Roger McDonald

Hugh Roger McDonald (born 1941) is an Australian novelist, poet, and non-fiction writer who began his career as a teacher, ABC producer, and editor before becoming a full-time author in 1976. His debut novel 1915 (1979), about Australian soldiers at Gallipoli, won the Age Book of the Year and other prizes, and was adapted into a TV miniseries; he has since published acclaimed works like Mr. Darwin's Shooter (1998) and The Ballad of Desmond Kale (2006, Miles Franklin Award winner), often exploring rural Australian life and history. He lives near Braidwood, NSW, and has also written poetry, screenplays, and non-fiction such as Shearers' Motel (1992).