Alistair MacLean facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alistair MacLean
MacLean, late in life
Born	(1922-04-21)21 April 1922 Shettleston, Glasgow, Scotland
Died	2 February 1987(1987-02-02) (aged 64) Munich, West Germany
Resting place	Céligny, Switzerland
Nationality	Scottish
Other names	Ian Stuart
Education	Daviot local system Inverness Royal Academy Hillhead High School
Alma mater	University of Glasgow
Occupation	Author, teacher
Years active	1955–1986
Employer	Royal Navy (1941–1946) Gallowflat School (1946–1956)
Known for	Thrillers
Height	5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Spouse(s)	Gisela Heinrichsen ​ ​ (m. 1953; div. 1972)​ Mary Marcelle Georgius ​ ​ (m. 1972; div. 1977)​
Children	3

Alistair Stuart MacLean (Scottish Gaelic: Alasdair MacGill-Eain; 21 April 1922 – 2 February 1987) was a Scottish writer. He became famous for his exciting thriller and adventure stories. Many of his books were made into popular movies. Some of the most well-known are The Guns of Navarone (1957) and Ice Station Zebra (1963).

Later, MacLean also wrote original movie scripts. One of his most successful was the 1968 film Where Eagles Dare, which was also a bestselling book. He even wrote two novels using a different name, Ian Stuart. It's thought that his books have sold over 150 million copies worldwide. This makes him one of the most successful fiction authors ever.

People said he always loved the sea and was great at writing about heroes fighting against bad guys. Readers enjoyed his action-packed stories, his tales of wartime commandos, and the exciting places his stories were set, like Greek islands and Alaskan oil fields.

Alistair MacLean's Early Life

Alistair Stuart MacLean was born on 21 April 1922 in Shettleston, Glasgow, Scotland. He was the third of four sons. His father was a minister in the Church of Scotland. Alistair spent most of his childhood in Daviot, about 10 miles (16 km) south of Inverness. He could speak Scottish Gaelic.

Serving in World War II

In 1941, when he was 19, Alistair joined the Second World War effort with the Royal Navy. He served as an Ordinary Seaman, Able Seaman, and Leading Torpedo Operator. His first ship was the PS Bournemouth Queen. It was a converted ship with anti-aircraft guns, and he served off the coasts of England and Scotland.

From 1943, he served on HMS Royalist, a light cruiser. He saw action in the Atlantic Ocean in 1943. He was part of two Arctic convoys and helped protect aircraft carrier groups. These operations were against German ships, including the Tirpitz, off the Norwegian coast. He was also part of Convoy PQ 17 on Royalist.

In 1944, MacLean and Royalist moved to the Mediterranean Sea. They took part in the invasion of southern France. They also helped sink ships trying to break blockades off Crete and bombed Milos in the Aegean. In 1945, in the Far East, MacLean and Royalist escorted carrier groups. They were involved in operations against Japanese targets in Burma, Malaya, and Sumatra. After Japan surrendered, Royalist helped rescue POWs from Changi Prison in Singapore.

Alistair MacLean left the Royal Navy in 1946. He then studied English at the University of Glasgow. While studying, he worked at the Post Office and as a street sweeper. He graduated in 1950. After that, he briefly worked as a hospital porter. Then, he became a schoolteacher at Gallowflat School (now Stonelaw High School) in Rutherglen.

Alistair MacLean's Early Writing Career

First Books and Big Success

While he was a university student, MacLean started writing short stories to earn extra money. In 1954, he won a competition with his sea story called "Dileas." He sold stories to newspapers like the Daily Mirror.

The wife of Ian Chapman, an editor at the publishing company Collins, really liked "Dileas." She and her husband met MacLean and suggested he write a full novel. Three months later, MacLean sent them HMS Ulysses. This book was based on his own experiences during the war.

MacLean received a large payment of $50,000 for the book, which was big news at the time. HMS Ulysses was a huge success. It sold a quarter of a million copies in England in just six months. The rights to make it into a movie were sold for £30,000, but the film was never made. This money allowed MacLean to become a full-time writer.

The Guns of Navarone and More Hits

His next novel was The Guns of Navarone (1957). It was about a daring attack on a made-up island called Navarone. This book was also very successful, selling over 400,000 copies in its first six months. MacLean once said he wasn't a "literary person" and would stop writing if he had enough money.

Because of the high taxes on his earnings, MacLean moved to Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. He planned to write one novel a year, saying it took him about three months to write each one.

He then wrote South by Java Head (1958), based on his experiences in Southeast Asia during World War Two. Next came The Last Frontier (1959), a thriller about the Hungarian Uprising. Film rights for Java Head were sold, but no movie was made.

His next novels were Night Without End (1959) and Fear Is the Key (1961). The Last Frontier was made into a movie called The Secret Ways (1961), which wasn't very popular. However, the film version of The Guns of Navarone (1961) was a massive hit.

Writing as Ian Stuart

In the early 1960s, MacLean published two novels using the pen name "Ian Stuart." He did this to show that his books were popular because of their stories, not just his famous name. These books were The Dark Crusader (1961) and The Satan Bug (1962). He also said he used the pen name because these books were different from his usual adventure stories.

The "Ian Stuart" books sold well. MacLean also kept publishing novels under his own name, such as The Golden Rendezvous (1962) and Ice Station Zebra (1963).

He once described himself as a "storyteller" and a "craftsman," not a "novelist." He claimed he wrote very quickly, sometimes finishing a novel in 35 days. He said he disliked writing and never re-read his books after finishing them.

Taking a Break from Writing

In 1963, MacLean decided to stop writing. He said he never truly enjoyed it and only did it for the money. He decided to become a hotel owner instead. He bought the Jamaica Inn in England, and then two more hotels.

MacLean focused on his hotel business for three years, but it wasn't successful. By 1976, he had sold all three hotels. During this time, a film was made of his book The Satan Bug (1965).

Alistair MacLean's Return to Writing

Writing for Movies

MacLean returned to writing books with When Eight Bells Toll (1966).

A movie producer named Elliot Kastner admired MacLean's work. He asked MacLean if he would be interested in writing original screenplays (movie scripts). MacLean agreed. Kastner wanted a World War Two story about a group of men on a rescue mission, with a deadline and some female characters. MacLean agreed to write it for a good fee. This script became Where Eagles Dare.

In 1966, Kastner announced he had bought five screenplays from MacLean. MacLean also wrote a novel based on the Where Eagles Dare screenplay. The book was published in 1967 and became a bestseller. The 1968 film version was a huge success.

Kastner said that MacLean was a "natural storyteller" and a "master of adventure." He felt that MacLean's books were almost like movie scripts already. MacLean then wrote a sequel to Guns of Navarone, called Force 10 from Navarone (1968). A film version was planned but took another ten years to be made. The same year, an expensive film based on Ice Station Zebra (1968) was released.

Trying to Produce Films

In 1967, MacLean teamed up with Geoffrey Reeve and Lewis Jenkins to make films. MacLean would write the scripts, and Reeve would direct. They wanted to make a sequel to Guns of Navarone. However, they found out that the producer of the original film, Carl Foreman, had already registered the title After Navarone. This caused problems and delayed the sequel.

MacLean wrote more thrillers, like Puppet on a Chain (1969) and Caravan to Vaccarès (1970). These books often started as screenplays for Kastner. MacLean said Puppet was a different style from his earlier books.

When Puppet on a Chain was being made into a film, MacLean said he found the movie business too much for him. He felt there were too many business people and not enough creative ones. Ian Chapman, his editor, said MacLean was a great storyteller but not a "film man."

MacLean then wrote Bear Island (1971). This was the last of his books written from the first-person point of view.

In 1970, MacLean moved to Switzerland to avoid high taxes. He said he was a "storyteller," not an artist. He added that the secret to his writing was speed. He enjoyed planning the plots, but the actual writing was "a pain."

Kastner produced a film version of When Eight Bells Toll (1971), based on MacLean's script. He also produced Fear Is the Key (1972). Another producer made Puppet on a Chain (1971), directed by Reeve, from MacLean's script. These films did not do very well at the box office.

Later Books and Films

In 1972, MacLean married his second wife, Mary Georgius. She planned to produce three films based on his books. However, the poor performance of his recent film adaptations put these plans on hold. One of these planned films was The Way to Dusty Death, which later became a 1973 novel and a 1995 film.

By 1973, MacLean had sold over 24 million novels. He said in 1972, "I am not a writer. I am a businessman. My business is writing." MacLean had spent several years focusing on screenplays but disliked it. He decided to go back to being mainly a novel writer. He felt that "Hollywood destroys writers."

He wrote a biography of Captain James Cook, published in 1972. He also wrote many more novels, including Breakheart Pass (1974), Circus (1975), The Golden Gate (1976), Seawitch (1977), Goodbye California (1979), and Athabasca (1980).

In 1975, he said he read a lot and traveled some. But mostly, he invented what he didn't know. In 1977, MacLean divorced Mary.

In 1978, MacLean said he didn't understand why people bought his novels. He felt his English wasn't very good and would rather write in Gaelic or Spanish. He said his stories were like an "intellectual chess game" between characters. He found writing "boring" and "lonely" but did it for the money. He called himself a "journeyman" writer.

Films continued to be made from his novels. These included Breakheart Pass (1975), Golden Rendezvous (1977), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), and Bear Island (1979). However, none of these films were very successful.

MacLean decided to focus on American television. He wrote a short novel called Air Force One is Down, which was later produced in 2012. He then presented six new ideas to TV networks. The Hostage Tower was approved by CBS and aired on American television in 1980.

Later Works and Legacy

His later books include River of Death (1981), Partisans (1982), Floodgate (1983), and San Andreas (1984). Sometimes, other writers helped with these novels, with MacLean providing the main ideas and characters. His last novel was Santorini (1986), published after he passed away.

His later books were not as popular as his earlier ones. To keep his stories modern, he sometimes created plots that were not very believable.

Death

Alistair MacLean died of heart failure at age 64 in Munich, Germany, on 2 February 1987. His death was somewhat mysterious, as no one, not even the British Embassy, knew why he was in Munich.

Personal Life

Alistair MacLean was married twice. He had three sons (one adopted) with his first wife, Gisela. Their names were Lachlan, Michael, and Alistair. His first marriage ended in divorce in 1972. He married his second wife, Mary Georgius, in 1972, but that marriage also ended in divorce in 1977.

His niece, Shona MacLean (who also writes as S.G. Maclean), is also a writer of historical novels.

In 1983, the University of Glasgow gave MacLean an honorary Doctor of Letters degree.

What People Thought of His Work

The writer Algis Budrys described MacLean's writing style as: "hit 'em with everything but the kitchen sink, then give 'em the sink, and when they raise their heads, drop the plumber on 'em." This means his stories were full of non-stop action and surprises.

Screenwriter Derek Kolstad, who wrote the John Wick film series, said that MacLean was one of his main inspirations.

List of Alistair MacLean's Works

Novels

UNACO Books (written by other authors using MacLean's ideas)

Golden Girl Series (written by other authors)

Films with Screenplay Contributions by Alistair MacLean

Other Films Based on Alistair MacLean's Books

Allegedly Written by Alistair MacLean

Images for kids

• 

  A collection of MacLean's fiction works from 1955 to 1971.

See Also

In Spanish: Alistair MacLean para niños

• Hammond Innes