 First UK edition | |
| Author | D'Arcy Niland |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Angus & Robertson (Australia/UK) William Sloane Associates (USA) |
Publication date | 1955 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Pages | 223 pp |
| Preceded by | – |
| Followed by | Call Me When the Cross Turns Over |
The Shiralee is the debut full-length novel by D'Arcy Niland published in 1955. [1] It was adapted into a movie in 1957 and a mini series in 1987.
The swagman Macauley takes his young daughter Buster on the road with him.
It sold more than 90,000 copies in Australia. [2]
The Argus called it a "great Australian novel". [3]
The New York Times called it a "fine story" which Niland "told well... Mr Niland's approach is honest as it is refreshing... one wants to hear more from him". [4]
Film rights were sold in 1955 for a reported £10,000. [5]
In 1957 a British film was made by Ealing Studios, directed by Leslie Norman.
A second adaptation was made in 1987. It was an Australian TV film directed by George Ogilvie, starring Bryan Brown and Noni Hazelhurst.
Frederick George Peter Ingle Finch was an English-Australian actor of theatre, film and radio.
A swagman was a transient labourer who travelled by foot from farm to farm carrying his belongings in a swag. The term originated in Australia in the 19th century and was later used in New Zealand.
Rosina Ruth Lucia Park AM was a New Zealand–born Australian author. Her best known works are the novels The Harp in the South (1948) and Playing Beatie Bow (1980), and the children's radio serial The Muddle-Headed Wombat (1951–1970), which also spawned a book series (1962–1982).
D'Arcy Francis Niland was an Australian farm labourer, novelist and short story writer. In 1955 he wrote The Shiralee, which gained international recognition in its depictions of the experiences of a swagman and his four-year-old daughter. It was made into a 1957 film, starring Peter Finch, and a 1987 TV mini-series, starring Bryan Brown. Niland married fellow writer Ruth Park (1917–2010) on 11 May 1942 and the couple had five children: Anne, Rory, Patrick and twin daughters, Kilmeny (1950–2009) and Deborah (1950–present). Niland died on 29 March 1967 of a myocardial infarction, aged 49.
Ronald Egan Randell was an Australian actor. After beginning his acting career on the stage in 1937, he played Charles Kingsford Smith in the film Smithy (1946). He also had roles in Bulldog Drummond at Bay (1947), Kiss Me Kate (1953), I Am a Camera (1955), Most Dangerous Man Alive (1961) and King of Kings (1961).
Donald Herman Sharp was an Australian film director.
The Shiralee is a 1957 British film directed by Leslie Norman and starring Peter Finch. It is in the Australian Western genre, based on the 1955 novel by D'Arcy Niland. It was made by Ealing Studios, and although all exterior scenes were filmed in Sydney, Scone and Binnaway, New South Wales and Australian actors Charles Tingwell, Bill Kerr and Ed Devereaux played in supporting roles, the film is really a British film made in Australia, rather than an Australian film.
Smiley is a 1956 British-American comedy film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring Colin Petersen. It was based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Moore Raymond who co-wrote the film with Kimmins. It tells the story of a young Australian boy who is determined to buy a bicycle for four pounds, and along the way he gets into many misadventures.
Leslie Armande Norman was an English post-war film director, producer and editor who also worked extensively on 1960s television series later in his career.
Guy Doleman was a New Zealand born actor, active in Australia, Britain and the United States. He is possibly best remembered for being the first actor to play Number Two in the classic cult series The Prisoner.
David MacDonald was a Scottish film director, writer and producer.
Botany Bay is a 1953 American adventure film directed by John Farrow and starring Alan Ladd, James Mason and Patricia Medina. It was based on a novel of the same name by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall.
Shiralee is a dated Australian term for a type of swag.
The Shiralee is a 1987 Australian television film directed by George Ogilvie, based on the 1955 novel of the same name by D'Arcy Niland.
Summer of the Seventeenth Doll is a 1959 Australian-British film directed by Leslie Norman and is based on the Ray Lawler play Summer of the Seventeenth Doll. In the United States the film was released under the title Season of Passion.
Robbery Under Arms is a 1957 British crime film directed by Jack Lee and starring Peter Finch and Ronald Lewis. It is based on the 1888 Australian novel Robbery Under Arms by Thomas Alexander Browne who wrote under the pseudonym Rolf Boldrewood.
Dust in the Sun is a 1958 Eastmancolor Australian mystery film adapted from the 1955 novel Justin Bayard by Jon Cleary and produced by the team of Lee Robinson and Chips Rafferty. The film stars British actress Jill Adams, Ken Wayne and an Indigenous Australian actor Robert Tudawali as Emu Foot.
Justin Bayard is a 1955 novel by Australian author Jon Cleary about a policeman working in the Kimberley region. It was Cleary's sixth novel.
Call Me When the Cross Turns Over is a 1957 novel by Australian author D'Arcy Niland. It was his second full-length novel, following The Shiralee.
A Place Where You Whisper is a 1951 Australian radio drama by D'arcy Niland.