Many Warm Tributes To Nevil Shute

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29102, 14 January 1960, Page 11

Many Warm Tributes To Nevil Shute

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MELBOURNE, January 13 Tributes have been heaped on the British author Nevil Shute who died after 1 a heart attack in a Melbourne hospital last night.

Acclaimed the greatest bestselling author of present times Shute was rushed to hospital from his Langwarrin farm, south of the city, early yesterday afternoon.

He lapsed into a coma early last night and died without regaining consciousness at 830 p.m. He had been in ill-health for more than a year and had suffered two previous strokes.

One of the world’s most prolific and successful novelists, he wrote more than 20 best-sellers. His publishers, Heinemann’s, sold 150.000 copies of the first impression of all his books after 1940 and total sales of “A Town Like Alice” were 500,000 conies.

He was estimated to have earned £BO.OOO a year in royalties and was reputed to have been paid £45,000 for the film rights of his controversial book, "On the Beach.”

Shute, who came to Australia to live in 1950, had a legion of interests. “Writing,” he once said, “is not and should not be a full-time job.” He produced a novel every two or three years. His literary activities alternated with physical and mental activities in other fields. He was an Oxford 8.A., mathematician, scientist, engineer, and businessman.

Before the war, the author

was well-known as an aeronautical engineer. He helped design and fly the airship RlOO and flew the Atlantic in her in 1930. He founded the company which produced the Airspeed Oxford trainer used by the Royal Air Force.

Shute was deputy chief engineer of the British De Havilland aircraft company before turning to the design of the RlOO. His novel, “No Highway,” concerned a “Boffin” flying the Atlantic in an airliner he knew was due to break up under stress, and his efforts to get it grounded. After Shute’s venture with the Rloo—which ended with the fatal crash of the sister airship RlOl —he turned his attention to manufacturing aeroplanes.

His first factory was set up in an old garage in Southsea, Hampshire. At the time of his resignation as managing-director in 1938, the firm was employing 1000 people That year his fourth novel, “Ruined City,” was published. His first, “Marazan,” was published in 1926.

In London. Shute’s sudden death brought this tribute from fellow-writer J. B. Priestley: “He was one of the best story tellers of oUr age. He had a curious prophetic element in his writing—so many of his stories seemed to be borne out by subsequent events. “I only hope ‘On the Beach’ —the destruction of humanity from radioactive clouds—is not going to follow that pattern.” Mr Montague C. Morton, man-aging-director of United Artists, which filmed “On the Beach.” said: “His work revealed his innermost desire for the peace of the world and has made a tremendous impact in Britain.” John Connell, the “Evening News” literary critic, said: "He was a fascinating and unusual man who achieved outstanding success in two careers, but not an easy man to know.”

Connell said Shute’s novels were “excellently writtenthoughtful and moving.” Eric Linklater, speaking for the Society of Authors, said: “Storytelling was his genius, and, like Kipling, he had a profound faith in the creative abilities of the dedicated man.

“But his sympathy was kindlier than Kipling’s and his generosity was as wide as it was unpublicised. “He had the gift of enormous popularity, which he earned by the genuine myth-making quality of his writing.”