Adamson was a journalist and author. Born in Australia, his family moved to New Zealand for several years. Encouraged by the success of his book of poems, Twelve Sonnets (1918), he moved to Sydney in 1919 but ended up working for Smith's Weekly.

In 1923 he left the paper to do freelance work, including a regular feature in the Sunday News and syndicated crime stories and adventure serials. He founded Sydneysider, which closed during the Depression, and he returned to Smith's Weekly (1935-1950).

In the thirties he was an member of the Fellowship of Australian Writers and promoted the communist-sponsored Writers' League, which amalgamated with the fellowship in 1938. He was a fighter for civil liberties and later joined the communist party.

His publications included two collections of political verse, a long erotic poem Beyond the Sun (1942), bushranger stories, an adventure book for boys and miscellaneous works. He was a working journalist who could produce whatever copy was required.