Elizabeth Kata

Elizabeth Kata (1912–1998) was born in Australia and lived for many years in Japan. Married in Tokyo in 1937, she spent the last two years of the Second World War in internment. Her son was born just three weeks before the atomic bomb was dopped on Hiroshima. On being released she returned to Australia in 1947 with her infant son, where she embarked on a long and illustrious writing career.

Her first novel, A Patch of Blue (originally published as Be Ready with Bells and Drums), was translated into eight different languages and made into an award-winning film. She wrote screenplays for both film and television, which were produced in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.