Ivan Southall
Encyclopedia
Ivan Francis Southall AM, DFC
(8 June 192115 November 2008) was an award-winning Australia
n writer of young-adult fiction and non-fiction
. He was the first and still the only Australian to win the Carnegie Medal in Literature for children's literature. His books include Hills End
, Ash Road
, Josh
, and Let the Balloon Go. Also notable is Fly West, a book of true stories based on his experiences flying in Short Sunderland
flying boat
s during the Second World War, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
(DFC).
A retrospective exhibition Southall A-Z: Ash Road to Ziggurat was held in the State Library of Victoria in 1998 and is available online. It includes an interview conducted in 1997, a biography, bibliography and exhibition of covers with information about the books.
Ivan Southall dealt in his books both with survival in the face of dramatic events such as fire and flood, and with personal and psychological challenges. He was one of the first to write specifically for young adults.
He died of cancer on 15 November 2008 aged 87.
Ash Road, To the Wild Sky, Bread and Honey and Fly West won the CBCA
Australian Children's Book of the Year. The Long Night Watch was belatedly recognized by the Phoenix Award
in 2003.
Ivan Southall was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia
(AM) in 1981.
In 2003 he was awarded the Dromkeen Medal
, further recognizing his part in advancing children's literature in Australia.
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
(8 June 192115 November 2008) was an award-winning 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...
n writer of young-adult fiction and non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
. He was the first and still the only Australian to win the Carnegie Medal in Literature for children's literature. His books include Hills End
Hills End
Hills End is a children's book by Ivan Southall published in 1962 and later adapted for television.-Plot summary :The story follows seven children and their teacher who are trapped inside a cave while a fierce cyclonic storm destroys the fictional town of Hills End. They face a struggle to survive...
, Ash Road
Ash Road
Ash Road by Ivan Southall is an award-winning 1966 novel for older children or young adults in which a group of children are cut off from adult help while a bushfire rages through a small town. The fire was accidentally lit by three teenaged boys, and now they and some other children must band...
, Josh
Josh (novel)
Josh is a young adult novel by Ivan Southall, about a clash of cultures. It was the winner of the Carnegie Medal for 1971, the first Australian novel to win the award.-Plot summary:...
, and Let the Balloon Go. Also notable is Fly West, a book of true stories based on his experiences flying in Short Sunderland
Short Sunderland
The Short S.25 Sunderland was a British flying boat patrol bomber developed for the Royal Air Force by Short Brothers. It took its service name from the town and port of Sunderland in northeast England....
flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
s during the Second World War, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
(DFC).
A retrospective exhibition Southall A-Z: Ash Road to Ziggurat was held in the State Library of Victoria in 1998 and is available online. It includes an interview conducted in 1997, a biography, bibliography and exhibition of covers with information about the books.
Ivan Southall dealt in his books both with survival in the face of dramatic events such as fire and flood, and with personal and psychological challenges. He was one of the first to write specifically for young adults.
He died of cancer on 15 November 2008 aged 87.
Honours
Ivan Southall won the 1971 Carnegie Medal in Literature for Josh, the first Australian novel to win the award.Ash Road, To the Wild Sky, Bread and Honey and Fly West won the CBCA
Cbca
CBCA can refer to:*Commercial Bank Centrafrique*Children's Book Council of Australia...
Australian Children's Book of the Year. The Long Night Watch was belatedly recognized by the Phoenix Award
Phoenix Award
The Phoenix Award is awarded annually to a book originally published in English twenty years previously which did not receive a major award at the time of its publication....
in 2003.
Ivan Southall was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(AM) in 1981.
In 2003 he was awarded the Dromkeen Medal
Dromkeen Medal
The Dromkeen Medal is a literary prize awarded annually by the Courtney Oldmeadow Children's Literature Foundation for those who have advanced children's literature in Australia.-List of prize winners:*1982 Lu Rees*1983 Maurice Saxby...
, further recognizing his part in advancing children's literature in Australia.
External links
- Interview on his novel Ziggurat by Ramona KovalRamona KovalRamona Koval is an Australian broadcaster, writer and journalist.Her parents were Yiddish-speaking survivors of the Holocaust who arrived in Melbourne from Poland in 1950....
, The Book Show, ABC Radio National,18/11/08, recorded in 1997 . - Retrospective: Southall A-Z: Ash Road to Ziggurat
- Ivan Southall at Fantastic Fiction