Arthur Bryce Courtenay, (14 August 1933 – 22 November 2012) was a
South African-Australian advertising director and novelist. He is one of Australia's best-selling authors, notable for his book ''
The Power of One''.
Background and early years
Arthur Bryce Courtenay was born in the
Lebombo Mountains
The Lebombo Mountains, also called Lubombo Mountains ( pt, Montes Libombos), are an , narrow range of mountains in Southern Africa. They stretch from Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal in the south to Punda Maria in the Limpopo Province in South Africa in ...
, South Africa, the son of Maude Greer and Arthur Ryder. Ryder was married with six children, and lived with his family, but also maintained a relationship with Greer, with whom he already had a daughter, Rosemary. Maude Greer gave the surname Courtenay to both her children. Bryce Courtenay spent most of his early years in a small village in the
Lebombo Mountains
The Lebombo Mountains, also called Lubombo Mountains ( pt, Montes Libombos), are an , narrow range of mountains in Southern Africa. They stretch from Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal in the south to Punda Maria in the Limpopo Province in South Africa in ...
in the
Limpopo province
Limpopo is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while th ...
. He later attended
King Edward VII School in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
.
In 1955, while studying journalism in London, Courtenay met Benita Solomon. They emigrated to Sydney in 1958, married in 1959 and had three sons – Brett, Adam and Damon.
Courtenay entered the advertising industry and, over a career spanning 34 years, was the Creative Director of
McCann Erickson
McCann, formerly McCann Erickson, is an American global advertising agency network, with offices in 120 countries. McCann is part of McCann Worldgroup, along with several other agencies, including direct digital marketing agency MRM//McCann, expe ...
,
J. Walter Thompson
J. Walter Thompson (JWT) was an advertisement holding company incorporated in 1896 by American advertising pioneer James Walter Thompson. The company was acquired in 1987 by multinational holding company WPP plc, and in November 2018, WPP merge ...
and
George Patterson Advertising. His award-winning campaigns included the original ''
Milkybar
Milkybar, called Galak in Continental Europe and Latin America, is a white chocolate confection produced by Nestlé since 1936 and sold worldwide. According to Nestlé, Milkybar/Galak contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. In ...
Kid'' commercial.
Along with
Geoff Pike
Geoffrey Alan Pike (born 28 September 1956) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent the majority of his career at West Ham United.
Pike played his early football in Thurrock and later with Gidea Park Rangers. He j ...
, Courtenay developed the concept behind the
Cadbury Yowie, a chocolate that contained a children's toy, typically an Australian or New Zealand native animal.
On 1 April 1991, Courtenay's son Damon (who was born with the blood condition
haemophilia
Haemophilia, or hemophilia (), is a mostly inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding. This results in people bleeding for a longer time after an injury, easy bruising, ...
) died at age 24 from
AIDS-related complications, contracted through a blood transfusion.
Courtenay divorced Benita in 2000 and acknowledged sexual relationships with other women during their 42-year marriage. Benita Courtenay died on 11 March 2007, at the age of 72, four months after being diagnosed with acute
myeloid leukaemia
Myeloid leukemia is a type of leukemia affecting myeloid tissue.
Types include:
* Acute myeloid leukemia
* Chronic myelogenous leukemia
* Acute megakaryoblastic leukemia
* Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm
See also
* Hematological mali ...
.
He later lived in
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
with his second wife, Christine Gee.
Writing
Courtenay's novels are primarily set in South Africa, the country of his birth, or Australia, his adopted country. His first book, ''
The Power of One'', was published in 1989 and, despite Courtenay's fears that it would never sell, quickly became one of Australia's best-selling books by any living author. The story was made into a
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
, as well as being re-released in an edition for children.
Courtenay was one of Australia's most commercially successful authors. He built up this success over the long term by promoting himself and developing a relationship with readers as much as marketing his books; for instance, he gave away up to 2,500 books free each year to readers he met in the street. However, only ''The Power of One'' has been published in the United States. Courtenay claimed that this was because "American publishers for the most part have difficulties about Australia
they are interested in books in their own country first and foremost. However, we receive many e-mails and letters from Americans who have read my books and I am hoping in the future that publishers will recognize that there is a market for all my books in the U.S."
Courtenay had a very strong
work ethic
Work ethic is a belief that work and diligence have a moral benefit and an inherent ability, virtue or value to strengthen character and individual abilities. It is a set of values centered on importance of work and manifested by determination o ...
, often writing 12 hours a day, and he normally wrote a book each year during his writing career. He turned to writing in the late 1980s after a 30-year career in advertising. In his lifetime, he sold more than 20 million copies of his books worldwide.
Death
In September 2012, Courtenay announced that he was suffering from terminal
gastric cancer
Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...
and that his last book would be ''
Jack of Diamonds''. He died on 22 November at his Canberra home, two weeks after the release of ''Jack of Diamonds''.
Awards and honours
*
Member of the Order of Australia (AM): 1995; in recognition of service to advertising and marketing to the community and as an author
*
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) (
honoris causa
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
): 2005; from the
University of Newcastle
*
Doctor of the University (D.Univ.) (
honoris causa
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
): 2012; from the
University of Canberra
The University of Canberra (UC) is a public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is within walking distance of Westfield Belconnen, and from Canberra's Civic Centre. UC ...
*
Australia Post
Australia Post, formally the Australian Postal Corporation, is the government business enterprise that provides postal services in Australia. The head office of Australia Post is located in Bourke Street, Melbourne, which also serves as a post o ...
Literary Legend: 2010; honoured on an Australian postage stamp
Bibliography
African books
*''
The Power of One'' (1989)
*''The Power of One: Young Readers Edition'' (1999)
*''
Tandia
''Tandia'' is Bryce Courtenay's 1991 sequel to his own best-selling novel '' The Power of One''. It follows the story of a young woman, Tandia, who was brutally raped and then banished from her own home. Tandia later meets up with Peekay, the ...
'' (1992)
*''The Night Country'' (1998)
*''
Whitethorn'' (2005)
Australian trilogy
*''
The Potato Factory
''The Potato Factory'' is a 1995 fictionalised historical novel by Bryce Courtenay, which was made into a four-part miniseries in Australia in 2000. The book is the first in a three-part series, followed by ''Tommo & Hawk'' and ''Solomon's Song ...
'' (1995)
*''Tommo & Hawk'' (1997)
*''
Solomon's Song
''Solomon's Song'' is the final novel in the Australian Trilogy by author Bryce Courtenay. It follows the novels ''The Potato Factory
''The Potato Factory'' is a 1995 fictionalised historical novel by Bryce Courtenay, which was made into a ...
'' (1999)
Nick Duncan Saga
*''The Persimmon Tree'' (2007)
*''Fishing for Stars'' (2008)
Other fiction
*''
A Recipe for Dreaming'' (1994)
*''
The Family Frying Pan'' (1997)
*''
Jessica'' (1998)
*''
Smoky Joe's Cafe
''Smoky Joe's Cafe'', a novel by Bryce Courtenay, deals with the psychological and physical scars on Thommo left by the Vietnam War and Agent Orange. When it is discovered his daughter has leukaemia, his veteran mates band together as "The Dir ...
'' (2001)
*''
Four Fires
The novel focuses on the Maloney family, who live in country Victoria. It also deals with many major events and issues in Australian history, as seen through the eyes of, or experienced by, the Maloneys. These include feminism, bushfires and PTSD. ...
'' (2001)
*''
Matthew Flinders' Cat'' (2002)
*''
Brother Fish'' (2004)
*''
Sylvia'' (2006)
*''
The Story of Danny Dunn'' (2009)
*''
Fortune Cookie
A fortune cookie is a crisp and sugary cookie wafer usually made from flour, sugar, vanilla, and sesame seed oil with a piece of paper inside, a "fortune", usually an aphorism, or a vague prophecy. The message inside may also include a Chinese ...
'' (2010)
*''
Jack of Diamonds'' (2012)
Non-fiction
*''
April Fool's Day
April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...
'' (1993)
*
Kyle, Roy. Edited by Courtenay, Bryce. (2003). ''An Anzac's Story''. Penguin Books, Victoria. .
*''
The Silver Moon'' (2015)
References
External sources and further reading
*
*
*
*
*
Bryce Courtenay's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Courtenay, Bryce
1933 births
2012 deaths
White South African people
20th-century Australian novelists
21st-century Australian novelists
Australian male novelists
Australian non-fiction writers
British Book Award winners
Australian copywriters
Members of the Order of Australia
Alumni of King Edward VII School (Johannesburg)
People from Johannesburg
South African expatriates in the United Kingdom
South African emigrants to Australia
South African people of English descent
South African male novelists
Australian advertising executives
Naturalised citizens of Australia
Deaths from stomach cancer
Deaths from cancer in the Australian Capital Territory
20th-century Australian male writers
21st-century Australian male writers
Male non-fiction writers