James Edmond Macdonnell was one of the most prolific writers in Australia. His books have been translated into many languages, selling in the millions throughout the world.
He served in the Navy before, during and after the War, climbing up through the hawsepipe from ordinary seaman to officer in the gunnery branch. This experience of both lowerdeck and wardroom provided invaluable insight into his fictional characters.
He lived with his wife, two daughters and a son in the shorebound Sydney suburb of St. Ives, but his main interest, apart from sports cars, did lied in swapping stories, of varying degrees of truthfulness, with old shipmates
THIS IS THE ACTUAL TYPEWRITER that
J. E. MACDONNELL used for his novels…
His obituary said:
Author's Life A Tale Of Love, Adventure
The gentle sound of fingers tapping on the rusty keys of an ancient typewriter is an image the family of critically-acclaimed author James (Jim) Macdonnell will always recall with happiness.
The 84-year-old Buderim resident, who published more than 200 mostly naval adventure stories under the name of
J.E. MacDonnell, died peacefully in his sleep at a Buderim hospital on September 13, 2002.
Friends, colleagues and family recalled memories of a man whose kindness knew no boundaries, whose love for his children and wife was unending, and whose imagination captured the attention of millions of readers around the world.
Mr MacDonnell, who joined the Australian Navy at 17 and left after WWII to pursue a writing career, was born in Mackay and grew up in Toowoomba.
He lived in Sydney for 40 years before retiring to the Sunshine Coast with his wife of 46 years, Valerie, in 1988.
The grandfather-of-seven is survived by his wife, and loving children Beth, Jane and Peter.
"Following is a graphical representation of the number of novels published each year, based on the first copyright date (on the inside cover of the book)".