Role Writer Name Geoffry Pike | Notable works Red Lotus Period 1974–present | |
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Occupation Novelist and Cartoonist Genre Adventure novel, Historical novel | ||
Nationality Naturalised Australian | ||
Geoffrey Morgan Pike (who writes as Geoff Pike and Pai Kit Fai) is an English-born, naturalized Australian writer and cartoonist.
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Early years
Born in Tottenham, Middlesex on 17 October, 1929, to parents Mildred and Robert Pike, he has two siblings Anthony J. Pike and Robert Pike.At age 14 he entered training on the Navy ship Indefatigable, and went to sea in 1945 aged 15. In 1949, Pike emigrated to Australia where he worked in the outback breaking horses, felling trees and sailing aboard deep-sea trawlers before he signed on as an artistic director on many popular cartoons such as Beetle Bailey and Krazy Kat with American Paramount Studios. Unbearable Bear in T.V. Tours, an animated cartoon series for Artransa Park Television, featured a globe trotting koala with itchy feet.
Pike worked with Bryce Courtenay at McCann Erickson advertising agency, most notably on the Mortein advertisement, "Louie the Fly". Bryce wrote the jingle and Geoff created the cartoon and animation. He also created the animation for the McWilliams' monk advertisement and the popular Yowie characters featured in children's picture books and Cadbury's line of confectionery containing small plastic toys.
In 1977 Pike was diagnosed with throat cancer and learned the art of Chi Kung (also known as Quigong) and traditional Oriental medicine rather than surgery, beating cancer and becoming a master of Chi Kung and creating books and videos teaching others the philosophy and practice of aligning breath, physical activity and awareness for mental, spiritual and corporeal health.
Writing
In 1974 he published the first of many books, Henry Golightly: a novel of the sea. Published by Angus and Robertson, it was the story of a Gweilo (caucasian foreigner) living in Macau and building a boat amongst the locals; a youthful search for adventure and love among the post-war wreckage of 1945 and the horror that was Hiroshima.
Pike now writes under the name Pai Kit Fai, which was given to him by his Chinese in-laws. Loosely translated, it means "White Person of Letters and Grand Ambition'. He has written two books under this nom de plume, The Concubine's Daughter and Red Lotus.