Michael Kenyon

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Michael Kenyon

Michael Kenyon (born June 26, 1931 in Huddersfield , Yorkshire , † May 29, 2005 in Southampton , New York ) was a British crime writer of more than 20 humorous crime novels, who later became a citizen of the United States .

He was particularly well known for his book series about Superintendent O'Malley and Inspector Henry Peckover. Especially the novels of the last-named protagonist were particularly successful, Peckover was also called the "Bard of the Yard". Kenyon also worked for daily newspapers and magazines such as The Washington Post , Gourmet Magazine and Los Angeles Times .

Life

Kenyon was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire in 1931. He completed his education at Quaker's Schools in Yorkshire and Berkshire . His military service he performed at the Royal Air Force and then studied history at Wadham College of Oxford University . He also spent a year at Duke University , North Carolina , on an exchange program.

After his return to England, and a series of unsuccessful applications to the British Broadcasting Corporation and nearly 30 different daily newspapers, he finally got a job as a reporter for the Bristol Evening Post , where he worked as a cricket correspondent for Gloucestershire . After three years and a brief interlude for the News Chronicle , he finally moved to The Guardian in Manchester .

His first novel, May You Die in Ireland , was an instant hit. In retrospect, critics praised the idea of ​​having the "gothic hero" in this book played by a 40-year-old, bald and overweight math professor who indulges in gallant and erotic fantasies as pleasantly realistic. When he bought a castle in Ireland, however, he suddenly acted clumsily, trusting everyone and walking alone against danger.

He originally published all of his crime novels through The Crime Club , later through Macmillan Publishers, and soon became an established and recognized crime writer.

After a temporary position as a lecturer at the University of Illinois , he made only a brief return to England before moving to Southampton, New York, where he taught in the English faculty at Southampton College . In 1997 he became a US citizen.

Kenyon died on May 29, 2005, at the age of 73, of a heart attack in his home.

plant

Novels
  • May You Die in Ireland (1965)
  • The Whole Hog (1967)
  • Out of Season (1968)
  • Green Grass (1969)
  • Mr. Big (1975)
  • Brainbox and Bull (1976)
  • The Rapist (1977)
  • Deep Pocket (1978)
  • The Molehill File (1978)
  • A French Affair (1993)
Superintendent O'Malley series
  • Hundred Thousand Welcomes (1970)
  • Shooting of Dan McGrew (1972)
  • A Sorry State (1974)
Inspector Peckover series
  • Zigzag (1980)
  • The Elgar Variation / The Enigma Variation (1981)
  • The Man at the Wheel (1982)
  • A Free-Range Wife (1983)
  • A Healthy Way to Die (1986)
  • Peckover Holds the Baby (1988)
  • Kill the Butler! (1991)
  • Peckover Joins the Choir (1992)
  • Peckover and the Bog Man (1994)

literature

  • Reginald Hill : Michael Kenyon. In: Jay P. Pederson (Ed.): St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers. 4th edition. St. James Press, Detroit et al. 1996, ISBN 1-558-62178-4 , pp. 597f.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Library of Congress: Library of Congress subject headings. Washington 1996, p. 461.
  2. ↑ Marvin Lachmann: It's about Crime. In: Guy M. Townsend: The Mystery Fancier (Vol. 2 No. 6) November – December 1978. Memphis, p. 29.
  3. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original dated November 2, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / 20thcenturybooks.co.uk
  4. ↑ Pierre Capretz: A French Affair, by Michael Kenyon. In: French in Action Newsletter. # 14, winter 1999.
  5. ^ Philip Scowcroft: Elgar in Crime Fiction.
  6. ↑ Review of A Healthy Way to Die. In: Kirkus Review .
  7. ↑ Review of Kill the Butler! In: Publishers Weekly . January 31, 2000.
personal data
SURNAME Kenyon, Michael
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British crime writer of more than 20 humorous crime novels
DATE OF BIRTH June 26, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH Huddersfield , Yorkshire
DATE OF DEATH May 29, 2005
Place of death Southampton , New York