Determined to work for the cause of peace, soon meeting and joining forces with Frank Hardy, who was at a similar stage with his first novel, Power without Glory.
He started writing on a Commonwealth Literary Fund grant and self-published his first novel The Twenty Thousand Thieves which was later taken up by Frederick Muller Ltd. London, in 1952.
It was based on his memories of WWII and despite getting caught up in the Cold War politics of the time, it sold three-quarters of a million copies.
Hearing of disturbing events in Hungary, he crossed the border without a visa during the 1956 uprising and was horrified by the aggression of the Soviets against the young people who were demonstrating for independence and peace.
– some of the ones written whilst a member of the Realist Writers group, Melbourne Branch Title: Desolate market : a biography of Eric Lambert Author: Zoe O'Leary Publication Details: Sydney : Edwards & Shaw, 1974.