Oliver Walker

Oliver Walker (1906 – 25 December 1965) was a journalist and writer of fiction and non-fiction works predominantly about South Africa where he lived for most of his adult life. He wrote two historical novels based on the life of John Dunn.

Family

Oliver Walker was born in Birmingham, England in 1906. His father was the Western Mail leader writer and founder member of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), James Atkinson Walker (1878–1954).

Biography

Walker started his journalistic career in the UK, living in Cardiff, London and Bristol, before emigrating to South Africa in 1937. He worked briefly for Schlesinger's Daily Express in Johannesburg, and wrote about this period in his autobiographical novel Wanton City (1949). This was followed by a sequel "Kaffirs Are Livelier, White Man Boss" published shortly before Walker's death, in 1964.