Sam Benady
Encyclopedia
Samuel G. Benady MBE
(Gibraltar
, 11 September 1937) is a Gibraltarian
historian
, novel
ist and retired pediatrician
of Sephardic Jewish descent. He is a regular contributor to the Gibraltar Heritage Trust's newsletter and lecturer in the Gibraltar Museum, and author of several works related to the History of Gibraltar
and also fiction works. According to the Gibraltar Chronicle
, Benady is a "Gibraltar’s well known and prolific author".
Benady was born in Gibraltar, where his family has been living since the 18th century, and received his Medicine degree in London. He worked as a paediatrician in Bristol
, Jerusalem and Gibraltar
, where he ran the Child Health service. Benady worked for the Gibraltar Health Authority until his retirement in 1980. His first In 2007 he was awarded a MBE "for services to health care and voluntary work".
s are set in the pre-Watson] days. In the first one, The Abandoned Brigantine, Sherlock Holmes
solves the mystery of the Mary Celeste
while in the second, The Gibraltar Letter, the detective solves the case of the abduction of the Duke of Connaught, while he was posted to Gibraltar. In 1992, after reading La compra de Gibraltar por los conversos andaluces, ("The purchase of Gibraltar by Andalusian conversos"), a monograph by Diego Lamelas about the story of the Cordova
converso
s who purchased Gibraltar in the 15th century, Benady translated and published it in English as The Sale of Gibraltar in 1474. Then, he approached the history of St. Bernard's Hospital, publishing Civil Hospital and Epidemics in Gibraltar. Diary of an Epidemic (coauthored with Prof. L A Sawchuk) was published in 2003. In 2005, Benady approached the biography genre
publishing a work on Sir George Don
, Lieutenant Governor of Gibraltar from 1814 to 1831.The Keys of the City: An Episode in the History of Gibraltar, also published in 2005, is a historical novel based in his former translation of Lamelas' work. His last project is a detective mystery series set in early 19th century Gibraltar featuring the amateur detective Giovanni Bresciano and coauthored with Mary Chiappe
.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, 11 September 1937) is a Gibraltarian
Gibraltarian people
The Gibraltarians are a cultural group native to Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterranean sea.- Origins :...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist and retired pediatrician
Pediatrics
Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
of Sephardic Jewish descent. He is a regular contributor to the Gibraltar Heritage Trust's newsletter and lecturer in the Gibraltar Museum, and author of several works related to the History of Gibraltar
History of Gibraltar
The history of Gibraltar portrays how The Rock gained an importance and a reputation far exceeding its size, influencing and shaping the people who came to reside here over the centuries.-Prehistoric:...
and also fiction works. According to the Gibraltar Chronicle
Gibraltar Chronicle
The Gibraltar Chronicle is a national newspaper published in Gibraltar since 1801. It became a daily in 1821. It is Gibraltar's oldest established daily newspaper and the world's second oldest English language newspaper to have been in print continuously...
, Benady is a "Gibraltar’s well known and prolific author".
Benady was born in Gibraltar, where his family has been living since the 18th century, and received his Medicine degree in London. He worked as a paediatrician in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Jerusalem and Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, where he ran the Child Health service. Benady worked for the Gibraltar Health Authority until his retirement in 1980. His first In 2007 he was awarded a MBE "for services to health care and voluntary work".
Work
In 1990, Benady published the two short stories in Sherlock Holmes in Gibraltar. The pastichePastiche
A pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre or technique that is a "hodge-podge" or imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...
s are set in the pre-Watson] days. In the first one, The Abandoned Brigantine, Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
solves the mystery of the Mary Celeste
Mary Celeste
The Mary Celeste was an American brigantine merchant ship famous for having been discovered on 4 December 1872, in the Atlantic Ocean unmanned and apparently abandoned , despite the fact that the weather was fine and her crew had been experienced and able...
while in the second, The Gibraltar Letter, the detective solves the case of the abduction of the Duke of Connaught, while he was posted to Gibraltar. In 1992, after reading La compra de Gibraltar por los conversos andaluces, ("The purchase of Gibraltar by Andalusian conversos"), a monograph by Diego Lamelas about the story of the Cordova
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
converso
Converso
A converso and its feminine form conversa was a Jew or Muslim—or a descendant of Jews or Muslims—who converted to Catholicism in Spain or Portugal, particularly during the 14th and 15th centuries. Mass conversions once took place under significant government pressure...
s who purchased Gibraltar in the 15th century, Benady translated and published it in English as The Sale of Gibraltar in 1474. Then, he approached the history of St. Bernard's Hospital, publishing Civil Hospital and Epidemics in Gibraltar. Diary of an Epidemic (coauthored with Prof. L A Sawchuk) was published in 2003. In 2005, Benady approached the biography genre
Literary genre
A literary genre is a category of literary composition. Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or even length. Genre should not be confused with age category, by which literature may be classified as either adult, young-adult, or children's. They also must not be confused...
publishing a work on Sir George Don
George Don (British Army officer)
General Sir George Don GCB, GCH was a senior British Army military officer and colonial governor during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries...
, Lieutenant Governor of Gibraltar from 1814 to 1831.The Keys of the City: An Episode in the History of Gibraltar, also published in 2005, is a historical novel based in his former translation of Lamelas' work. His last project is a detective mystery series set in early 19th century Gibraltar featuring the amateur detective Giovanni Bresciano and coauthored with Mary Chiappe
Mary Chiappe
Mary Chiappe is a Gibraltarian writer and former Gibraltar Minister for Education in the 1960s. She is the author of many books on Gibraltar, including the Giovanni Bresciano series of novels, which she has written in conjunction with the Gibraltarian writer and historian Sam Benady.- Works...
.
Publications
- Sherlock Holmes in Gibraltar (Gibraltar Books) 1990 ISBN 0-948466-15-4
- The Sale of Gibraltar in 1474: To the New Christians of Cordova, translation into English of La compra de Gibraltar por los conversos andaluzes by Diego Lamelas (Gibraltar Books) 1992 ISBN 0-948466-20-0
- Memoirs of a Gibraltarian (1905-1993) (Gibraltar Books) ISBN 0948466294
- Civil Hospital and Epidemics in Gibraltar (Gibraltar Books) 1994 ISBN 0948466332
- Diary of an epidemic: yellow fever in Gibraltar, 1828 (co-author) (Gibraltar Government Heritage Division), 2003 ISBN 1919658041
- General Sir George Don and the Dawn of Gibraltarian Identity (Gibraltar Books) 2005
- The Keys of the City: An Episode in the History of Gibraltar (Gibraltar Books) 2005.
- The Murder in Whirligig Lane (co-author) (Calpe Press) 2010.
- Fall of a Sparrow (co-author) (Calpe Press) In print.
External links
- The Keys of the City: Sam Benady's writing blog
- About Sam Benady in Calpe Press web site.