Nicholas Monsarrat

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Nicholas John Turney Monsarrat (born March 22, 1910 in Liverpool , † August 8, 1979 in London ) was a British author.

life and work

Monsarrat graduated from Winchester and Trinity College . At first he wanted to become a lawyer, but then pursued the career of a freelance writer. From 1934 to 1939 he wrote four novels and one play. In his autobiography he confessed that he was fascinated by the Invergordon mutiny (1931) and politicized in the leftist sense. Monsarrat's autobiographical fourth novel, on the subject of the disillusionment of a young, idealistic author, is, however, already an indication of a certain political disappointment.

Although a pacifist, Monsarrat served in World War II, first in a medical unit, then in the Navy as an officer on escort ships for military supply convoys. Most recently he was a frigate captain.

In 1946 Monsarrat entered the diplomatic service and lived in this capacity in Johannesburg and from 1953 in Ottawa . From 1959 he lived as a freelance writer, first on the Channel Island of Guernsey and then on Gozo ( Malta ).

The Cruel Sea (1951) was Monsarrat's first post-war novel and is his best-known work to date. It shows, shaped by personal experience, the path taken by the young naval officer Keith Lockhart in World War II and the endangerment of the small corvettes and frigates in the stormy Atlantic.

Monsarrat's later books initially remained true to the marine theme, My brother Denys is dedicated to the fate of the author's brother who was killed in Egypt. The Tribe That Lost Its Head (1956) and Richer Than All His Tribe (1968) are again based on Monsarrat's colonial experiences after 1945. The Story of Esther Costello (1952) was later filmed and takes up the theme of fundraising and marketing tragic life stories. Helen Keller's environment is said to have considered a lawsuit at the time. Monsarrat's autobiography appeared in two volumes, Life is a Four Letter Word: Breaking In (London, 1966) and Life is a Four Letter Word: Breaking Out (London, 1970).

Monsarrat was buried at sea with the agreement of the Royal Navy .

Film adaptations

Individual evidence

  1. German: Cruel Atlantic. Wissen Verlagsgesellschaft, Herrsching 1989. ISBN 3-8075-0002-2 .
  2. ^ Joseph Lash: Helen and Teacher , Addison-Wesley 1997, pp. 732-738.

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