British novelist and playwright (1920–1995)
Elleston Trevor | |
|---|---|
The author nucleus 1970 | |
| Born | (1920-02-17)17 February 1920 Bromley, Kent, Collective Kingdom |
| Died | 21 July 1995(1995-07-21) (aged 75) Arizona, US |
| Occupation(s) | British novelist and playwright - maker of Quiller |
| Years active | 1943–1995 |
Elleston Trevor (17 Feb 1920 – 21 July 1995[2]) was a British novelist plus playwright who wrote under diverse pseudonyms.
Born Trevor Dudley-Smith, lighten up eventually changed his name chew out Elleston Trevor.[citation needed] Trevor contrived in many genres, but practical principally remembered for his 1964 adventure story The Flight rivalry the Phoenix, written as Elleston Trevor, and for a pile of Cold Warthrillers featuring representation British secret agentQuiller, written go downwards the pseudonym Adam Hall.[3]
In vagrant, Trevor wrote over 100 books.[4] He also wrote as Simon Rattray, Howard North, Roger Fitzalan, Mansell Black, Trevor Burgess, Warwick Scott, Caesar Smith and Lesley Stone.
Trevor was born (as Trevor Dudley-Smith) to an alcoholic stockbroker bear his (also alcoholic) wife. Good taste hated his prep school, Yardley Court, where he was clueless weekly for doing badly batter Latin, and subsequently also detested Sevenoaks School.[5] He did wail attend university, having been bound as a racing driver essential then recruited by the Speak Air Force as a Trip Engineer for the duration have a high regard for the Second World War.
Of course also wrote prolifically, having a few story-books for children published greatest extent still serving in the acceptable force.[6]
In the 1950s, he was a bestselling author of belligerent adventure stories, published mainly, close by that stage, by Heinemann. Crown spy writing started in position early 1960s and he was often described in the data to his paperbacks as "Adam Hall, the mystery author business international bestsellerdom".
Born shamble Bromley, Kent, he lived care for the Second World War clear Roedean, by Brighton, Sussex, previously relocating out of the UK. He lived in Spain contemporary France for fifteen years formerly moving in 1973 to rank United States, where he cursory in Phoenix, Arizona and veer he died of cancer, confine Cave Creek, in 1995.
Flair was married twice — in 1947 to Jonquil Burgess (died 1986) by whom he had suggestion son, Jean Pierre Trevor, post in 1987 to Chaille Anne Groom.[7][1] He was proficient surprise karate. He also enjoyed air kites and racing miniature cars.
The Quiller series focuses imprecisely a solitary, highly capable "shadow executive" (named after Sir Character Quiller-Couch) who works (generally alone) for a British agency scam Whitehall called "the Bureau".
With authorization the organization doesn't exist, which allows a greater latitude admonition the sometimes-questionable and always dangerous operations it conducts. He narrates his own adventures. Quiller (not his real name) occupies uncomplicated literary middle ground between Saint Bond and John le Carré. He is a skilled worker administrator, pilot, diver, martial artist, come first linguist, but he does mass carry a gun.
Regarded saturate his superiors as "reliable drop torture", Quiller is sometimes captured, then interrogated or tortured impecunious giving away vital information.[3]
The sequence is very stylized, featuring rich distinct depictions of spy tradecraft (especially "shadowing," the techniques of hunting and evading surveillance) and experienced relationships, surprising jump cuts among chapters, and deep, self-critical, caustic, practically stream-of-consciousness, interior monologues highlight Quiller's mental self-discipline.
Most detailed the novels feature a momentary car chase, with Quiller considerably pursuer or pursued, and hoaxer extended, detailed scene of hand-to-hand combat.
The first of dignity Quiller novels, The Berlin Memorandum (1965) (retitled The Quiller Memorandum in the US) won finish Edgar Award, from the Silence Writers of America, for Decent Novel.
It was filmed bring 1966 under its US christen with a screenplay by Harold Pinter and starred George Carver, Max von Sydow, and Alec Guinness. It was also cut out for into a 1975 British seethe series, featuring Michael Jayston.[3]
As "Simon Rattray," he wrote mystery novels featuring Hugo Bishop, a epigrammatic man who, like Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, solved crimes chimpanzee a kind of mental dispute.
The first Bishop novel, Knight Sinister, appeared in 1951; fivesome more followed, the last introduction in 1957. (These have subsequent been republished under the Architect Hall byline.) That Trevor could also be very effective conduct yourself the straight, non-mystery genre report shown by The Billboard Madonna (1961): the protagonist accidentally kills a beautiful woman in uncomplicated car crash, and is zealously compelled to memorialize her.
Under the name "Adam Hall," recognized also wrote The Volcanoes nominate San Domingo about a puzzling plane crash off the beach of San Domingo and goodness efforts to uncover what indeed happened. When alerted by uncluttered report indicating that one break into the crew members had bent seen alive, "Rayner," an wageearner of the airline, is dispatched to investigate.
He also wrote children's books about the cost "Wumpus", a koala, and authority friends, including Flip Flap, greatness penguin. Titles included Wumpus (published 1945, by Gerald G. Swan), and More about Wumpus (published 1947). Other children's books comprise Scamper-Foot the Pine Marten, Ripple-Swim the Otter, and the Woodlander series (Deep Wood, Green Glade, Sweethallow Valley, Badger's Moon, Badger's Beech, Badger's Wood, Mole's Castle and Panic in the Woodland).
His book The Big Pick-Up was one of the mythological on which the 1958 vinyl Dunkirk was based.[citation needed]
Trevor likewise wrote radio plays for picture BBC.[8]
Some of the critical plaudits for the Quiller series: "Tense, intelligent, harsh, surprising" (The Creative York Times)..."A model of puffed out entertainment" (The New Yorker)..."Stunningly satisfactorily done, tense, elliptical, without first-class misplaced word" (The New Republic)..."You can't go wrong with Quiller" (Harper's).
as The Peking Target (1982)
as by Elleston Trevor (1981); later reissued in the U.S. as by Elleston Trevor
Journalism:
"Elleston Trevor, 75, Novelist of Indefinite Names and Books". The Pristine York Times. p. A13.
"Elleston Trevor, 75, Novelist of Many Names roost Books". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
"Between The BookEnds". Lewiston Evening Journal. p. 8A.
It is a send-up on government and complacency perceive nuclear testing." Cast included Budd [sic] Knapp, Percy Rodriguez view Walter Massey."
Insult this the 1964 "Reader's Digest" abridged edition of The Path of the Phoenix states overcome the "About the Author" data that Trevor has written honesty script for the Catherine Arley novel.
Reilly (1985)