Aldridge, James

James Aldridge was born in Australian White Hill into a large large family. Mother always taught her son to be honest, to protect the weak, to love nature. The future writer was the fifth, youngest child in the family. In the mid-1920s, the Aldridge family moved to Swan Hill , and most of his Australian works are based on his life in this town. In 1938, Aldridge moved to London .

He studied at the Melbourne College of Commerce. During World War II, Aldridge works as a war correspondent in the Middle (Iran) and the Middle East and writes about the invasion of the Axis countries in Greece and the island of Crete. Aldridge’s early novels, A Matter of Honor and Sea Eagle, were inspired by the work of Ernest Hemingway ^[1] .

His first novel, A Matter of Honor, based on the writer’s own experience, was published in the UK and the USA in 1942 and immediately established itself as a bestseller. The protagonist of the novel, the young pilot of the Royal Air Force of Great Britain, John Quail, fights on outdated biplanes against aircraft of the Axis countries in the sky over Greece , the island of Crete and North Africa in 1940-41. The novel became Aldridge's best-selling book until 1988 .

The second novel of the writer "Sea Eagle" was published in 1944 . The plot is based on the story of the fate of Australian pilots after the crash on the island of Crete in 1941 . Despite the fact that the reviews of critics turned out to be more restrained, the book received a prestigious award in the name of the young writer and military pilot John Luis Riesz for 1945 ^{[2] [3]} .

One of the most successful and widely known novels of the writer was "Diplomat", published in 1949 . The novel takes place in the Soviet Union, in northern Iran - Azerbaijan and Kurdistan, as well as in Great Britain. The book shows in detail and fascinating the work of Soviet and British diplomats: how certain political decisions are made at the highest level. It also talks about the political situation in Iran during the 1945 revolution. Colorfully shown the life, culture and local flavor of Iranians and Kurds. The book received mixed reviews from critics.

In 1974, Aldridge published the book "Mountains and Weapons", which is a continuation of the novel "Diplomat". On its pages, the reader will again meet with the main characters of "Diplomat". The action of the book from the struggling Kurdistan is transferred to Europe, where the main character travels at the request of his old friends, Iranian Kurds, in search of missing money destined for the purchase of weapons.

The novel "The Hunter ", written in 1949 , was the result of an author’s attempt to mix different genres and trends in literature. The drama tells of Canadian fur hunters, their life difficulties and the twists and turns of fate that take place around hunting on the shores of Lake Ontario .

The writer lived in Cairo for a long time, to which he dedicated the book “Cairo. Biography of the city ”( 1969 ).

Since the mid-1960s, Aldridge has been writing mainly books for children and adolescents.

In 1971, Aldridge became a jury member at the Seventh Moscow International Film Festival.

In 1972 he became a laureate of the International Lenin Prize "For the consolidation of peace between peoples . " In the same year he was awarded the Gold Medal of the International Organization of Journalists . All performances and artistic work of Aldridge are imbued with deep respect for the Soviet Union and sympathy for the liberation struggle of the peoples of Asia and Africa. James Aldridge categorically condemned the decision of the Margaret Thatcher government to regain British control over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) after the landing of Argentine troops there in 1982. He also took an active part in the movement, whose participants tried to prevent the deployment of American cruise missiles in the UK in 1982-83.

James Aldridge died at his home in London on February 23, 2015, at the age of 96.

• A Matter of Honor ( Signed with Their Honor , 1942)
• The Sea Eagle ( The Sea Eagle , 1944)
• “About Many People” ( Of Many Men , 1946)
• “49th state. The play in 5 interludes ”( The Five Brief Interludes of the 49th State , 1946)
• The Diplomat ( The Diplomat , 1949)
• The Hunter (1950)
• “Heroes of the Desert Horizons” ( Heroes of Empty View, 1954)
• "Underwater science for inexperienced Englishmen" ( Undersea Hunting for Inexperienced Englishmen , 1955)
• “I Don't Want Him to Die” ( I Wish He Would Not Die , 1957)
• “The Last Inch” ( The Last Inch , 1957 - written; 1957 - translated into Russian; 1959 - published in English) ^[4]
• The Last Exile ( The Last Exile , 1961)
• “Captured by a foreign country” ( A Captive in the Land , 1962)
• “My Brother Tom” ( My Brother Tom , 1966)
• The Dangerous Game ( The Statesman's Game , 1966)
• Flight Nineteen ( The Flying 19 , 1966)
• "Cairo. Biography of the city ”( Cairo , 1969)
• "Riding a Wild Pony" ( A Sporting Proposition (Ride a Wild Pony) , 1973)
• “Julie the Alienated” ( The Untouchable Juli , 1974)
• “Mountains and Weapons” ( Mockery In Arms , 1974)
• The Amazing Mongol ( The Marvelous Mongolian , 1974)
• The Last Look ( One Last Glimpse , 1977)
• Goodbye Anti-America ( Goodbye Un-America , 1979)
• The Broken Saddle ( The Broken Saddle , 1982)
• The True Story of Lilli Stubeck (1984)
• The True Story of Spit Macphee (1986)
• The True Story of Lola Mackellar , 1992
• “The Girl from the Sea” ( The Girl from the Sea , 2002)
• The Wings of Kitty St Clair (2006)

First editions ^{[5] [6]} :

• "Sea eagle." M .: Goslitizdat, 1945
• "A matter of honor." M .: Goslitizdat, 1947
• "Forty-ninth state." M .: Publishing. foreign literature, 1947
• "Diplomat". M .: Publishing. Foreign Literature, 1952
• "Hunter". M .: 1954 (2 editions)
• "The boy from the forest shore." Stories. M .: True, 1957
• "Heroes of the Desert Horizons." M .: Publishing. Foreign Literature, 1958
• "I do not want him to die." M .: Goslitizdat, 1958
• "Spearfishing". M .: Physical education and sport, 1958.
• "The last inch." Light 1957. No. 37 (1578); Stories. M .: Goslitizdat, 1959.
• "The Last Exile." T. 1-2. M .: Publishing. foreign literature, 1963
• “A captive of a foreign country. Dangerous game. " M .: Progress, 1969
• "Cairo. Biography of the city. " M .: Young Guard, 1970
• “The last inch.” Stories and the story "My brother Tom". " M .: Children's literature, 1971.
• "Sports offer." M .: Children's literature, 1975
• The Amazing Mongol. M .: Young Guard, 1976
• "Farewell, not that America." M .: True, 1983
• "Selected works in 2 volumes." (T. 1: Diplomat. T. 2: Mountains and weapons). M .: Rainbow, 1984
• "Selected works in 2 volumes." (T. 1: “The Hunter.” “Last Look.” “The True Story of Lilly Stewbeck.” T. 2: “Sea Eagle.” “America against America.” Stories. Articles). M .: Fiction, 1986
• "Broken saddle." M .: Children's literature, 1986
• “The True Story of McPhee Spit.” M .: Children's literature, 1992

1. The Girl from the Sea 2002 novel young adult

   2003 shortlisted Children's Book Council Book of the Year Awards - Book of the Year: Older Readers

   2003 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards - Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature

2. The True Story of Spit MacPhee 1986 children's fiction children's

   1986 winner FAW ANA Literature Award

   1986 winner New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards - Ethel Turner Prize

   1986 winner New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards - Children's Book Award

3. The True Story of Lilli Stubeck 1984 novel young adult

   1985 winner Children's Book Council Book of the Year Awards - Book of the Year Award - Older Readers

• Kornilova E.V., J. Aldridge , M., 1957;
• Stukov O. V., Novels by J. Aldridge , M., 1961;
• Ivasheva V.V., English novel of the last decade (1950-1960) , M., 1962;
• Balashov P.S., J. Aldridge , M., 1963.

• In 1958, the film “ The Last Inch ” was directed in the USSR by director Theodor Wulfovich based on the story of the same name by Aldridge.
• In 1975, the movie " Ride a Wild Pony " was shot in the USA based on the novel of the same name directed by Don Cheffy .
• In 1990, with the assistance of the USA and the USSR, the film “ Captive of the Land ” was shot based on the eponymous story of the writer. Director John Barry .

• James Aldridge at the Aldebaran Library
• "The boy from the forest shore"