JAMES ALDRIDGE

     James Aldridge was born in 1918, in the town of Swanhill, in Australia. His father was a journalist and writer. His parents came to Australia from England only a few years before James was born.

     When James was 14 years old, he began to work as a mes­senger boy for a newspaper in Melbourne. In 1939 he went to England to enter Oxford University.

       In 1940 he was sent to Finland as a war correspondent. In the years of the second World War Aldridge was a war corre­spondent and visited Norway, Greece, Egypt, Iran and other countries.

       During 1944-1945 he visited Russia three times, living there for nearly a year.

       He saw how people fought against the fascist invaders.

      Aldridge’s first novel «Signed with Their Honour» was published in 1942. In this novel he described the heroic strug­gle of the Greek people with the fascist invaders and internal reaction.

        His novel «The Sea Eagle», published in 1944 tells us about the people of Crete and their fight against fascists. Aldridge’s books are devoted to the liberation struggle in the years of the Second World War.

         Aldridge was awarded the Gold Medal of Peace for the book «The Diplomat» in 1953. This book shows the peace loving policy of the USSR in contrast with the policy of «cold war», which the imperialist countries followed at that time.

        «The Last Inch» was written in 1957 and translated into Russian the same year, while the first English edition came out in 1960.

         For many years James Aldridge has been a fighter for peace among nations.

QUESTIONS:

1. Where was James Aldridge born?

2. When did his parents come to Australia?

3. When did James begin to work?

4. What countries did he visit as a war correspondent?

5. What does his novel «The Sea Eagle» tell us about?

6. What was Aldridge awarded for the book «The Diplo­mat»?

VOCABULARY:

messenger boy — курьер

to fight (fought) — сражаться

invader — захватчик

liberation — освобождение

to be awarded — быть награжденным