Cornelius Ryan
Cornelius Ryan | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 5 June 1920, Dublin Ireland |
| Died | 23 November 1974, Manhattan NY |
| Genre | Military history |
| Notable works | World War II histories |
Cornelius Ryan (5 June 1920 – 23 November 1974) was an Irish-American journalist and author known mainly for writing popular
Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, he began working as a journalist in London in 1940. He became involved in covering World War II and travelled with troops in Europe. After the war, he covered the establishment of Israel. He immigrated to the United States in 1947 to work for Time. In 1951 Ryan became a naturalized US citizen and lived there for the remainder of his life.
Early life and education
Ryan was born in
Career
What I write about is not war but the courage of man.
Cornelius Ryan[1]
Ryan moved to London in 1940, where he became a war correspondent for
Ryan emigrated to the United States in 1947 to work for
He married Kathryn Morgan (1925–1993), a novelist. Ryan became a
On a trip to Normandy in 1949, Ryan became interested in telling a more complete story of Operation Overlord than had been produced to date. He began compiling information and conducting over 1000 interviews as he gathered stories from both the Allies and the Germans, as well as French civilians.[1]
In 1956 he began to write down his World War II notes for
Ryan's 1957 book One Minute to Ditch! is about the
His next work was
Ryan followed this work by A Bridge Too Far (1974), which tells the story of Operation Market Garden, the ill-fated assault by Allied airborne forces on the Netherlands, culminating in the Battle of Arnhem. This work was also adapted for the cinema and released as a major 1977 film of the same name.
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1970, and struggled to finish A Bridge Too Far during his illness. He died in Manhattan,[1] while on tour promoting the book, two months after its publication in 1974. He is buried in the Ridgebury Cemetery in northern Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Four years after his death, his widow Kathryn Morgan Ryan published a memoir about his last years, entitled A Private Battle (1978). She based it on notes that he had secretly left behind for that purpose.
For many years Ryan's editor at Simon & Schuster was Peter Schwed, who was assisted by Michael Korda.[2] Ryan's literary agent was Paul Gitlin.[2]
Legacy and honours
- Ryan was awarded the French Legion of Honour.
- He received an honorary Doctor of Literature degree from Ohio University. His papers are kept there as the Cornelius Ryan Collection in Vernon R. Alden Library.
Bibliography
- 1946. – Star-Spangled Mikado. – with Frank Kelley. – New York City:: R.M. McBride. OCLC 1142015
- 1950. – MacArthur: Man of Action. – with Frank Kelley. – Garden City, New York: Doubleday. – OCLC: 1516843
- 1957. – One Minute to Ditch!. – New York: Ballantine Books. – OCLC 24116050
- 1959. – ISBN 0-671-62228-5
- 1966. – The Last Battle. – New York City: Simon & Schuster
- ISBN 0-450-04433-5.
- Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition (1995) – ISBN 0684803291
- 1974. – ISBN 0-671-21792-5
- 1979. – A Private Battle. – Posthumously with Kathryn Morgan Ryan. – New York City:: Simon & Schuster. – ISBN 0-671-22594-4
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Milestones, Dec. 9, 1974". Time. 9 December 1974. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ ISBN 0679456597.
- ^ Cornelius Ryan: Life. – Ricorso. – Retrieved: 23 September 2007.
- ^ "Operation Overblown". – Time. – 19 October 1962. – Retrieved: 23 June 2008
- ^ Ryan, Cornelius, (1957). – One Minute to Ditch!. – New York: Ballantine.
- Collier's Weekly. – 21 December 1956.
External links
- Cornelius Ryan at Library of Congress, with 24 library catalogue records
- Cornelius Ryan Collection of World War II Papers – Ohio University Libraries
- The Reporter Whom Time Forgot by Michael Shapiro, Columbia Journalism Review
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