the war, from 1944 to 1949, Stivens was on the staff of the Australian Department of Information. He served in the press office at Australia House

Australia House

The High Commission of Australia in London is housed in Australia House, a building that also accommodates other Australian federal and state government agencies, including the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, part of King's College London....

 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...

 until 1950. He was Foundation President of the Australian Society of Authors

Australian Society of Authors

The Australian Society of Authors is the peak body representing Australia's literary creators and is the major advocate for the rights and remuneration of authors in Australia...

, in 1963 and was involved in the creation of the Public Lending Right

Public Lending Right

A Public Lending Right program, is a program intended to either compensate authors for the potential loss of sales from their works being available in public libraries, or as a governmental support of the arts, through support of works available in public libraries, such as books, music and...

 in 1975.

He was also a keen amateur naturalist

Natural history

Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...

. From 1974 he painted a substantial amount of his time.

Stivens won the Miles Franklin Award

Miles Franklin Award

The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize for the best Australian ‘published novel or play portraying Australian life in any of its phases’. The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin , who is best known for writing the Australian classic My Brilliant Career ...

 for best Australian novel in 1970 for A Horse of Air and was winner of the Patrick White Award

Patrick White Award

The Patrick White Award is an annual literary prize established by Patrick White. White used his 1973 Nobel Prize in Literature award to establish a trust for this prize....

for 1981 for the contribution of his novels Jimmy Brockett and A Horse of Air, and his short stories.

Short story collections

• The Tramp and Other Stories, (1936)
• The Courtship of Uncle Henry, (1946)
• The Gambling Ghost and Other Tales, (1953)
• Ironbark Bill, (1955)
• The Scholarly Mouse and Other Tales, (1957)
• Selected Stories 1936-1968, (1969)
• The Unicorn and Other Tales, (1976)
• The Demon Bowler and Other Cricket Stories, (1979)

External links