The Ballad of Desmond Kale

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. Read more →