Don Watson

Don Watson (born 1949) is an author and public intellectual, who was speechwriter to former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating. He lives and works in Melbourne and lectures widely on writing and language.

Watson's columns, articles and essays have appeared in all major Australian journals and newspapers. He has also co-authored a feature film, The Man Who Sued God.

Born in semi-rural Victoria, Watson attended schools in Poowong and Korumburra. After gaining a Bachelor of Arts from La Trobe University, he graduated with a PhD from Monash University.

After University, Watson became an academic historian. He later left the field to become a freelance writer, authoring among other things, political satire for stage and television, and speeches for the former Victorian Premier John Cain. During this time he also became involved in the initial planning for the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

After a period as a research fellow at the University of Melbourne, he became Prime Minister Paul Keating's speechwriter and adviser. He remained in that position until Keating's electoral defeat in 1996.

In 2002, six years after Paul Keating had left office, Watson published the award-winning Recollections of a Bleeding Heart: A Portrait of Paul Keating PM, a memoir of Keating's period in office. Its awards included The Age Book of the Year Award in 2002, winning both the Non-fiction and Book of the year awards.

In 2003, Watson published Death Sentence - The Decay of Public Language, which was followed up by his Dictionary of Weasel Words, both of which encourage readers to renounce what he perceives to be meaningless corporate and government jargon that is spreading throughout Australia and embrace meaningful, precise language.

Forthcoming in 2007 is a travel book, American Journeys[1].

External links

• The Unknown Soldier Speech