Oswald Morris Wynd

Oswald Morris Wynd (born July 4, 1913 in Tokyo , Japan , † July 21, 1998 in Dundee , Scotland ) was a British writer of Scottish origin who published a large part of his work under the pseudonym Gavin Black .

Origin and education

Wynd was born in Tokyo, since his father, from Perth / Scotland came as Baptists - missionary in Japan worked. Oswald Wynd had both British and Japanese citizenship due to his father's status .

Wynd grew up with British, American, and Japanese children and attended American School. In 1923 he visited his father's hometown for the first time without being particularly impressed by Scotland. In the early 1930s, the family moved to the United States , where Wynd attended high school in Atlantic City . In 1932 the family moved to Scotland, where Wynd began studying at Edinburgh University , which had to be broken off in 1939 when the Second World War broke out.

Captivity in Japan

When the war broke out, Wynd joined the Scots Guards in 1939 . Because of his talent for languages, he was transferred to the Intelligence Corps , the intelligence service of the British Army . After Japan entered the war, Wynd was transferred to Malaya and worked there with the 9th Indian Division. After the division at Johore Bahru was broken up, Wynd fell into Japanese captivity and was interrogated by the Kempeitai , the Japanese secret police , and it turned out that Wynd had both British and Japanese citizenship, which the Japanese regarded as treason .

Although he had originally been threatened with execution , he was taken to Hokkaidō as a prisoner of war for mining . Due to his language skills, he was able to achieve reasonably acceptable prison and working conditions for the prisoners. Wynd spent a total of three and a half years in captivity.

The writer

Through the mediation of the publishing house Doubleday , Wynd wrote his first novel, Black Fountains , in 1947 , which had autobiographical features.

Then Wynd orientated himself literarily on his compatriot Graham Greene and wrote mostly under the pseudonym Gavin Black thrillers and entertainment novels. He invented the character Paul Harris; a young man of Scottish background who lives in East Asia and who takes Malaysian citizenship in later novels.

There is no doubt that Paul Harris has autobiographical traits of its creator. The Paul Harris novels are often set in an atmosphere in which elements of the political thriller mix with those of the crime and pirate novel . With a few exceptions , the action takes place in East Asia , specifically Malaysia , China , Indonesia , Japan and Hong Kong . The Paul Harris series comprised 15 novels between 1961 and 1991, eight of which were translated into German, most recently Flucht aus Java (Zurich 1988, original edition Night Run from Java , London 1979).

After the war ended Wynd never returned to East Asia, but lived on an island in the Hebrides . He also wrote radio plays for the radio and scripts for television .

His best-known work is The Ginger Tree (London 1977), which was filmed in 1989 by British television; a historical novel set in Japan at the beginning of the 20th century.

Works

As Gavin Black:

• Suddenly, at Singapore , London 1961 (German translations: Murder in Singapore , Zurich 1963. New translation: Surprise in Singapore , Zurich 1989).
• Dead Man Calling , London 1962 ( yellow skin and blue eyes , Zurich 1964)
• A Dragon for Christmas , London 1963 ( Ein Drachen zum Fest , Munich 1966 and new translation Zurich 1987).
• The Eyes Around Me , London 1964 ( Murder on New Years Eve , Munich 1966).
• You Want to Die, Johnny? London 1966 ( Do you want to die, Johnny? Munich 1967).
• The Wind of Death , London 1967.
• The Cold Jungle , London 1969.
• A Time for Pirates , London 1971 ( Piraten in Malaysia , Munich 1973).
• The Bitter Tea , London 1972 ( Bitter Tea , Munich 1974, new translation Zurich 1991).
• The Golden Cockatrice , London 1974.
• A Big Wind for Summer , London 1975.
• A Moon for Killers , London 1976.
• Night Run from Java , London 1979 ( Escape from Java , Zurich 1988).
• The Fatal Shadow , London 1983.
• A Path for Serpents , London 1991.

As Oswald Wynd:

• Black Fountains , New York 1947.
• Red Sun South , New York 1948.
• When Ape is King , London 1949.
• The Stubborn Flower , London 1949.
• The Gentle Pirate , New York 1951 ( The dangerous life of Lady Tseng , Cologne 1958).
• Stars in the Heather , Edinburgh / London 1956.
• Moon of the Tiger , London 1958.
• Summer Can't Last , London 1960.
• The Devil Came on Sunday , London 1961.
• A Walk in the Long Dark Night , London 1962.
• Death, the Red Flower , London 1965.
• Walk Softly, Men Praying , London 1967.
• Sumatra Seven Zero , London 1968.
• The Hawser Pirates , London 1970.
• The Forty Days , London 1972.
• The Ginger Tree , London 1977.
• The Blazing Air , New Haven 1981.

Web links

• Jack Adrian: Obituary: Oswald Wynd , in: The Independent v. August 6, 1998.
• Gavin Black at caliber .38 author information
• Oswald Wynd Morris in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Illustration by Oswald Wynd in 1931