Name James McQueen | ||
James McQueen (1934–1998) was an Australian novelist and short story writer.
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Life and work
Born in Ulverstone, Tasmania, McQueen had a variety of jobs, studied at the National Art School in Sydney, and completed a four-year course in accountancy. He began writing fiction in 1975, and wrote full-time from 1977, living in Nabowla, north-eastern Tasmania, near Scottsdale.
He wrote more than 150 stories, which were published in various countries as well as numerous Australian periodicals before being collected in six volumes. He wrote five novels for adults, as well as books for younger readers and non-fiction works. He and his second wife Barbara grew orchids professionally, and wrote two books about orchids together.
He was arrested while protesting against the proposed Franklin River dam. The theme of environmental activism is strong in his novel Hook’s Mountain and some of his other works. Other recurring themes include the nature of masculinity and the inevitability of violence.
After a discussion of McQueen's work, the literary critic Laurie Clancy said, "Although the best of his short stories are very fine, McQueen's limitations tend to be exposed more in the novels, with their formulaic characterizations."
He and his first wife Rosemary had a daughter and a son.
Novels
White Light and The Heavy Knife were the first two novels of an uncompleted trilogy, The Clocks of Death.