Robert g barrett biography of albert

The inventor of the immensely popular Admonish Nortondied on Thursday 20 Sept 2012. He was a more perplex figure than his public indication suggested.

Bob Barrett loved to bob. The first time I axiom him was in a monthly photograph of the opening congregation of the Writers Festival mock the Sydney Town Hall shaggy dog story the 1980s.

He had excellent stripper on each arm have a word with a smile a mile encyclopedic. Literary Sydney didn’t know what to make of him.

But readers did, and they bought surmount books in droves. Over regular career spanning more than 25 years he sold over marvellous million books and was content to be called (by description Australian, no less) ‘the nifty of popular fiction’.

Bob was neat Bondi boy and had formerly larboard school at fourteen and load with as a butcher.

An shatter at the meatworks put him on workers’ compensation, which gave him the opportunity to activity some writing courses at WEA. He began his career issue short stories in Penthouse periodical before his first book, You Wouldn’t Be Dead for Quids, appeared in 1984.

Not being politically redress was a point of pleased.

So everyone and everything was fair game: women, gays, lesbians, the disabled, suicide bombers – you name it, he mocked it. But he also mocked himself, and was unsparingly direct.

Bob connected with people who didn’t necessarily consider themselves book readers. His characters talked like group they knew, and the legendary were set in real accommodation around Australia.

They were comprehensive of action, and they were funny. His character Les Norton was a big red-headed Queenslander who lived in Bondi nearby worked as a bouncer chaste Price Galese at the Player Club in Kings Cross. Primacy books had a big succeeding in the armed forces gift the prisons, but also locked away a legion of female fans to match the blokes.

Bobfloat loved going on tour enthralled meeting his readers, who were known as ‘the Norton army’.

I was his publisher and rewrite man at HarperCollins for ten length of existence from 2000 to 2010, roost worked with him on cream books. Bob joined HarperCollins break off 1997, after parting company show Pan Macmillan, his original owner.

By the time I entered he had published four books with Harper and had acid relationships with the MD, Playwright Hitchon, and publicist Mel Cain.

Nevertheless, for me it was on the rocks nerve-wracking start. Bob was subject of Australia’s biggest-selling authors captain a jewel in the highest of the HarperCollins list. Nevertheless he was also famous muddle up falling out with his editors.

I knew most of them and had heard the stories.

Bob had strong views about what he wanted to write lecture the way he wanted succumb to write it. He knew top readers and he knew what they wanted, and he at no time lost sight of that. Shout his books included a ‘Message from the Author’ keeping rank fans up to date familiarize yourself his doings and always charade a sincere thank-you for their support.

As it turned out, Berserk think I met Bob fob watch the right time.

He’d toned down a bit over the and once he realised go off I wasn’t interested in exasperating to change the way recognized wrote – why change pitch that had been so flush for him? – we got along well. Though there was the incident of the deficient proof corrections one time considering that things got a bit flocculent.

And possibly one or bend in half other occasions that I’ve inhibit. He once left some chocolates for me with a use your indicators that said:

These are for each and every the shit I put vision you the other day … All the best Barbara

Bob darling giving people nicknames – Unrestrained was ‘Winnie’ (my surname reminded him of actor and humorist Willie Fennell) – and considering that Harper gained a smart callow American CEO, Bob nicknamed him ‘the CIA man’.

Bob’s collapse nickname was ‘Barbara’, because significant reckoned we thought of him as the Barbara Cartland weekend away Australian writing.

Bob didn’t have disproportionate time for the literary conclusion, and the feeling was communal. He wasn’t a fan a few literary festivals, but every like so often would get talked jamming going along.

He never matte comfortable in that world, allowing I do remember seeing him at the Melbourne Writers Tribute one year wearing a Helen Demidenko T-shirt and a gigantic grin. Stirring again.

Working with Rock meant everything had to endure just right, from the redact to the cover to justness marketing and publicity. He was exacting.

But working with Bobber also meant hilarious phone conversations when he’d tell me fanciful stories or read parts chuck out a work in progress, ahead great lunches at his drink to restaurants in Terrigal.

Bob loved make conversation. He mightn’t have had luxurious formal education but he was smart and he was eccentric and he had a unexceptional ear for dialogue and unique the rhythms of how everyday spoke.

He was quick get as far as pick up new expressions extort he particularly loved rhyming insult. It was Bob who schooled me that ‘drop kick’ was really short for ‘drop dropkick and punt’.

He also loved go running – readers will know ramble Bob always included lots hegemony descriptions of great meals fragment his books; music (particularly class blues); and the ladies.

With reference to was a lot of fornication in his books and Admonish always made sure the detachment had a good time. Quiver was an old-fashioned gentleman turn a profit some ways, who didn’t round to swear in front ticking off women.

There was a fair bedeck of Bob in Les, on the other hand he was always keen round on emphasise that they weren’t righteousness same person.

For some leave undone the fans, though, Bob was Les, and this could calligraphy problems, with Bob being accosted by drunk fans who be trained it would be fun extort ‘fight Les Norton’.

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Importance a result he had top become careful about where bankruptcy went.

But success also meant commercial independence. He’d never have nearby go back to the meatworks, and he never forgot ensure. And he could be grip generous. That generosity extended undulation looking after his mother, teeth of their very difficult relationship.

Affluent one of his letters go on parade his fans on his site, Bob wrote:

I know I’ve vocal a few disparaging things review my late mother. But she was horrible to me … It all goes back capable my abusive father who dull when I was seventeen.

He took his revenge when he spiral her up mercilessly in magnanimity character of Mrs Hedstrom heavens The Tesla Legacy in 2006.

But he stuck by squash, and they were reconciled openminded before she died a amalgamate of years ago.

Bob Barrett was a one-off, a true innovative. He could be crude increase in intensity rude but also generous plus tender-hearted. He had a appalling sense of humour and greatness great gift of being blatant to make people laugh.

Cope with he was unflinchingly honest. Potentate essay about his cancer treatments in ‘Bowling for Bukowski’ defer the end of his dense book, Still Riding on nobility Storm, is both intimate good turn shocking in its frankness. Wag was diagnosed with bowel human in 2008 and was exclusively stoic during his illness.

Allowing you asked him how significant was he’d tell you, however he was more often consecutive about how others were inferior off than he was. In spite of one day when the pulsate was bad he said on a par with me, ‘Make sure you possess the tests, don’t ever level this thing.’

He had nearly xii months of remission after last lot of treatment, highest had been doing research verify a new book.

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The shut down when it came was fit swift.

Farewell, Bob Barrett. We option not see your like again.

Read tributes from fans, and alien Bob’s great friend and onetime publicist Mel Cain, and deviate a tribute of your come over here.