Word for Word

9 Jul 2016

The Drowned Man – Brendan James Murray

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A True Story of Life, Death, Murder and Homosexuality on HMAS Australia

A chance encounter in a fish-’n’-chip shop set Brendan James Murray on the trail of a mystery. Had a gay man been secretly murdered on HMAS Australia during the Second World War?

The veteran he spoke to was certain. ‘I knew about it,’ he said. ‘We all did.’

But was the story true? If so, who was the dead man? And why was it so hard to find out?

The Drowned Man is a search for the answer, almost stymied by cover-up and silence. In the end, it brings us to the lies that have shrouded our understanding of war, and especially of war at sea.

As one of the survivors poignantly says, ‘I want to pass it on to the next generation. What it was like. What it was really like.’

Just released by ECHO Publishing, The Drowned Man is a work of kaleidoscopic intensity by a strong new Australian voice.

About the Author:

Brendan Murray grew up on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula and has been writing for as long as he can remember. Though his first love is non-fiction, he also enjoys writing creatively; his short stories have twice received National Literary Awards from the Fellowship of Australian Writers.

Always fascinated by the ocean, Brendan – a keen kayaker – was raised hearing stories about his grandfather’s time on the doomed cruiser HMAS Sydney.

In addition to writing, Brendan works as a full-time teacher of English, Literature and History at a large government school, and has produced numerous study guides for young adult novels.

He is passionate about fostering a love of reading and writing in children, especially boys, who he worries are becoming increasingly disengaged from literature.