John Harris (novelist)
Encyclopedia
John Harris was a British
author
. He published a series of crime novels featuring the character Inspector Pel, and war books. He wrote with his own name, and also with the pseudonym
of Mark Hebden. His 1953 novel The Sea Shall Not Have Them
was the basis for a feature film of the same name in 1954. He was the father of Juliet Harris, who published more Inspector Pel books under the name of Juliet Hebden.
. Shortly before the Second World War
, he and colleague Harold Evans
briefly freelanced in Cornwall
.
Harris later served in the Royal Air Force
as a corporal attached to the South African Air Force
. After the war he rejoined the Sheffield Telegraph as a political and comedy cartoonist
(his creations included the Calamity Kids and Amateur Archie), and stayed until the mid-1950s when, following the outstanding success of his 1953 novel The Sea Shall Not Have Them--later, in 1954, made into a film of the same name
—he became a full-time author. From 1955 he lived at West Wittering
, near Chichester
, West Sussex
. His first published novel was The Lonely Voyage
(1951), and he went on to write more than 80 works of fiction and non-fiction, including Covenant With Death (1961). He also wrote as Max Hennessy and Mark Hebden. As Hebden he published a series of crime novels
featuring the character Inspector Pel.
He married Betty Wragg, daughter of Mr & Mrs H Wragg, of Tenter Street, Rotherham
, at St Michael & All Angels Church, Northfield, Rotherham, on Jan 31 1947. They had a son, Max (b 1950), who later lived in the USA; and a daughter, Juliet (b 1954), who later lived in Kent
. Juliet continued the Pel detective series created by her father.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He published a series of crime novels featuring the character Inspector Pel, and war books. He wrote with his own name, and also with the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Mark Hebden. His 1953 novel The Sea Shall Not Have Them
The Sea Shall Not Have Them
The Sea Shall Not Have Them is a 1954 British war film starring Michael Redgrave, Dirk Bogarde and Anthony Steel. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and is based on the 1953 novel by John Harris, set during the Second World War. Musical soundtrack by composer Malcolm Arnold.A British aircraft is...
was the basis for a feature film of the same name in 1954. He was the father of Juliet Harris, who published more Inspector Pel books under the name of Juliet Hebden.
Biography
Harris was the son of Mr & Mrs E. J. Harris, of the Stag Inn, Herringthorpe. A product of Rotherham Grammar School, he worked for the Rotherham Advertiser from late 1932 or early 1933 as a reporter, later moving to the Sheffield TelegraphSheffield Telegraph
The Sheffield Telegraph is a weekly newspaper published in Sheffield, England.-History:Founded in 1855 as the Sheffield Daily Telegraph, it was the city's first daily newspaper, published at 08:00 each morning. The newspaper struggled until W. C...
. Shortly before the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he and colleague Harold Evans
Harold Evans
Sir Harold Matthew Evans is a British-born journalist and writer who was editor of The Sunday Times from 1967 to 1981. He has written various books on history and journalism...
briefly freelanced in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
.
Harris later 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...
as a corporal attached to the South African Air Force
South African Air Force
The South African Air Force is the air force of South Africa, with headquarters in Pretoria. It is the world's second oldest independent air force, and its motto is Per Aspera Ad Astra...
. After the war he rejoined the Sheffield Telegraph as a political and comedy cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
(his creations included the Calamity Kids and Amateur Archie), and stayed until the mid-1950s when, following the outstanding success of his 1953 novel The Sea Shall Not Have Them--later, in 1954, made into a film of the same name
The Sea Shall Not Have Them
The Sea Shall Not Have Them is a 1954 British war film starring Michael Redgrave, Dirk Bogarde and Anthony Steel. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and is based on the 1953 novel by John Harris, set during the Second World War. Musical soundtrack by composer Malcolm Arnold.A British aircraft is...
—he became a full-time author. From 1955 he lived at West Wittering
West Wittering
West Wittering is a small village and civil parish, on the Manhood Peninsula, in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies near the mouth of Chichester Harbour on the B2179 road 6.5 miles southwest of Chichester and has a sandy beach with what has been described as excellent...
, near Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. His first published novel was The Lonely Voyage
The Lonely Voyage
The Lonely Voyage is an adventure novel by English author John Harris. It is his first novel.-Plot introduction:This novel is about a boy, Jess Ferigo, who winds up on a voyage of poaching along with Pat Fee and Old Boxer...
(1951), and he went on to write more than 80 works of fiction and non-fiction, including Covenant With Death (1961). He also wrote as Max Hennessy and Mark Hebden. As Hebden he published a series of crime novels
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
featuring the character Inspector Pel.
He married Betty Wragg, daughter of Mr & Mrs H Wragg, of Tenter Street, Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, at St Michael & All Angels Church, Northfield, Rotherham, on Jan 31 1947. They had a son, Max (b 1950), who later lived in the USA; and a daughter, Juliet (b 1954), who later lived in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. Juliet continued the Pel detective series created by her father.
As John Harris
- The Lonely VoyageThe Lonely VoyageThe Lonely Voyage is an adventure novel by English author John Harris. It is his first novel.-Plot introduction:This novel is about a boy, Jess Ferigo, who winds up on a voyage of poaching along with Pat Fee and Old Boxer...
(1951) - Hallelujah Corner (1952)
- The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1953), US Title: The Undaunted
- The Claws of Mercy (1955)
- Getaway (1956), US Title: Close to the Wind
- The Sleeping MountainThe Sleeping MountainThe Sleeping Mountain is an adventure novel by English author John Harris.-Publication history:* 1959, UK, Companion Book Club ASIN B001H03S3I, 1 Jan 1959, Hardcover * 1969, UK, Longman ISBN 978-0582534667 ISBN 0582534666, Dec 1969, Paperback...
(1958) - Road to the Cost (1959), US Title: Adventure's End
- Sunset at Sheba (1960)
- Covenant with Death (1961)
- The Spring of Malice (1962)
- The Unforgiving WindThe Unforgiving WindThe Unforgiving Wind is an Adventure novel by English author John Harris, first published in 1963 by Hutchinson.The novel is about the disastrous expedition of Commander Adams and his men across the Arctic. The men are stranded at extreme temperature with their commander dead and radio damaged...
(1963) - Vardy (1964)
- The Cross of Lazzaro (1965)
- The Old Trade of Killing (1966)
- Light Cavalry Action (1967)
- Right of Reply (1968)
- The Mercenaries (1969), US Title: The Jade Wind
- The Courtney Entry (1971)
- A Kind of Courage (1972)
- The Mustering of the Hawks (1972)
- A Kind of Courage (1972)
- The Professionals (1973)
- Smiling Willie and the Tiger (1974)
- Ride Out the Storm (1975)
- The Victors (1975)
- Take or Destroy (1976)
- The Fox from His Lair (1978)
- Cotton's War (1979)
- Harkaway's Sixth Column (1983)
- A Funny Place to Hold a War (1984)
- Up for Grabs (1985)
- The Thirty Days' War (1986)
- China Seas (1987)
- Picture of Defeat (1988)
- So Far from God (1989)
As Mark Hebden
- What Changed Charlie Farthing (1965)
- The Eyewitness (1966)
- The Errant Knights (1968)
- Portrait in a Dusty Frame (1969), US Title: Grave Journey
- Mask of Violence (1970)
- A Killer for the Chairman (1972)
- The Dark Side of the Island (1973)
- A Pride of Dolphins (1974)
- The League of 89 (1977)
- Death Set to Music (1979)
- Pel and the Faceless Corpse (1979)
- Pel Under Pressure (1980)
- Pel Is Puzzled (1981)
- Pel and the Bombers (1982)
- Pel and the Staghound (1982)
- Pel and the Pirates (1984)
- Pel and the Predators (1984)
- Pel and the Prowler (1985)
- Pel and the Paris Mob (1986)
- Pel Among the Pueblos (1987)
- Pel and the Touch of Pitch (1987)
- Pel and the Picture of Innocence (1988)
- Pel and the Party Spirit (1989)
- Pel and the Missing Persons (1990)