James Francis Dwyer | |
|---|---|
 Mugshot of James Dwyer taken in 1899 | |
| Born | 22 April 1874[1] Camden Park, NSW |
| Died | 11 November 1952 (aged 78) Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques |
| Pen name | Burglar Bill, J.F.D., D, Marat |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Genre | Mystery, adventure, romance |
| Spouse | Selina Cassandra Stewart (1893–1919) Catherine Galbraith Welch (1919–1952) |
James Francis Dwyer (22 April 1874 – 11 November 1952) was an Australian writer. Born in Camden Park, New South Wales, Dwyer worked as a postal assistant until he was convicted in a scheme to make fraudulent postal orders and sentenced to seven years imprisonment in 1899. In prison, Dwyer began writing, and with the help of another inmate and a prison guard, had his work published in The Bulletin. After completing his sentence, he relocated to London and then New York, where he established a successful career as a writer of short stories and novels. Dwyer later moved to France, where he wrote his autobiography, Leg-Irons on Wings, in 1949. Dwyer wrote over 1,000 short stories during his career, and was the first Australian-born person to become a millionaire from writing.