Louis Kaye was the pseudonym of Noel Wilson Norman (14 July 1901 - 19 April 1981), an Australian novelist and short story writer. He also published short stories under the names Grant Doyle Cooper and James Linnel.
He was born in Claremont, Tasmania to a well-connected Lindisfarne family but was more interested in an adventurous outback life than one of business and politics. From 1917 he was to make frequent forays into the Western Australian bush to experience first-hand life in the bush and deserts of outback Australia. His experience of aboriginal life was augmented by reading the works of anthropologist Baldwin Spencer.
He was already a successful contributor of short stories to overseas magazines in 1931 when he wrote his first novel, Tybal Men, set in a WA sheep station. He is regarded as giving a realistic depiction of bush life and aboriginal culture, though criticised for emulating the "violent excesses of the American cowboy novel".
His brother Don (Donald Manners Thirkell) Norman (24 April 1909 - 10 March 2001) was a writer (e.g. Errol Flynn : the Tasmanian story W.N. Hurst and E.L. Metcalf, Hobart c1981 ISBN 0-9594146-0-6) and historian.
A partial list of Kaye's short stories includes:
Off the Trail in Everybody’s Magazine May 1927The Gold Carriers in Everybody’s Magazine Nov 1927The Tracks of Sonya in The Passing Show Oct 1 1932The Lee Rail in The Australian Journal May 1937 Widow’s Cruise in The Passing Show Sep 25 1937Well - Let’s Laugh! in The Passing Show Jan 22 1938Strange Ones in The Passing Show Feb 19 1938Boomerang in London Evening News Jul 28 1938Old Man Kangaroo in Adventure Jun 1940Walk to Glory in The Saturday Evening Post Nov 2 1940Desert Gold in Blue Book Jan 1941The Brumby Car in Colliers Feb 20 1943Kangaroo Rifle in Blue Book May 1945Mark of Brotherhood in Blue Book Aug 1945Back Country Boy in Blue Book Apr 1948By the Last Fires in Short Stories May 1950The Necklet in Short Stories Oct 1950The Storm Strip in Blue Book Feb 1951Tybal Men pub. Wright & Brown, London 1931also as
Tybal Men - A Struggle For Survival in the Outback Angus and Robertson, Sydney 1988 ISBN 0-207-14813-9
Trail of Plunder pub. Wright & Brown, London 1931Desert Herbage pub. Wright & Brown, London 1932The End of the Trail pub. Wright & Brown, London 1933The Desert Boss pub. Wright & Brown, London 1934Tightened Belts pub. Wright & Brown, London 1934Pathways of Free Men pub. Wright & Brown, London 1935The Dark Gods pub. Wright & Brown, London 1935The Lonely Land pub. Wright & Brown, London 1935Black Wilderness pub. Wright & Brown, London 1936Darkened Camps London : Wright & Brown, 1936Vanished Legion pub. Wright & Brown, London 1937Tracks of Levask pub. Wright & Brown, London 1938
