Arthur Hailey
Encyclopedia
Arthur Hailey was a British/Canadian novelist.
, Bedfordshire, England, Hailey served in the Royal Air Force
from the start of World War II during 1939 until 1947, when he went to live in Canada. Hailey's last novel, Detective (1998), is a mystery told from the perspective of a Miami homicide detective. This detective also happens to be a former Catholic priest who has lost his religion; the work deals with themes of religion and questions the Catholic Church. Hailey told the Walden Book Report that his aim in writing this book was to share his own thoughts about religion without “mak[ing] it a lecture.” He says that he lost his own faith while serving in Cyprus during World War II, and that since ex-priests have many occupations he might as well give his protagonist an exciting one.
television drama, Flight into Danger
(in print as Runway Zero Eight). Following the success of Hotel
during 1965, he moved to California; in 1969, he moved to the Bahamas to avoid Canadian and U.S. income tax
es, which were claiming 90% of his income.
Each of his novels has a different industrial or commercial setting and includes, in addition to dramatic human conflict, carefully researched information about the way that particular environment and system functions and how these affect society and its inhabitants.
Critics often dismissed Hailey's success as the result of a formulaic "potboiler
" style in which he caused an ordinary character to become involved in a crisis, then increased the suspense by switching among multiple related plot lines. However, he was so popular with readers that his books were almost guaranteed to become best-sellers.
He would spend about one year researching a subject, followed by six months reviewing his notes and, finally, about 18 months writing the book. That aggressive research — tracking rebel guerrillas in the Peru
vian jungle at age 67 for The Evening News (1990), or reading 27 books on the hotel industry for Hotel – gave his novels a realism that appealed to readers, even as some critics complained that he used it to disguise a lack of literary talent.
Many of his books reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and more than 170 million copies have been sold worldwide in 40 languages. Many have been made into movies and Hotel was made into a long-running television series
. Airport became a successful film with dramatic visual effects.
A Canadian citizen whose children live in Canada and California, Hailey made his home in Lyford Cay
, an exclusive residential resort on New Providence Island in the Bahamas with his second wife Sheila (who wrote "I Married a Best-Seller" published in 1978). Hailey's grandchildren include Paul Hailey, Emma Hailey, Charlotte Hailey and Brooke Hailey, who are students in Northern California, Angela Hailey, Ryan Hailey and Christopher Hailey.
He had begun his writing life as a journalist on a transport magazine, but got his break as a fiction writer when, during a flight, he began to ponder what would happen if both pilots fell sick from food poisoning. The storyline led to his first big success.
Hailey said he detached himself from his plots and characters once a book had been sold to Hollywood. Having tried script-writing at one stage in his career, he saw movie-making as a completely different discipline from novel writing and decided to stick with what he knew.
For much of his career, Hailey was either derided or ignored by literary critics, who often felt his plots were contrived and his characters wooden. However, readers loved his work, and two years before his death in 2004 many of his major books were reissued.
When Hailey died in his sleep at his waterfront home in November 2004, his family staged a celebration of his life at the exclusive Lyford Cay Club in Nassau, Bahamas. News of his death was published in more than 300 major newspapers worldwide.
His wife Sheila told John Marquis that her husband's only ambition as a writer was "to see his name on the spine of a book - nothing more." In the event, his name appeared on the spines of nearly 200 million books, accumulating a fortune that enabled him to live in luxury alongside the likes of Sir Sean Connery, billionaire Joe Lewis and Canadian fashion tycoon Peter Nygard.
His last published work was a slim history of Lyford Cay, which was established as a private estate for wealthy residents by the developer E.P. Taylor. It was intended for limited distribution among Lyford Cay residents and anyone interested in Bahamian history.
Biography
Born in LutonLuton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
, Bedfordshire, England, Hailey served in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
from the start of World War II during 1939 until 1947, when he went to live in Canada. Hailey's last novel, Detective (1998), is a mystery told from the perspective of a Miami homicide detective. This detective also happens to be a former Catholic priest who has lost his religion; the work deals with themes of religion and questions the Catholic Church. Hailey told the Walden Book Report that his aim in writing this book was to share his own thoughts about religion without “mak[ing] it a lecture.” He says that he lost his own faith while serving in Cyprus during World War II, and that since ex-priests have many occupations he might as well give his protagonist an exciting one.
Novelist
After working at a number of jobs and writing part-time, he became a writer full-time during 1956, encouraged by the success of the CBCCanadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
television drama, Flight into Danger
Flight into Danger
Flight into Danger is a 1956 Canadian television film starring Corinne Conley, James Doohan , Kate Reid, Zachary Scott and Philip Gilbert...
(in print as Runway Zero Eight). Following the success of Hotel
Hotel (novel)
Hotel is a 1965 novel by Arthur Hailey. It is the story of an independent New Orleans hotel, the St. Gregory, and its management's struggle to regain profitability and avoid being assimilated into the O'Keefe chain of hotels. The St. Gregory is supposedly based on the Roosevelt Hotel, although the...
during 1965, he moved to California; in 1969, he moved to the Bahamas to avoid Canadian and U.S. income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
es, which were claiming 90% of his income.
Each of his novels has a different industrial or commercial setting and includes, in addition to dramatic human conflict, carefully researched information about the way that particular environment and system functions and how these affect society and its inhabitants.
Critics often dismissed Hailey's success as the result of a formulaic "potboiler
Potboiler
Potboiler or pot-boiler is a term used to describe a poor quality novel, play, opera, or film, or other creative work that was created quickly to make money to pay for the creator's daily expenses . Authors who create potboiler novels or screenplays are sometimes called hack writers...
" style in which he caused an ordinary character to become involved in a crisis, then increased the suspense by switching among multiple related plot lines. However, he was so popular with readers that his books were almost guaranteed to become best-sellers.
He would spend about one year researching a subject, followed by six months reviewing his notes and, finally, about 18 months writing the book. That aggressive research — tracking rebel guerrillas in the Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian jungle at age 67 for The Evening News (1990), or reading 27 books on the hotel industry for Hotel – gave his novels a realism that appealed to readers, even as some critics complained that he used it to disguise a lack of literary talent.
Many of his books reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and more than 170 million copies have been sold worldwide in 40 languages. Many have been made into movies and Hotel was made into a long-running television series
Hotel (TV series)
Hotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May 5, 1988 in the timeslot following Dynasty....
. Airport became a successful film with dramatic visual effects.
A Canadian citizen whose children live in Canada and California, Hailey made his home in Lyford Cay
Lyford Cay
Lyford Cay is a private gated community located on the western tip of New Providence Island, Bahamas. Considered one of the world's wealthiest and most exclusive neighborhoods, the Lyford Cay Club was built during the latter part of the 1950s by prominent Canadian businessman Edward Plunkett Taylor...
, an exclusive residential resort on New Providence Island in the Bahamas with his second wife Sheila (who wrote "I Married a Best-Seller" published in 1978). Hailey's grandchildren include Paul Hailey, Emma Hailey, Charlotte Hailey and Brooke Hailey, who are students in Northern California, Angela Hailey, Ryan Hailey and Christopher Hailey.
Self-description
In 2002, Hailey told John Marquis, editor of the Bahamas' principal daily newspaper The Tribune, that he was lucky in having supportive parents who encouraged him to believe in himself. Brought up in a working-class home, Hailey never lost the common touch following his phenomenal success. 'I have worked hard, but I have also been very lucky,' he said.He had begun his writing life as a journalist on a transport magazine, but got his break as a fiction writer when, during a flight, he began to ponder what would happen if both pilots fell sick from food poisoning. The storyline led to his first big success.
Hailey said he detached himself from his plots and characters once a book had been sold to Hollywood. Having tried script-writing at one stage in his career, he saw movie-making as a completely different discipline from novel writing and decided to stick with what he knew.
For much of his career, Hailey was either derided or ignored by literary critics, who often felt his plots were contrived and his characters wooden. However, readers loved his work, and two years before his death in 2004 many of his major books were reissued.
When Hailey died in his sleep at his waterfront home in November 2004, his family staged a celebration of his life at the exclusive Lyford Cay Club in Nassau, Bahamas. News of his death was published in more than 300 major newspapers worldwide.
His wife Sheila told John Marquis that her husband's only ambition as a writer was "to see his name on the spine of a book - nothing more." In the event, his name appeared on the spines of nearly 200 million books, accumulating a fortune that enabled him to live in luxury alongside the likes of Sir Sean Connery, billionaire Joe Lewis and Canadian fashion tycoon Peter Nygard.
His last published work was a slim history of Lyford Cay, which was established as a private estate for wealthy residents by the developer E.P. Taylor. It was intended for limited distribution among Lyford Cay residents and anyone interested in Bahamian history.
External links
- Arthur Hailey's entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia
- An article that includes the relation of Flight into Danger, Zero Hour!, and Runway Zero Eight
- Obituary at The Daily Telegraph
- Article in The Tribune, Nassau, Bahamas, by editor John Marquis (November, 2004)
- Article on the Arthur Hailey Papers held at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto