Rafael Sabatini
Encyclopedia
Rafael Sabatini was an Italian/British writer of novels of romance
and adventure
.
At a young age, Rafael was exposed to many languages, living with his grandfather in England, attending school in Portugal and, as a teenager, in Switzerland. By the time he was seventeen, when he returned to England to live permanently, he was the master of five languages. He quickly added a sixth language – English – to his linguistic collection. He consciously chose to write in his adopted language, because, he said, "all the best stories are written in English."
After a brief stint in the business world, Sabatini went to work as a writer. He wrote short stories in the 1890s, and his first novel came out in 1902. In 1905 he married Ruth Goad Dixon, the daughter of a Liverpool merchant. It took Sabatini roughly a quarter of a century of hard work before he attained success with Scaramouche in 1921. The novel, a historical romantic set during the French Revolution
, became an international best-seller. It was followed by the equally successful Captain Blood
in 1922. All of his earlier books were rushed into reprints, the most popular of which was The Sea Hawk
from 1915. Sabatini was a prolific writer; he produced a new book approximately every year, and maintained a great deal of popularity with the reading public through the decades that followed.
His only son, Rafael-Angelo (nicknamed Binkie), was killed in a car crash on 1 April 1927. In 1931, he and his wife Ruth divorced. Later that year he moved from London to Hay-on-Wye
. In 1935 he married the sculptor Christine Goad, his former sister-in-law. They suffered further tragedy when Christine's son, Lancelot, was killed in a flying accident. On the day he received his RAF wings, he flew his aeroplane over their house, but the plane went out of control and crashed in flames before their eyes.
By the 1940s, illness forced the writer to slow his prolific method of composition. However, he did write several additional works even during that time. He died on 13 February 1950 in Switzerland. He is buried at Adelboden
, Switzerland. On his headstone his wife had written, "He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad", the first line of Scaramouche.
He is best known for his worldwide best-sellers:
Several of his novels were adapted into films during the silent era, and the first three of these books were made into notable films in the sound era, in 1940, 1952, and 1935 respectively. His third novel was made into a famous "lost" film, Bardelys the Magnificent, directed in 1926 by King Vidor
with John Gilbert
in the lead, and long viewable only in a fragment excerpted in Vidor's silent comedy Show People
. A few intact reels have recently been discovered in Europe. The fully restored version premiered on TCM on 11 January 2010.
Two silent adaptations of Sabatini novels which do survive intact are Rex Ingram
's Scaramouche
(1923) starring Ramón Novarro
, and The Sea Hawk
(1924) directed by Frank Lloyd
and starring Milton Sills
. This is actually a more faithful adaptation than the 1940 remake with Errol Flynn
. A 1924 silent version of Captain Blood, starring J. Warren Kerrigan
, is partly lost, surviving only in an incomplete copy in the Library of Congress
. The Black Swan
was filmed in 1942 starring Tyrone Power
and Maureen O'Hara
.
In all, Sabatini produced thirty-one novels, eight short story collections, six non-fiction books, numerous uncollected short stories, and a play.
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
and adventure
Adventure novel
The adventure novel is a genre of novels that has adventure, an exciting undertaking involving risk and physical danger, as its main theme.-History:...
.
Life
Rafael Sabatini was born in Iesi, Italy, to an English mother and Italian father. His parents were opera singers who became teachers.At a young age, Rafael was exposed to many languages, living with his grandfather in England, attending school in Portugal and, as a teenager, in Switzerland. By the time he was seventeen, when he returned to England to live permanently, he was the master of five languages. He quickly added a sixth language – English – to his linguistic collection. He consciously chose to write in his adopted language, because, he said, "all the best stories are written in English."
After a brief stint in the business world, Sabatini went to work as a writer. He wrote short stories in the 1890s, and his first novel came out in 1902. In 1905 he married Ruth Goad Dixon, the daughter of a Liverpool merchant. It took Sabatini roughly a quarter of a century of hard work before he attained success with Scaramouche in 1921. The novel, a historical romantic set during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, became an international best-seller. It was followed by the equally successful Captain Blood
Captain Blood (novel)
Captain Blood: His Odyssey is an adventure novel by Rafael Sabatini, originally published in 1922.- Synopsis :The protagonist is the sharp-witted Dr...
in 1922. All of his earlier books were rushed into reprints, the most popular of which was The Sea Hawk
The Sea Hawk
The Sea Hawk is a novel by Rafael Sabatini, originally published in 1915. The story is set over the years 1588–1593, and concerns a retired Cornish sea-faring gentleman, Sir Oliver Tressilian, who is villainously betrayed by a jealous half-brother. After being forced to serve as a slave on a ...
from 1915. Sabatini was a prolific writer; he produced a new book approximately every year, and maintained a great deal of popularity with the reading public through the decades that followed.
His only son, Rafael-Angelo (nicknamed Binkie), was killed in a car crash on 1 April 1927. In 1931, he and his wife Ruth divorced. Later that year he moved from London to Hay-on-Wye
Hay-on-Wye
Hay-on-Wye , often described as "the town of books", is a small market town and community in Powys, Wales.-Location:The town lies on the east bank of the River Wye and is within the Brecon Beacons National Park, just north of the Black Mountains...
. In 1935 he married the sculptor Christine Goad, his former sister-in-law. They suffered further tragedy when Christine's son, Lancelot, was killed in a flying accident. On the day he received his RAF wings, he flew his aeroplane over their house, but the plane went out of control and crashed in flames before their eyes.
By the 1940s, illness forced the writer to slow his prolific method of composition. However, he did write several additional works even during that time. He died on 13 February 1950 in Switzerland. He is buried at Adelboden
Adelboden
Adelboden is a municipality in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland.-Geography:Adelboden lies in the west of the Berner Oberland, at the end of the valley of the Engstlige river, which flows in Frutigen into the Kander river.Adelboden is a...
, Switzerland. On his headstone his wife had written, "He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad", the first line of Scaramouche.
He is best known for his worldwide best-sellers:
- The Sea HawkThe Sea HawkThe Sea Hawk is a novel by Rafael Sabatini, originally published in 1915. The story is set over the years 1588–1593, and concerns a retired Cornish sea-faring gentleman, Sir Oliver Tressilian, who is villainously betrayed by a jealous half-brother. After being forced to serve as a slave on a ...
(1915), a tale of the Spanish ArmadaSpanish ArmadaThis article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
and the piratesPiracyPiracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
of the Barbary CoastBarbary CoastThe Barbary Coast, or Barbary, was the term used by Europeans from the 16th until the 19th century to refer to much of the collective land of the Berber people. Today, the terms Maghreb and "Tamazgha" correspond roughly to "Barbary"...
; - Scaramouche (1921), a tale of the French RevolutionFrench RevolutionThe French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
in which a fugitive hides out in a commedia dell'arteCommedia dell'arteCommedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...
troupe and later becomes a fencing master (Sabatini wrote a sequel ten years later); - Captain BloodCaptain Blood (novel)Captain Blood: His Odyssey is an adventure novel by Rafael Sabatini, originally published in 1922.- Synopsis :The protagonist is the sharp-witted Dr...
(1922), in which the title character is admiral of a fleet of pirate ships (Sabatini also wrote two sequels comprising short stories); and - Bellarion the FortunateBellarion the FortunateBellarion the Fortunate, published in 1926, is an historical novel by Rafael Sabatini. Set at the beginning of the 15th century in northern Italy, it takes place first in the Marquessate of Montferrat and later in the Duchy of Milan...
(1926), about a cunning young man who finds himself immersed in the politics of fifteenth-century Italy.
Several of his novels were adapted into films during the silent era, and the first three of these books were made into notable films in the sound era, in 1940, 1952, and 1935 respectively. His third novel was made into a famous "lost" film, Bardelys the Magnificent, directed in 1926 by King Vidor
King Vidor
King Wallis Vidor was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose career spanned nearly seven decades...
with John Gilbert
John Gilbert (actor)
John Gilbert was an American actor and a major star of the silent film era.Known as "the great lover," he rivaled even Rudolph Valentino as a box office draw...
in the lead, and long viewable only in a fragment excerpted in Vidor's silent comedy Show People
Show People
Show People is a 1928 comedy silent film directed by King Vidor. The movie was a starring vehicle for actress Marion Davies and actor William Haines and included notable cameo appearances by many of the film personalities of the day, including stars Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, William S....
. A few intact reels have recently been discovered in Europe. The fully restored version premiered on TCM on 11 January 2010.
Two silent adaptations of Sabatini novels which do survive intact are Rex Ingram
Rex Ingram (director)
Rex Ingram was an Irish film director, producer, writer and actor. Legendary director Erich von Stroheim once called him "the world's greatest director."-Early life:...
's Scaramouche
Scaramouche (1923 film)
Scaramouche is a silent costume adventure based on the novel by Rafael Sabatini, directed by Rex Ingram, released by Metro Pictures, and starring Ramón Novarro, Alice Terry, Lewis Stone, and Lloyd Ingraham....
(1923) starring Ramón Novarro
Ramón Novarro
Ramón Novarro was a Mexican leading man actor in Hollywood in the early 20th century. He was the next male "Sex Symbol" after the death of Rudolph Valentino...
, and The Sea Hawk
The Sea Hawk (1924 film)
The Sea Hawk is a 1924 silent movie about an English noble sold into slavery who escapes and turns himself into a pirate king. Directed by Frank Lloyd, the screen adaptation was written by J. G...
(1924) directed by Frank Lloyd
Frank Lloyd
Frank Lloyd was a film director, scriptwriter and producer...
and starring Milton Sills
Milton Sills
Milton Sills was a highly successful American stage and film actor of the early twentieth century....
. This is actually a more faithful adaptation than the 1940 remake with Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
. A 1924 silent version of Captain Blood, starring J. Warren Kerrigan
J. Warren Kerrigan
George Jack Warren Kerrigan was an American silent film actor and film director.-Early life and career:Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Kerrigan worked as a warehouse clerk in his teens until a chance arrived to appear in a vaudeville production...
, is partly lost, surviving only in an incomplete copy in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
. The Black Swan
The Black Swan (film)
The Black Swan is a 1942 swashbuckler Technicolor film by Henry King, based on a novel by Rafael Sabatini, and starring Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara. It was nominated for three Academy Awards, and won one for Best Cinematography, Color.-Plot:...
was filmed in 1942 starring Tyrone Power
Tyrone Power
Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr. , usually credited as Tyrone Power and known sometimes as Ty Power, was an American film and stage actor who appeared in dozens of films from the 1930s to the 1950s, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads such as in The Mark of Zorro, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan,...
and Maureen O'Hara
Maureen O'Hara
Maureen O'Hara is an Irish film actress and singer. The famously red-headed O'Hara has been noted for playing fiercely passionate heroines with a highly sensible attitude. She often worked with director John Ford and longtime friend John Wayne...
.
In all, Sabatini produced thirty-one novels, eight short story collections, six non-fiction books, numerous uncollected short stories, and a play.
Scaramouche
- Scaramouche (1921)
- Scaramouche the King-Maker (1931)
Captain Blood
- Captain BloodCaptain Blood (novel)Captain Blood: His Odyssey is an adventure novel by Rafael Sabatini, originally published in 1922.- Synopsis :The protagonist is the sharp-witted Dr...
(1922) (also known as Captain Blood: His Odyssey) - Captain Blood Returns (also known as The Chronicles of Captain Blood ,1931)
- The Fortunes of Captain Blood (1936)
- N.B. Captain Blood Returns and The Fortunes of Captain Blood are not sequels, but collections of short stories set entirely within the timeframe of the original novel.
Novels
- The Lovers of Yvonne (also known as The Suitors of Yvonne , 1902)
- The Tavern Knight (1904)
- Bardelys the Magnificent (1905)
- The Trampling of the Lilies (1906)
- Love-At-Arms: Being a narrative excerpted from the chronicles of Urbino during the dominion of the High and Mighty Messer Guidobaldo da Montefeltro (1907)
- The Shame of Motley (1908)
- St. Martin's Summer (1909)
- Mistress Wilding (also known as Anthony Wilding , 1910)
- The Lion's Skin (1911)
- The Strolling Saint (1913)
- The Gates of Doom (1914)
- The Sea HawkThe Sea HawkThe Sea Hawk is a novel by Rafael Sabatini, originally published in 1915. The story is set over the years 1588–1593, and concerns a retired Cornish sea-faring gentleman, Sir Oliver Tressilian, who is villainously betrayed by a jealous half-brother. After being forced to serve as a slave on a ...
(1915) - The Snare (1917)
- Scaramouche (1921)
- Fortune's Fool (1923)
- The Carolinian (1924)
- Bellarion the FortunateBellarion the FortunateBellarion the Fortunate, published in 1926, is an historical novel by Rafael Sabatini. Set at the beginning of the 15th century in northern Italy, it takes place first in the Marquessate of Montferrat and later in the Duchy of Milan...
(1926) - The Hounds of God (1928)
- The Romantic Prince (1929)
- The King's Minion (also known as The Minion , 1930)
- The Black Swan (1932)
- The Stalking Horse (1933)
- Venetian Masque (1934)
- Chivalry (1935)
- Scaramis (1936)
- The Lost King (1937)
- The Sword of Islam (1939)
- The Marquis of Carabas (also known as Master-At-Arms , 1940)
- Columbus (1941)
- King In Prussia (also known as The Birth of Mischief , 1944)
- The Gamester (1949)
- Saga of the sea (1953)
- The Treasure Ship (2004)
Collections
- The Justice of the Duke (1912)
- The Banner of the Bull (1915)
- The Nuptials of Corbal (1927)
- The Reaping (1929)
- Turbulent Tales (1946)
- Sinner, Saint And Jester: A Trilogy in Romantic Adventure (omnibus, 1954)
- In the Shadow of the Guillotine (Omnibus comprising Scaramouche, The Marquis of Carabas and The Lost King ,1955)
- A Fair Head of Angling Stories (1989)
- The Fortunes of Casanova and Other Stories (1994, stories originally published 1907–21 & 1934)
- The Outlaws of Falkensteig (2000, stories originally published 1900-2)
- The Camisade: And Other Stories of the French Revolution (2001, stories originally published 1900–16)
Anthologies edited
- A Century of Sea Stories (1935)
- A Century of Historical Stories (1936)
Nonfiction
- The Life of Cesare Borgia (1912)
- Torquemada and the Spanish Inquisition (1913)
- The Historical Nights' Entertainment (1917)
- Heroic Lives (1934)
External links
- Rafael Sabatini.com
- Works by Rafael Sabatini at Project Gutenberg of Australia
- Works by Rafael Sabatini at Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
. Scanned, illustrated original editions. - Rafael Sabatini Dustjacket Gallery
- Sabatini Timeline, a chronology of events in Sabatini's works