Louis Kaye was the pseudonym of Noel Wilson Norman (14 July 1901 - 19 April 1981), an Australian novelist and short story writer. He also published short stories under the names Grant Doyle Cooper and James Linnel.
He was born in
Claremont, Tasmania to a well-connected
Lindisfarne family but was more interested in an adventurous outback life than one of business and politics. From 1917 he was to make frequent forays into the Western Australian
bush to experience first-hand life in the bush and deserts of outback Australia. His experience of
aboriginal life was augmented by reading the works of anthropologist
Baldwin Spencer.[1]
He was already a successful contributor of short stories to overseas magazines in 1931 when he wrote his first novel, Tybal Men, set in a
WAsheep station. He is regarded as giving a realistic depiction of bush life and aboriginal culture, though criticised for emulating the "violent excesses of the American cowboy novel".[2]
His brother Don (Donald Manners Thirkell) Norman (24 April 1909 - 10 March 2001) was a writer (e.g. Errol Flynn : the Tasmanian story W.N. Hurst and E.L. Metcalf, Hobart c1981
ISBN0-9594146-0-6) and historian.
Short stories
A partial list of Kaye's short stories includes:[3]
Off the Trail in Everybody’s Magazine May 1927
The Gold Carriers in Everybody’s Magazine Nov 1927
The Tracks of Sonya in The Passing Show Oct 1 1932
The Lee Rail in The Australian Journal May 1937 [4]
Widow’s Cruise in The Passing Show Sep 25 1937
Well - Let’s Laugh! in The Passing Show Jan 22 1938
Strange Ones in The Passing Show Feb 19 1938
Boomerang in London Evening News Jul 28 1938
Old Man Kangaroo in Adventure Jun 1940
Walk to Glory in The Saturday Evening Post Nov 2 1940