James Hilton (novelist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Hilton
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Publicity portrait of Hilton
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| Born | 9 September 1900 Leigh, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 20 December 1954 (aged 54) Long Beach, California, U.S. |
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| Alma mater | Christ's College, Cambridge |
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Alice Brown
(m. 1935; div. 1937)Galina Kopernak
(m. 1937; div. 1945) |
James Hilton (born September 9, 1900 – died December 20, 1954) was an English writer and screenwriter. He is best known for his popular novels like Lost Horizon, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, and Random Harvest. He also helped write movie scripts for films such as Camille (1936) and Mrs. Miniver (1942). For Mrs. Miniver, he even won an Academy Award, which is a very important movie prize!
Contents
Early Life and School
James Hilton was born in Leigh, a town in Lancashire, England. His father, John Hilton, was a headmaster, which means he was the principal of a school.
James went to school in Walthamstow and then to The Leys School in Cambridge. Later, he studied at Christ's College, Cambridge, a famous university. While he was still a student there, he wrote his very first novel. He earned a degree in English literature. After college, he started working as a journalist, writing for newspapers like the Manchester Guardian and The Daily Telegraph.
Writing Career
Hilton's first novel, Catherine Herself, was published in 1920 when he was still in college. For the next 11 years, it was a bit tough for him to find success with his books. But in 1931, his novel And Now Goodbye became popular.
After that, many of his books became international bestsellers. They were so good that they were turned into successful movies! Some of his most famous works include:
- Lost Horizon (1933), which won an award called the Hawthornden Prize.
- Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1934).
- Random Harvest (1941).
Hilton's books are often seen as warm and hopeful stories about good qualities, especially English ones. While Mr. Chips is like this, some of his other novels also showed problems in society, like people being narrow-minded or caring too much about social class.
From 1948 to 1952, James Hilton also hosted a popular radio show called Hallmark Playhouse.
About Lost Horizon
Lost Horizon was first published in 1933. It won the Hawthornden Prize in 1934. This book is very important because it was chosen as the first book for Pocket Books in 1939. Pocket Books made small, soft-cover, and cheap books, which was a new idea at the time. Because of this, Lost Horizon is often called the book that started the "paperback revolution," making books more affordable for everyone!
Hilton is thought to have been inspired to write Lost Horizon and create the famous place "Shangri-La" by reading articles about Tibet. These articles were written by explorers like Joseph Rock, who explored parts of China and Tibet.
The name "Shangri-La" has become a well-known word for a perfect, hidden place where everyone is happy and peaceful. It's like a mythical paradise, cut off from the rest of the world.
The idea of Shangri-La became so famous that even a U.S. President used the name! After a secret bombing mission in World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt joked that the planes took off from Shangri-La. Because of this, the Navy named an aircraft carrier "Shangri-La." President Roosevelt also named his own special retreat "Shangri-La." Later, another president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, renamed it Camp David, which is what it's called today.
Even a real place in China, a mountain region in Yunnan province, has been renamed Shangri-La (Xianggelila) because people believe it might have inspired Hilton's book!
About Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Goodbye, Mr. Chips is another one of Hilton's best-selling novels. The main character, Mr. Chipping (or Mr. Chips), was inspired by two real people: W.H. Balgarnie, a teacher at The Leys School where Hilton studied, and Hilton's own father, who was a headmaster.
Hilton first sent the story to a magazine called The Atlantic, and it was printed as a short story in April 1934. Just a couple of months later, it was published as a book, and it quickly became very popular.
Personal Life
James Hilton wrote his two most famous books, Lost Horizon and Goodbye, Mr. Chips, while living in a house in Woodford Green, London. You can still see the house today, and it has a special blue plaque on it that shows Hilton lived there.
By 1938, he had moved to California in the United States. His work then became more connected with the Hollywood movie industry, where many of his books were turned into films.
He married Alice Brown in 1935, but they divorced in 1937. The same year, he married an actress named Galina Kopernak, but they also divorced later. In 1948, he became a citizen of the United States.
Death
James Hilton visited England one last time in 1954. In December of that year, he passed away at his home in Long Beach, California, from liver cancer. His former wife, Alice, was with him.
His obituary in The Times newspaper described him as a humble and quiet man, even though he was very successful. He loved climbing mountains, listening to music, and traveling. He was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Long Beach).
Works
Selected Novels
Non-fiction Books
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Short Stories
Plays
Screenplays (Movie Scripts)
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Movies and Sequels Based on His Works
Many of James Hilton's novels were made into movies:
- Lost Horizon (1937, 1973)
- Knight Without Armour (1937)
- We Are Not Alone (1939) (Hilton wrote the script for this one!)
- Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939, 1969, 1984, 2002)
- Rage in Heaven (1941)
- Random Harvest (1942)
- The Story of Dr. Wassell (1944), starring Gary Cooper
- So Well Remembered (1947)
There is also a musical based on Lost Horizon called Shangri-La, which was performed on Broadway in 1956.
A sequel to Lost Horizon was written by Eleanor Cooney and Daniel Altieri, called Shangri-La. This book continued James Hilton's story, moving it forward in time.
Memorials
In 2013, a special blue plaque was placed on James Hilton's birthplace at 26 Wilkinson Street in Leigh. This plaque helps people remember that a famous writer was born there.
Another blue plaque was put up in 1997 on the wall of 42 Oakhill Gardens, Woodford Green. This was the house where Hilton lived with his parents for many years.
See also
In Spanish: James Hilton para niños
