Top thriller writer dies

Press, 4 February 1987, Page 11

Top thriller writer dies

NZPA-Reuter London The thriller writer, Alistair Maclean, one of Britain’s best selling authors, died of heart failure yesterday. He was 64. A spokeswoman for his publisher, Collins, said that Maclean died in a hospital in the southern German city of Munich. The Scottish-born writer, who has lived in Switzerland for the last 30 years, had also suffered a stroke three weeks ago, she said. Maclean, famous for novels such as, “The Guns of Navarone” — one of many of his books that was turned into a film — specialised in war and adventure stories which sold in millions and were translated into many languages. These included “H.M.S. Ulysses” — his first bestseller — “Where Eagles Dare,” “Ice Station Zebra,” and “Breakheart Pass.” He served in the Royal Navy during World War II and then became an English teacher before

turning to writing in the 19505. He wrote 28 novels, one non-fiction work, and a collection of short stories. In Bonn, a British Embassy spokesman confirmed that Maclean had died in Munich after being moved to the Bavarian capital from a rural clinic where he was being treated. Maclean was born in 1922, at Daviot near Inverness. He joined the

Navy in 1941 and spent five years on convey escorts, which were frequently menaced by Nazi U-boats. This experience formed the basis for “H.M.S. Ulysses,” which was set aboard a British naval convoy ship during World War 11. After the war the softspoken Maclean graduated from Glasgow University with an honours degree in English and then took up a teaching post near the Scottish city. He wrote short stories in his spare time, one winning him £lOO ($275) in a newspaper competition. lan Chapman, who worked for Collins, spotted the story and contacted Maclean to encourage him to write a book. That was “H.M.S. Ulysses” which he wrote during the evenings over three months in 1955. It sold an astonishing 250,000 hardback copies in six months. A year later Maclean wrote “The Guns of Na-

varone,” which was later made into a blockbuster film starring Gregory Peck and David Niven. The book broke a Collins record by selling more than 400,000 copies in the first six months. Maclean went on to produce a string of topselling novels and was much sought after by film producers and directors. He wrote the screenplays for four of his own novels: “Where Eagles Dare,” “Caravan to Vaccares,” “Puppet on a Chain” and “Breakheart Pass.” Asked about his success in one of his last interviews in 1985, he replied: “All I do is write simple stories. There is enough real violence in the world without my adding to it.” He rarely gave interviews and was something of a recluse, living in Celigny, near Geneva, and visiting Yugoslavia often. He married twice and is survived by three sons. Maclean’s daughter-in-law in Geneva said the author’s body would be flown to Scotland for burial.