David Astle

Astle's cryptic crosswords, appearing under the name "DA" in The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald (for which he also writes the "Wordplay" section), have developed a large following which includes musician Holly Throsby{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/music/a-way-with-words/2008/07/10/1215658007308.html |title=A way with words |work=The Age|date= 2008-07-11|access-date=2010-01-31 | location=Melbourne |first=Anthony |last=Carew}} and actor Geoffrey Rush. Rush called him "the Sergeant Pepper of cryptic crosswords".{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/culture/rush-hour/2007/03/08/1173166864909.html |title=Rush Hour www.theage.com.au |work=The Age|date= 2007-03-08|access-date=2010-01-31 | location=Melbourne}} In 2011, his portrait called "DA" painted by artist Amanda Marburg, was shortlisted for the Archibald Prize.

Astle's 2013 book Cluetopia: The story of 100 years of the crossword celebrates the centenary of the crossword with a chapter for each year. Astle is a three times winner of the Banjo Paterson Writing Award.List of Award Winner in the Orange Wiki: www.theorangewiki.orange.nsw.gov.au, Accessed 22 August 2021. Bio at the Australian Literature Website: www.austlit.edu.au, Accessed 22 August 2021 He won third prize in The Age Short Story Award in 1990 and his first novel, Marzipan Plan, was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award. In 2001 he won the James Joyce Suspended Sentence Award for short fiction.{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/05/25/1022243278064.html |title=A mind field of puzzling pleasure - theage.com.au |work=The Age|date=26 May 2002 |access-date=2010-01-31 | location=Melbourne}} His play Cowboy Humour was part of the Short and Sweet play festival in 2008,{{cite web|url=http://www.shortandsweet.org/node/302 |title=Week 3 program | Short and Sweet |publisher=Shortandsweet.org |access-date=2010-01-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080721195515/http://www.shortandsweet.org/node/302 |archive-date=21 July 2008}} which has previously featured Astle's plays including The Gentleman Had An Axe in 2007{{Cite web |url=http://assets.theartscentre.net.au/shortandsweet/rscs/2007%20Files/070828%3B%20S%26S%20Season%20Outline%2021107.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=18 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706123822/http://assets.theartscentre.net.au/shortandsweet/rscs/2007%20Files/070828%3B%20S%26S%20Season%20Outline%2021107.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2011 |url-status=dead }} and The Mercy Kitchen.{{cite web |url=http://shortandsweet.org/shortsweet/sydney/shortlist-n-z |title=Shortlist: N-Z | Short+Sweet |website=shortandsweet.org |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206091315/http://shortandsweet.org/shortsweet/sydney/shortlist-n-z |archive-date=6 February 2009 |url-status=dead}}

Astle has taught journalism at RMIT University and in 2004 was awarded a DSC Teaching Award for best sessional teacher.{{cite web |url=http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse/Our%20Organisation%2FDesign%20and%20Social%20Context%2FNews%2Fby%20date%2F;ID=80ga9pnna49j;STATUS=A |title=DSC Teaching Award Winners 2004 |publisher=RMIT |date=1 October 2004 |access-date=2010-01-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060912163211/http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse/Our%20Organisation/Design%20and%20Social%20Context/News/by%20date/%3BID%3D80ga9pnna49j%3BSTATUS%3DA |archive-date=12 September 2006}} In 2013, he helped create the word "phub" (a portmanteau of phone and snub), for when someone is ignored in favour of a mobile phone.{{Cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2013/12/24/3917113.htm|title = Twerk, selfie and bitcoin, our popular words of 2013 - ABC (None) - Australian Broadcasting Corporation|website = Australian Broadcasting Corporation}}

In 2010 Astle was part of Letters and Numbers, an Australian reboot of the UK series Countdown. Astle was the dictionary expert alongside host Richard Morecroft and maths expert Lily Serna. The show was produced by Shine Australia and ran for two seasons on SBS TV.

From 2015 Astle was a fill-in host on ABC Radio Melbourne as well as a regular word expert on ABC TV's News Breakfast.

In December 2019, Astle was appointed as host of the Evenings radio program on ABC Radio Melbourne and ABC Local Radio in Victoria replacing Lindy Burns.{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/2019-line-up/10583994|title=ABC Radio Melbourne announces 2019 line-up|website=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=5 December 2018}} Throughout 2019 Astle filled in for Burns whilst she was on long service leave.

In 2021 Celebrity Letters and Numbers was created with Astle returning as dictionary expert alongside Serna and new host Michael Hing.{{cite web | url=https://www.sbs.com.au/aboutus/2021/09/02/sbs-presents-celebrity-letters-numbers/ | title=SBS Presents Celebrity Letters & Numbers | date=2 September 2021 }} The show is currently in its third season and has featured guests including Nakkaih Lui, Aaron Chen and Benjamin Law.{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15533298/ | title=Celebrity Letters and Numbers | website=IMDb }}

• Marzipan Plan
• The Book of Miles (Minerva, 1997) 1-86330-589-0

• "Rewording the Brain" (Allen & Unwin, 2018) {{ISBN|9781760295486}}
• "Riddledom: 101 Riddles and Their Stories" (Allen & Unwin, 2015) {{ISBN|9781760112608}}
• "Cluetopia: The story of 100 years of the crossword" (Allen & Unwin, 2013) {{ISBN|9781743314531}}
• "Puzzles and Words 1" (Allen & Unwin, 2013) 9781743318546
• "Puzzles and Words 2" (Allen & Unwin, 2013) 9781743318546
• Puzzled: Secrets and Clues From a Life Lost in Words (Allen & Unwin, 2010) {{ISBN|9781742372785}}
• Cassowary Crossing (Penguin Books, 2005) {{ISBN|0-14-300169-8}}; (re-jacketed as Offbeat Australia (Penguin Books, 2007) {{ISBN|978-0-14-300742-5}})
• One Down, One Missing (Hardie Grant Books, 2003) 9781740661416

• Wordburger (Allen & Unwin, 2015) {{ISBN|9781760113575}}
• David Astle's Gargantuan Book of Words (Allen & Unwin, 2017) {{ISBN|9781760296223}}
• David Astle's 101 Weird Words (and 3 fakes): From Ambidextrous to Zugzwang (Allen & Unwin, 2018) {{ISBN|9781760633660}}

• The Gentleman Had an Axe (2007)
• Cowboy Humour (2008)
• The Mercy Kitchen (2008)

{{reflist}}

• [http://davidastle.com/ Official site]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4GurqnVAF4 Cryptopia], a short documentary on DA and his crosswords
• [http://www.australiantraveller.com.au/index.cfm?page_id=1343 Hacronyms], an article by David Astle
• [http://www.datrippers.com/ The DA Trippers], a blog that pays homage to DA cryptics
• [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/linguafranca/stories/2008/2430598.htm Alias DA], an essay that originally appeared in Meanjin about how Astle sees words and the world
• [http://www.sbs.com.au/shows/lettersandnumbers/cast/detail/id/642 Astle's profile on Letters and Numbers website]
• [http://wheelercentre.com/videos/video/david-astle-re-works-words/ David Astle Re-works Words] a Wheeler Centre video
• [http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/02/17/3141510.htm David Astle on ABC's The Conversation Hour]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSOfuUYCV_0 Phubbing: A Word is Born video]
• [http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/conversations-david-astle-2017/8999134 Leaping lexicons: David Astle and the joy of words on ABC's Conversations]
• [https://www.wheelercentre.com/notes/do-not-ask-for-whom-the-pinball-chimes Do Not Ask for Whom the Pinball Chimes], David Astle at the Wheeler Centre Gala 2017.
• [http://www.abc.net.au/radio/people/david-astle/7347622 David Astle on ABC Radio].
• [https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/lunch-with-david-astle-20171221-h08m4x.html Lunch with David Astle: How he creates his notoriously tricky crosswords].

{{774 ABC Melbourne}}

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Category:1961 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century Australian novelists

Category:20th-century Australian male writers

Category:Australian male novelists

Category:Australian male dramatists and playwrights

Category:20th-century Australian dramatists and playwrights

Category:21st-century Australian dramatists and playwrights

Category:Australian non-fiction writers

Category:Writers from Melbourne

Category:People educated at Barker College

Category:21st-century Australian male writers

Category:Crossword creators

Category:Australian male non-fiction writers