By Sinéad Heap
There’s no scenario quite like war to highlight the incredible complexity of humankind: where we are at once generous and capable of great sacrifice, we can also be inhuman and unbearably brutal.
Set during the Fall of Singapore and based upon his own family history, Edward ‘EJ’ Johnson’s novel Blight captures humankind in all of its angles, many of which are less than flattering.
EJ draws on a rich reservoir of life experience to craft fiction that is both historically informed and deeply human. With an interest in what makes us who we are – our decisions under pressure, our family, our past – EJ weaves a narrative tapestry capable of drawing you in and sweeping you away to a time and place you’ve never been yet is tantalisingly familiar.
EJ’s nuanced characters emerge from his varied career working with people in different ways and at all stages of life. Before turning to fiction, EJ built a distinguished career as a barrister in workplace relations law. His expertise was further shaped by several years as an industrial officer and tribunal advocate, representing members of one of Victoria’s largest public sector trade unions. The role placed him at the centre of workplace negotiations and legal proceedings, giving him firsthand insight into the dynamics of power, justice and human behaviour – themes that would later find their way into his writing.
Earlier in his career he pursued a passion for education that took him across continents from Surrey, England, to Montpellier in Southern France, where he conducted English conversation classes at the historic Lycée Joffre. On returning to Australia, EJ continued his teaching career at Brisbane Boys’ College, where he became the institution’s first Head of Modern Languages. The experience reflected a broader intellectual curiosity that has remained a defining feature of his life.
A hybrid work of fiction and fact, Blight is inspired by EJ’s father’s experience as a prisoner of war for almost five years in Changi Prison following the Fall of Singapore in 1942. Like many servicemen of that time, EJ’s father spoke little of his time in Changi Prison, though he was treated for hookworm infection (caused by inadequate sanitation and hygiene, the likes of which were rampant in World War 2 prisoner camps) for many years when EJ was a child. It was this silence, and its accompanying psychological damage, that motivated EJ to do what his father never could; put into words the horror and dehumanising experience of war.
Combining meticulous historical research with a storyteller’s eye for character and conflict, Blight reflects EJ’s deep engagement with the legacies of war, colonialism and social change. Today, EJ continues to write while pursuing his interests in history, literature, sport and wine. His journey from classrooms and courtrooms to the world of fiction has equipped him with a unique perspective, one that enriches his storytelling and offers readers a compelling blend of authenticity, insight and imagination. Through Blight, EJ Johnson demonstrates how a lifetime of diverse experiences can be transformed into powerful and engaging fiction.
