Paul Winterton
Encyclopedia
Paul Winterton was an English journalist and crime novelist. Throughout his career, he used the pseudonyms Andrew Garve, Roger Bax and Paul Somers.
on 12 February 1908. He was the son of George Ernest Winterton (1873 - May 15, 1942) who was the eighth Member of Parliament for Loughborough
, serving between 1929 and 1931. He was educated at various schools before reading Economics at the London School of Economics
, graduating (BSc) in 1928. The following winter he travelled to Soviet Russia and back, demonstrating a fascination for the country that was to bear fruit only a decade later. He joined the staff of The Economist
at the age of 21. He stayed for three years before moving on to the News Chronicle
(successor to the old Daily News, the great campaigning war-horse of the late 19th century)
, the trip suggesting the plot for a murder story which he subsequently wrote using the pseudonym Roger Bax. This was Death Beneath Jerusalem (1938) which was published by Nelson.
A few more Bax novels (all now published by Hutchinson
) appeared after the war until the gripping sea drama Came the Dawn (1949), which appeared in the United States as Two If By Sea and was optioned by MGM. The subsequent movie, re-titled Never Let Me Go, starred Clark Gable
and Gene Tierney
and featured a script part-written by the young Ronald Millar
; it was premiered in 1953.
By this time Winterton/Bax had become Garve, his publisher Collins
; both pseudonyms and publisher became a permanent fixture in his life, and between 1950 and 1978 he wrote 30 detective novels for the Crime Club as well as a handful of pure thrillers as "Paul Somers". Most of this output was published in America by Harper & Row. Thus Garve's professional career was presided over by two legendary grandes dames of crime fiction, Elizabeth Walter
in London, Joan Kahn in New York.
Garve's work exhibited an immense diversity, in locales as well as plot-lines. He loved the sea as a backdrop, and many of his heroes tried conclusions with danger not only on the high seas but in seemingly tranquil coastal waters where, on the contrary, violence lurked and dark deeds were planned and executed. Not unnaturally Russia was often both background and foreground in his books, one of his finest yarns undoubtedly The Ascent of D-13 (1969), an epic mountaineering thriller which takes place on the Russo-Turkish border.
Garve could be just as gripping, suspenseful and artful in a purely domestic setting: No Tears For Hilda (1950) brilliantly recounts the murder of a truly ghastly spouse, posing the ticklish question: should the murderer get away with it? He had a talent for writing stories that translated fairly effortlessly into film scripts, probably the best of these being A Touch of Larceny
(1959), taken from his diverting and mildly cynical The Megstone Plot (1956).
He was a founder-member of the Crime Writers' Association
in 1953 and, with Elizabeth Ferrars
, its first joint secretary.
He died on 8 January 2001 in Surrey
.
Early years
Winterton was born in LeicesterLeicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
on 12 February 1908. He was the son of George Ernest Winterton (1873 - May 15, 1942) who was the eighth Member of Parliament for Loughborough
Loughborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Loughborough is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.-Boundaries:...
, serving between 1929 and 1931. He was educated at various schools before reading Economics at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, graduating (BSc) in 1928. The following winter he travelled to Soviet Russia and back, demonstrating a fascination for the country that was to bear fruit only a decade later. He joined the staff of The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
at the age of 21. He stayed for three years before moving on to the News Chronicle
News Chronicle
The News Chronicle was a British daily newspaper. It ceased publication on 17 October 1960, being absorbed into the Daily Mail. Its offices were in Bouverie Street, off Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 8DP, England.-Daily Chronicle:...
(successor to the old Daily News, the great campaigning war-horse of the late 19th century)
Reporting work
Winterton stayed on the staff for more than a dozen years as general reporter, leader-writer and, for a hectic period (1942-45), as foreign correspondent reporting the Second World War from Moscow. During this time he published a number of books and pamphlets on Russia (he had already turned his brief excursion of 1928/29 into A Student in Russia in 1931), including Eye-Witness on the Soviet War-Front (1943) and Report On Russia (1945). His general experiences and views were summed up in Inquest on an Ally in 1948.Writing
While on the News Chronicle he had travelled to PalestinePalestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, the trip suggesting the plot for a murder story which he subsequently wrote using the pseudonym Roger Bax. This was Death Beneath Jerusalem (1938) which was published by Nelson.
A few more Bax novels (all now published by Hutchinson
Hutchinson (publisher)
Hutchinson & Co. was an English book publisher, founded in 1887. The company merged with Century Publishing in 1985 to form Century Hutchinson, and was folded into the British Random House Group in 1989, where it remains as an imprint in the Cornerstone Publishing division...
) appeared after the war until the gripping sea drama Came the Dawn (1949), which appeared in the United States as Two If By Sea and was optioned by MGM. The subsequent movie, re-titled Never Let Me Go, starred Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
and Gene Tierney
Gene Tierney
Gene Eliza Tierney was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed as one of the great beauties of her day, she is best remembered for her performance in the title role of Laura and her Academy Award-nominated performance for Best Actress in Leave Her to Heaven .Other notable roles include...
and featured a script part-written by the young Ronald Millar
Ronald Millar
Sir Ronald Graeme Millar was an English actor, writer and dramatist.Ronald Millar joined the Royal Navy in 1940 after having studied at King's College, Cambridge, England, for a year. He established himself as a playwright after the second world war, and between 1948 and 1954 lived in Hollywood,...
; it was premiered in 1953.
By this time Winterton/Bax had become Garve, his publisher Collins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
; both pseudonyms and publisher became a permanent fixture in his life, and between 1950 and 1978 he wrote 30 detective novels for the Crime Club as well as a handful of pure thrillers as "Paul Somers". Most of this output was published in America by Harper & Row. Thus Garve's professional career was presided over by two legendary grandes dames of crime fiction, Elizabeth Walter
Elizabeth Walter
Elizabeth Walter was a U.K. writer of short stories in the horror and fantasy genres.She was brought up in the Welsh Border country, and lived in London in later life though with periodic returns to the Wye Valley and the Black Mountains...
in London, Joan Kahn in New York.
Garve's work exhibited an immense diversity, in locales as well as plot-lines. He loved the sea as a backdrop, and many of his heroes tried conclusions with danger not only on the high seas but in seemingly tranquil coastal waters where, on the contrary, violence lurked and dark deeds were planned and executed. Not unnaturally Russia was often both background and foreground in his books, one of his finest yarns undoubtedly The Ascent of D-13 (1969), an epic mountaineering thriller which takes place on the Russo-Turkish border.
Garve could be just as gripping, suspenseful and artful in a purely domestic setting: No Tears For Hilda (1950) brilliantly recounts the murder of a truly ghastly spouse, posing the ticklish question: should the murderer get away with it? He had a talent for writing stories that translated fairly effortlessly into film scripts, probably the best of these being A Touch of Larceny
A Touch of Larceny
A Touch of Larceny is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Guy Hamilton and starring James Mason, George Sanders, Vera Miles, Harry Andrews, Rachel Gurney, and John Le Mesurier. It is based on a diverting and mildly cynical novel, The Megstone Plot , by Paul Winterton under the pseudonym Andrew...
(1959), taken from his diverting and mildly cynical The Megstone Plot (1956).
He was a founder-member of the Crime Writers' Association
Crime Writers' Association
The Crime Writers Association is a writers' association in the United Kingdom. Founded by John Creasey in 1953, it is currently chaired by Peter James and claims 450+ members....
in 1953 and, with Elizabeth Ferrars
Elizabeth Ferrars
Elizabeth Ferrars , born Morna Doris MacTaggart, was a British crime writer.-Life:She was born in Rangoon , Burma into a Scottish timber and rice-trading family. Her early years were in the hands of a German nanny, and the initial intention was that she should be sent to Berlin to complete her...
, its first joint secretary.
He died on 8 January 2001 in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
.
Filmography
- Never Let Me Go (1953) (novel Came the Dawn)
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (2 TV episodes, 1962) :
- "House Guest"
- "Night of the Owl"
- Two Letter Alibi (1962) (novel Death and the Sky Above)
- A Touch of LarcenyA Touch of LarcenyA Touch of Larceny is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Guy Hamilton and starring James Mason, George Sanders, Vera Miles, Harry Andrews, Rachel Gurney, and John Le Mesurier. It is based on a diverting and mildly cynical novel, The Megstone Plot , by Paul Winterton under the pseudonym Andrew...
(1959) (novel The Megstone Plot) - The Desperate ManThe Desperate ManThe Desperate Man is a 1959 British crime film directed by Peter Maxwell and starring Conrad Phillips, Jill Ireland, William Hartnell, Charles Gray and Peter Swanwick...
(1959) (novel Beginner's Luck)
External links
- Obituary The Independent