Michael Gilbert

For the person who died in 2009, see Murder of Michael Gilbert. For the American comic book artist, see Michael T. Gilbert. For the American music composer, see Michael William Gilbert.
Michael Francis Gilbert
Born (1912-07-17)17 July 1912
Died 8 February 2006(2006-02-08) (aged 93)
Pen name Michael Gilbert
Occupation Lawyer
Nationality British
Period 1946–1999
Genre Crime fiction, Spy fiction
Children Harriett Gilbert,Gerard Gilbert

Michael Francis Gilbert, CBE (17 July 1912 – 8 February 2006) was a British writer of both fictional mysteries and thrillers who wrote as Michael Gilbert.

Life and work

Gilbert was a lawyer in London for many years and at one point had Raymond Chandler as his client.[1] He had a very long and very productive writing career, beginning with his first novel, Close Quarters, in 1946 and continuing through 1999 with Over and Out. He wrote almost every sort of mystery and thriller, perhaps spreading himself too thin over too many fields to achieve the reputation that many critics felt he deserved.[2] He wrote police procedurals, spy novels and short stories, courtroom dramas, classical mysteries, adventure thrillers, crime novels, and almost every possible combination of these, all with the same competence and dry, detached wit. He also wrote plays and serials for radio and TV[1] and non-fiction on legal topics.[3]

Perhaps among his very best books are two collections of short stories about two gentlemanly but exceedingly hard-boiled fictional British counterspies, Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens, "middle-aged cut-throats" as one of their adversaries bitterly refers to them. One of his earliest novels, Smallbone Deceased, is also highly regarded by many, including writer and critic HRF Keating, who included it on his list of the 100 best crime and mystery books ever published.[2] Britain's Crime Writers' Association listed it in their Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time.

Gilbert was educated at Blundell's School and the University of London, where he read Law.[2] After a spell teaching at a prep school, he joined the Honourable Artillery Company when war broke out, serving in North Africa and Italy. In 1943 he was captured and imprisoned in northern Italy, escaping after the Italian surrender.[2] His POW experience and the roughly 500-mile trek he and another escaping soldier made south to the Allied lines provided material in some of his later books.[1] Reportedly, much of his writing was done on the daily train from his home in Kent to his London law firm.[2] His busy practice included a stint as legal adviser to the government of Bahrain, another experience that surfaced in his books.[1]

Gilbert was appointed CBE in 1980. He was a founder-member of the British Crime Writers' Association. The Mystery Writers of America named him a Grand Master in 1988.[2] In 1990, he was presented Bouchercon's Lifetime Achievement Award.[4]

He was the father of the writer and broadcaster Harriett Gilbert and the Independent journalist Gerard Gilbert.[1]

Bibliography

Mystery novels[5]

Collections of short stories

Details of other short stories can be found in B. A. Pike, The Short Stories of Michael Gilbert. An annotated checklist, 1948–1997 (CADS: South Benfleet, Essex, 1998).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Adrian, Jack (10 February 2006). "Michael Gilbert: Cross-genre detective novelist". The Independent. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Michael Gilbert (obituary)". The Telegraph. 10 February 2006. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  3. ↑ Martin Edwards (2006). "Michael Gilbert". Articles. martinedwardsbooks.com. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  4. ↑ "History of Guests of Honor". Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  5. ↑ "Michael Francis Gilbert: One of the most versatile of the English school of Mystery writers". http://www.mysterylist.com. Retrieved 19 September 2012. External link in |publisher= (help)

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, April 28, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.