Peter O'Donnell facts for kids

Peter O'Donnell (born April 11, 1920, died May 3, 2010) was a famous English writer. He was best known for creating Modesty Blaise, a popular comic strip character. Modesty Blaise was an action hero who solved mysteries. Peter O'Donnell also wrote many award-winning romance novels. He used the pen name Madeleine Brent for these books. In 1978, his novel Merlin's Keep won a special award for romantic novels.

About Peter O'Donnell

Peter O'Donnell was born in Lewisham, London, on April 11, 1920. His father, Bernard O'Donnell, was a journalist. Peter went to Catford Central School.

He started writing professionally when he was just 16 years old. In 1938, he joined the British Army. During World War II, he served in the Royal Corps of Signals. His unit worked with mobile radios. He saw action in places like Persia (now Iran), Syria, Egypt, and Italy. He was also with the forces that went into Greece in 1944.

Starting His Writing Career

After the war, O'Donnell returned to civilian life. He began writing scripts for comic strips. He even adapted the James Bond novel, Dr. No, for the Daily Express newspaper.

From 1953 to 1966, he wrote for the comic strip Garth. He also wrote Romeo Brown from 1956 to 1962. Jim Holdaway was the artist for Romeo Brown.

Creating Modesty Blaise

Peter O'Donnell's most famous creation was Modesty Blaise. This comic strip first appeared in 1963. For the first seven years, Jim Holdaway drew the strip. After Holdaway's death in 1970, Enrique Badia Romero became the artist. Romero drew the strip until it ended in 2001, except for a seven-year break.

Besides the comic strips, O'Donnell wrote many books about Modesty Blaise. He published two collections of short stories and twenty novels. The first Modesty Blaise novel came out in 1965. It was a huge success! He continued to publish more novels and short stories until 1996.

The famous writer Kingsley Amis once said that the Modesty Blaise novels were "endlessly fascinating." He also said that Modesty Blaise and her partner, Garvin, were "one of the great partnerships in fiction." He compared them to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

Writing as Madeleine Brent

Peter O'Donnell also wrote gothic romance and adventure novels. He used the pen name Madeleine Brent for these books. A publisher named Ernest Hecht asked him to write them.

These novels are not a series, but they all feature strong female main characters. They are written from the first-person point of view. The stories take place in the late Victorian era. Even though the main characters have ties to England, parts of each book are set in different places around the world. These locations include China, Australia, Afghanistan, and Mexico.

Later Years and Legacy

In 2001, O'Donnell stopped writing the Modesty Blaise comic strip. He also retired from full-time writing. In 2002, he allowed Romero to turn one of his short stories, "The Dark Angels," into a comic.

From 2004 to 2009, he wrote introductions for new collections of Modesty Blaise comic strips. These were published by Titan Books. He was also interviewed for a special feature on the DVD of the 2004 film My Name Is Modesty. This movie was based on his character.

Peter O'Donnell hoped that no one else would write new Modesty Blaise stories after him. As of 2015, no new productions related to the character have been released, except for "The Dark Angels" comic and the My Name is Modesty film. In 2007, O'Donnell helped students from Bullers Wood and Newstead Wood schools create an official website for Modesty Blaise, Ltd.

Death

Peter O'Donnell suffered from Parkinson's disease in his later years. He passed away in May 2010 at the age of 90. He died in Brighton, Sussex. He is buried with his wife, Constance, at Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Woodingdean, Brighton.

Sources

• The Complete Modesty Blaise dossier
• Duke of York Theatre
• The Modesty Blaise Book Site
• Kristy Valenti's three-part article on Peter O'Donnell - Part one, Part Two and Part Three at comiXology
• Peter O'Donnell's 2001 interview with Publishers Weekly [1]