Philip Nicholson (25 June 1940–10 July 2005), known by his
pen name A. J. Quinnell, was an English thriller novelist.
[Social and Personal Obituaries]
." ''Times of Malta
The ''Times of Malta'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Malta. Founded in 1935, by Lord and Lady Strickland and Lord Strickland's daughter Mabel, it is the oldest daily newspaper still in circulation in Malta. It has the widest circu ...
''. Thursday 14 July 2005. Retrieved 28 March 2011. He is best known for his novel ''
Man on Fire'', which has been adapted to film twice, most recently in
2004 featuring
Denzel Washington. Later in life he spent much of his time in
Gozo, Malta, where he died.
Life and work
Nicholson travelled throughout his life and several minor characters in his books are based on real people that he encountered on his travels. Nicholson was married three times. His last wife,
Elsebeth Egholm
Elsebeth Egholm (born 17 September 1960) is a Danish journalist and best-selling author who writes mainly crime fiction novels. She is known internationally as the creator of the television series ''Those Who Kill''.
Early life
Born in Nyborg on t ...
, is a Danish mystery novelist. The couple maintained residences on the island of
Gozo and in
Denmark
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.
When the author was preparing to publish his first book, ''
Man on Fire'', he wanted to keep his real identity a secret. During a conversation in a bar, his agent,
Chris Little, told him he could use a pseudonym. The author chose "Quinnell", after the
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
player
Derek Quinnell
Derek Leslie Quinnell (born 22 May 1949 in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire) is a former Welsh rugby union player. He played as a lock-forward and as a number eight. He was capped for Wales youth 1967/8 season.
Club career
Educated at Coleshill Seco ...
and "A. J." from the initials of the bartender's son.
Nicholson frequented Gleneagles bar in
Mġarr, Gozo, the town where the Malta ferry disembarks. He could often be found drinking vodkas with soda. He wrote late at night and through until the morning, always standing up. He also sponsored a local Gozo soccer team and was admired by the Gozitans.
The author's best-known creation was the character of Marcus Creasy, an American-born former member of the
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...
. The Creasy novels are cult favorites in Japan.
''
Man on Fire'' was directly adapted for film twice, in
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
and
2004. The latter film was adapted into a
2005 Bollywood film. This resulted in a wider demand for Quinnell's books, especially those that feature Creasy (listed in the Bibliography below).
Bibliography
References
External links
*
A.J. Quinnell Fan Site*
A.J. Quinnell" at
Shueisha
(lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
(archive)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinnell, A. J.
Quinell, A.J.
Quinnell, A.J.
Quinnell, A.J.
People from Nuneaton
20th-century English novelists
English male novelists
20th-century English male writers