De Boissiere, Ralph (1907-2008), was a novelist and short-story writer who was born in Trinidad. He was a frequent contributor to the cultural journals Trinidad and The Beacon from 1929 to 1931.
In 1947, de Boissiere immigrated to Australia, where he worked in the motor industry. He became an Australian citizen in 1970. His novels were all written in Australia, though the first two—Crown Jewel (1952) and Rum and Coca-Cola (1956)—dealt with the politics and popular culture of Trinidad. Crown Jewel covers the years 1935 to 1937 in Trinidad, ending with an uprising in the oil fields. Rum and Coca-Cola covers the American occupation of Trinidad during the years 1940 to 1945. De Boissiere’s third novel, No Saddles for Kangaroos (1964), is based on his experiences in the early 1950’s in Australia. De Boissiere’s unpublished fourth novel, Homeless in Paradise, is set in both Trinidad and Australia.
Ralph Anthony de Boissiere was born on Sept. 6, 1907, into a wealthy French-Creole family in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad (now Trinidad and Tobago). He died on Feb. 16, 2008, at the age of 100.
