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John Birmingham

ジョン・バーミンガム

John Birmingham

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1964-08-07 （Liverpool, United Kingdom）
Nationality
Australian
Languages
English
Residence History
Ipswich, Queensland, Australia (moved with family in 1970) → Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (resident)

Career

Occupations
Author, Journalist, Columnist
Active Years
1994-
Affiliations
Australian Department of Defence (researcher, short-term), The Monthly (contributor)
Nominations
Aurealis Award 2005 – Designated Targets (finalist), Dragon Award 2022 – The Shattered Skies (nominee)

Education

St Edmund's College, Ipswich
Country: Australia
Secondary education
University of Queensland
International Relations
Degree: 学士（国際関係）
Country: Australia
Studied law for a period but did not complete; later pursued and is reported to hold a degree in international relations (details unclear)

Awards

Australia's National Prize for Non-Fiction
2002
Work: Leviathan: The Un-authorised Biography of Sydney
Result: 受賞
Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
2005
Work: Designated Targets
Organization: Aurealis Awards
Result: 最終候補
Dragon Award for Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel
2022
Work: The Shattered Skies
Organization: Dragon Con
Result: ノミネート
Young Writers Award (The Independent)
Organization: The Independent (editor: Brian Toohey)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

He Died with a Felafel in His Hand

1994 Memoir, Non-fiction

A memoir of share-house living, mixing humour and sharp observation to depict the chaos and personalities of communal living.

House-share lifeYouth cultureBlack humor
Adaptations
  • [Film] He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (film) (2001)
  • [Play] The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco (theatrical version)
  • [Graphic novel] He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (graphic novel)

Leviathan: The Un-authorised Biography of Sydney

1999 Non-fiction, Urban history

A thoroughly researched account of Sydney's history, exploring the city's development and darker aspects with a critical perspective.

Urban historyPower and corruptionSocial transformation
Adaptations
  • [Play] Leviathan (stage adaptation by Sydney Theatre Company) (2010)

Weapons of Choice

2004 Alternate history, Military science fiction

A techno-thriller/alternate history in which a multinational 21st-century force is transported back to 1942, altering the course of World War II.

Time displacementMilitary tacticsAlternate history

Designated Targets

2005 Alternate history, Military science fiction

The second book in the Axis of Time series, exploring the consequences and political fallout when modern military technology collides with WWII-era realities.

Military interventionInternational politicsClash of technologies

Final Impact

2006 Alternate history, Military science fiction

The concluding novel of the Axis of Time trilogy, dealing with the consequences and new world order shaped by the time-displaced force.

Consequences of warBalance of powerRewriting history

Without Warning

2008 Disaster / Post-apocalyptic

A thought experiment novel in which a massive energy field known as 'The Wave' makes most of the U.S. population vanish, exploring international consequences and chaos.

State collapseInternational orderHuman responses

The Cruel Stars

2019 Space opera, Military science fiction

A large-scale space opera noted for its frenetic action, dark humour, and vivid depictions of interstellar warfare and complex character dynamics.

Interstellar warfareFleet combatCoexistence of humor and gore

The Shattered Skies

2022 Space opera, Military science fiction

The sequel to The Cruel Stars, expanding the universe with weightier depictions of war and complex political maneuvering.

Strategy and sacrificePolitical intrigueFracturing of heroism

World War 3.1: A Novel of the Axis of Time

2023 Alternate history, Military science fiction

A continuation of the Stalin's Hammer storyline, depicting the Warsaw Pact invasion of Western Europe and the West's response.

Cold War-style conflictStrategic responseLarge-scale combat

Bibliography

  • He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (1994)
  • The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco (1998)
  • Leviathan: The Un-authorised Biography of Sydney (1999)
  • How to be a Man (co-authored, 2000)
  • Appeasing Jakarta: Australia's complicity in the East Timor Tragedy (2001)
  • Off One's Tits (collection of essays & articles, 2002)
  • The Felafel Guide to Getting Wasted (2002)
  • The Felafel Guide to Sex (2002)
  • Dopeland: Taking the High Road Through Australia's Marijuana Culture (2003)
  • A Time for War: Australia as a Military Power (2005)
  • Weapons of Choice (2004)
  • Designated Targets (2005)
  • Final Impact (2006)
  • Stalin's Hammer: Rome (2012, novella)
  • Stalin's Hammer: Cairo (2016, novella)
  • Stalin's Hammer: Paris (2016, novella)
  • Stalin's Hammer: The Complete Sequence (2017)
  • Without Warning (2008)
  • After America (2010)
  • Angels of Vengeance (2011)
  • Emergence (David Hooper trilogy, 2015)
  • Resistance (2015)
  • Ascendance (2015)
  • A Girl in Time (2016)
  • The Golden Minute – A Girl in Time Novel (2018)
  • Zero Day Code (2019)
  • Fail State (2019)
  • The Cruel Stars (2019)
  • The Shattered Skies (2022)
  • World War 3.1: A Novel of the Axis of Time (2023)
  • The Javan War (with Jason Lambright, 2024)
  • Sleeper Agent (2024)
  • How to be a Writer (2016)
  • Stranger Thingies: From Felafel to Now (2018)
  • On Father (2019)
  • Licensed to Love: The Agency Files (works, 2025)

Adaptations

  • He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (film adaptation, 2001)
  • The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco (theatrical adaptation, long-running)
  • Leviathan (stage adaptation by Sydney Theatre Company)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Direct, humorous narrationSharp social criticism and satireTechno-thriller style detailed depiction
Recurring Motifs
Dark sides of cities and historyEffects of war and powerBlack humor and absurdity

Legacy

A contemporary Australian writer known for works ranging from memoir to alternate history and space opera. Notable for the cultural impact of He Died with a Felafel in His Hand, the Axis of Time series in alternate-history/military SF, and the award-winning urban history Leviathan, which has influenced both academic and popular audiences.

Archives

  • State Library of Queensland (holds materials and archives related to John Birmingham)

In Popular Culture

  • The film adaptation and long-running stage productions of He Died with a Felafel in His Hand have permeated popular culture.
  • The Axis of Time and The Cruel Stars series have been widely discussed among SF and military-SF audiences and frequently appear in reviews and criticism.

Quotes

  • “Frenetic action viewed in a black fun-house mirror.”
    Source: Kirkus Reviews (review) (2019)
  • “A good space opera can be many things... John Birmingham’s The Cruel Stars balances all of those things.”
    Source: BookPage (review) (2019)

Trivia

  • Born in Liverpool in 1964, he moved to Australia with his family in 1970.
  • He Died with a Felafel in His Hand has been adapted into a film, stage productions, and a graphic novel.
  • Leviathan was the result of four years of research into Sydney's history and won a national non-fiction prize in 2002.
  • He won a Young Writers Award connected to The Independent early in his career (year unspecified).
  • In 2015 he moved away from traditional trade publishing and began self-publishing under an independent model.
  • Runs the blog 'CheeseburgerGothic' (official site: cheeseburgergothic.com).