Bony (character)

Detective Inspector Napoleon "Bony" Bonaparte is a fictional character created by Australian novelist Arthur Upfield (1890–1964).[1] Bony is a biracial Aboriginal Australian detective with a reputation for solving difficult cases by finding subtle clues. Upfield introduced the character in his 1929 novel The Barrakee Mystery. 29 novels featuring the character were published.

Napoleon "Bony" Bonaparte
First appearanceThe Barrakee Mystery
Last appearanceThe Lake Frome Monster
Created byArthur Upfield
Portrayed byJames Laurenson
Cameron Daddo
In-universe information
GenderMale
TitleDetective inspector
Occupation
SpouseMarie
Children3
NationalityAustralian

Upfield said that he based the character on Tracker Leon, a biracial Aboriginal Australian man who worked for the Queensland Police.

Biography

Napoleon "Bony" Bonaparte is the son of an Aboriginal Australian mother and a white father. He was born during a time when an interracial relationship between an Aboriginal and a white person was forbidden. Bony was found in his dead mother's arms, where he was taken in by a Catholic mission; there he was named Napoleon Bonaparte, after the French military leader who lived from 1769 to 1821.

Bonaparte (nicknamed "Bony") holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queensland University.[2] He is a detective inspector with the Queensland Police. He applies his astounding tracking skills to crime investigation, and has earned a peerless reputation for solving cases. Occasionally, Queensland's criminal investigation department sends him on assignment to another jurisdiction in Australia, if a murder case there stymies the local authorities.[3] Some of his assignments require him to work undercover. During an undercover operation, he may pose as a station hand or labourer, with only a few senior police aware of his secret identity. He sometimes uses an alias, such as Nat Bonnar or (as in Death of a Swagman) Robert Burns. When he gives his real name, he often adds "My friends call me Bony".

Bony says that he has been sacked several times for disobeying direct orders from his superiors, but adds that he is always reinstated almost immediately. He and his wife, Marie, live in Banyo, a suburb of Brisbane.[4][5] They have three adult sons; the eldest, Charles, is studying to be a doctor.

Appearances

Novels
№TitlePublication dateReissue title
1 The Barrakee Mystery1929—
2 The Sands of Windee1931—
3 Wings Above the Diamantina1936—
4 Mr. Jelly's Business1937Murder Down Under
5 Winds of Evil1937—
6 The Bone is Pointed1938—
7 The Mystery of Swordfish Reef1939—
8 Bushranger of the Skies1940No Footprints in the Bush
9 Death of a Swagman1945—
10 The Devil's Steps1946—
11 An Author Bites the Dust1948—
12 The Mountains Have a Secret1948—
13 The Widows of Broome1950—
14 The Bachelors of Broken Hill1950—
15 The New Shoe1951—
16 Venom House1952—
17 Murder Must Wait1953—
18 Death of a Lake1954—
19 Sinister Stones1954Cake in the Hat Box
20 The Battling Prophet1956—
21 The Man of Two Tribes1956—
22 The Bushman Who Came Back1957Bony Buys a Woman
23 Bony and the Black Virgin1959The Torn Branch
24 Journey to the Hangman1959Bony and the Mouse
25 Valley of Smugglers1960Bony and the Kelly Gang
26 The White Savage1961Bony and the White Savage
27 The Will of the Tribe1962—
28 Madman's Bend1963The Body at Madman's Bend
29 The Lake Frome Monster1966—

The Sands of Windee

While working on the second Bony novel, 1931's The Sands of Windee, Arthur Upfield discussed plot ideas with his outback companions. One of these companions was Snowy Rowles, a man who had previously committed three murders using methods similar to those described in Upfield's novel. When Rowles was caught, Upfield was forced to testify at his trial. The ensuing publicity surrounding the Murchison Murders—as they came to be called—greatly improved the sales of the novel. The ensuing notoriety helped to catalyze Upfield's rise to fame.

Television

Two adaptations of the Bony novels have been made for television. Both starred white actors in the role.

The first adaptation aired for two series between 1971 and 1972. Caucasian New Zealand actor James Laurenson played Bonaparte in blackface. The character's name was spelt 'Boney' for the series, and some editions of the novels kept this spelling for later editions.

There was also a 1990 telemovie and later a 1992 spin-off TV series (using the original 'Bony' spelling). The pilot film depicted the titular protagonist (here named David John Bonaparte) as the grandson of the original Bony. The series however, portrayed him as being white, and raised by Aboriginals. Cameron Daddo played the character. Burnum Burnum co-starred as Bony's aboriginal mentor Uncle Albert.

See also

References
  1. Rosemary, Herbert (2003-01-01). Whodunit? : a who's who in crime & mystery writing. Oxford University Press. pp. 21. ISBN 0195157613. OCLC 252700230.
  2. Liukkonen, Petri. "Arthur Upfield". Books and Writers (kirjasto.sci.fi). Finland: Kuusankoski Public Library. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008.
  3. "Australian Natural History and Human Ecology Page, Just for fans of Arthur Upfield's "Bony" Mysteries". Archived from the original on 2008-07-25. Retrieved 2008-04-07. Australian Natural History and Human Ecology Page, Just For fans of Arthur Upfield's "Bony" Mysteries
  4. The Cake in the Hat Box. 1955.
  5. Murder Must Wait. 1953.
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