Bruce Marshall (writer)
Bruce Marshall | |
|---|---|
 Dustjacket photo from Vespers in Vienna (1947) | |
| Born | 24 June 1899 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 18 June 1987 (aged 87) Biot, France |
| Occupation | Novelist and accountant |
Life and work
Marshall was born in
During
After the war he completed his education in Scotland, graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Edinburgh in 1925 before becoming an auditor, and moved to France where he worked in the Paris branch of Peat Marwick Mitchell.[2]
In 1928 he married Mary Pearson Clark (1908–1987).[3] They had one daughter—Sheila Elizabeth Bruce Marshall. In 2009, his granddaughter, Leslie Ferrar, was Treasurer to the Prince of Wales.
He was living in Paris during the 1940
After the war Marshall returned to France,
Writing career
A
Marshall wrote stories that are usually humorous and mildly satiric and typically have religious overtones. Important themes which run through his works areMarshall's first literary work was a collection of short stories entitled A Thief in the Night published while he was still a student at
After the Second World War Marshall became a writer full-time, giving up his work as an accountant.
As to his dual career as an accountant and writer, Marshall once said, "I am an accountant who writes books. In accounting circles I am hailed as a great writer. Among novelists I am assumed to be a competent accountant."[7]
Among his better known works after the Second World War is
In 1959 he was awarded the Włodzimierz Pietrzak prize.
The theme of much of Marshall's works is religion, with a focus on
Like many
Several of Marshall's books have themes about espionage and intrigue, such as
Some of his novels feature major characters who, like Marshall himself, have suffered the loss of a limb. Often major characters from one novel appear in minor roles in other novels.
Marshall was relatively popular in his time. His books were reviewed in major publications on both sides of the
His books were published in at least nine languages—English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish, Czech, Portuguese and Spanish.
Film, stage and television adaptations
His 1931 novel
His 1947 novel Vespers in Vienna was the basis of the 1949 film The Red Danube starring Walter Pidgeon, Ethel Barrymore, Peter Lawford, Angela Lansbury and Janet Leigh. George Sidney directed. After the movie's release the novel was re-issued under the title The Red Danube.
His 1953 novel The Fair Bride was the basis of the 1960 film The Angel Wore Red starring Ava Gardner, Dirk Bogarde, Joseph Cotten and Vittorio De Sica. It was the last film directed by Nunnally Johnson.
His 1952 book,
His 1963 novel The Month of the Falling Leaves was the basis of the 1968 German TV show Der Monat der fallenden Blätter. Marshall co-wrote the screenplay with Herbert Asmodi. It was directed by Dietrich Haugk.
Notes
- ^ Marshall, B: The World, the Flesh, and Father Smith endnote. Houghton Mifflin 1945.
- ^ Purvis, John. "Claude Cunningham Bruce (Bruce) Marshall". The Purvis Family Tree. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
- ^ a b Herbert, Michael (2004). 'Marshall, (Claude Cunningham) Bruce (1899–1987)'. Vol. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press.
- ^ a b Marshall, B: The Accounting endnote Houghton Mifflin Company 1958.
- ^ Banfi, Alessandro. "The Man of the Eleventh Hour". Archived from the original on 10 November 2007. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
- ^ Marshall, B: A Thread of Scarlet endnote. Collins 1959.
- ^ Marshall, B: To Every Man a Penny endnote. Houghton Mifflin 1949.
- ^ "New Plays in Manhattan". Time magazine. 29 November 1937. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2009. Father Malachy's Miracle play review
References
- Contemporary Authors, Vols. 5–8, p. 733 (First Revision, 1969)
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Vol. 36, pp. 835–836 (2000)
