Alistair MacLean

Alistair Stuart MacLean (April 28, 1922 - February 2, 1987) was a Scottish novelist, writer of successful thrillers or adventures, the best known of which is perhaps The Guns of Navarone. He also used the pseudonym Ian Stuart.

Life

MacLean was the son of a minister, and learnt English as his second language after his mother tongue Scottish Gaelic. He was born in Glasgow but spent much of his childhood and youth in Daviot, near Inverness. He joined the Royal Navy in 1941, serving in World War II as a torpedo man and being captured by the Japanese and tortured. After the war, he studied English at the University of Glasgow, graduating in 1953, and then worked as a teacher.

Related Topics:
English - Scottish Gaelic - Glasgow - Daviot - Inverness - Royal Navy - World War II - Torpedo - Japan - Tortured - University of Glasgow

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While in the University, MacLean began writing short stories for extra income and won a competition in 1954 with the maritime story "Dileas". The publishing company Collins asked him for a novel and he responded with H.M.S. Ulysses, based on his own war experiences. It was a great success and MacLean was soon able to devote himself entirely to writing war stories, spy stories and other adventures.

Related Topics:
Short stories - 1954 - Collins - Spy

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In the early 1960s, MacLean published two novels under the pseudonym "Ian Stuart" in order to prove that the popularity of his books was owed to their content rather than to his name on the cover. They sold well, but one must remember that MacLean made no attempt to change his style and his fans may easily have recognized him behind the Scottish pseudonym. MacLean's books eventually sold so well that he had to move to Switzerland as a tax exile. From 1963–1966 he was retired from writing while he ran a hotel business in England.

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MacLean's later books were not as well received as the earlier ones and, in an attempt to keep his stories in keeping with the time, he sometimes lapsed into overly improbable plots. He also struggled constantly with alcoholism which eventually brought about his death in Munich in 1987. He was married twice and had three sons with his first wife.

Related Topics:
Alcoholism - Munich

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