James Hilton (9 September 1900 – 20 December 1954) was an English novelist and screenwriter. He is best remembered for his novels ''
Lost Horizon
''Lost Horizon'' is a 1933 novel by English writer James Hilton. The book was turned into a film, also called ''Lost Horizon'', in 1937 by director Frank Capra. It is best remembered as the origin of Shangri-La, a fictional utopian lamaser ...
'', ''
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' is a novella about the life of a school teacher, Mr. Chipping, written by English writer James Hilton and first published by Hodder & Stoughton in October 1934. It has been adapted into two feature films and two televi ...
'' and ''
Random Harvest
''Random Harvest'' is a novel written by James Hilton, first published in 1941. Like previous Hilton works, including ''Lost Horizon'' and ''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'', the novel was immensely popular, placing second on ''Publishers Weekly'' list ...
'', as well as co-writing screenplays for the films ''
Camille'' (1936) and ''
Mrs. Miniver
''Mrs. Miniver'' is a 1942 American romantic war drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Inspired by the 1940 novel '' Mrs. Miniver'' by Jan Struther, it shows how the life of an unassuming British h ...
'' (1942), the latter earning him an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
.
Early life
Hilton was born in
Leigh
Leigh may refer to:
Places In England
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan
** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)
* Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Dorset
* Leigh, Gloucestershire
* Leigh, Kent
* Leigh, Staf ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
, the son of John Hilton, the headmaster of Chapel End School in
Walthamstow
Walthamstow ( or ) is a large town in East London, east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London and the Historic counties of England, ancient county of Essex. Situated northeast of Chari ...
. He was educated at the
Monoux School
Sir George Monoux College is a sixth form college located in Walthamstow, London. It is a medium-sized college with around 1,620 full-time students as of 2018.
Brief history
Sir George Monoux, the founder of the Grammar School (later College ...
Walthamstow
Walthamstow ( or ) is a large town in East London, east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London and the Historic counties of England, ancient county of Essex. Situated northeast of Chari ...
till 1914, then
The Leys School, Cambridge, and then at
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...
, where he wrote his first novel and was awarded an honours degree in English literature. He started work as a journalist, first for the ''
Manchester Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', then reviewing fiction for ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
''.
Career
Hilton's first novel, ''Catherine Herself,'' was published in 1920 when he was still an undergraduate.
The next 11 years were difficult for him, and it was not until 1931 that he had success with the novel ''And Now Goodbye''.
Following this, several of his books were international bestsellers and inspired successful film adaptations, notably ''
Lost Horizon
''Lost Horizon'' is a 1933 novel by English writer James Hilton. The book was turned into a film, also called ''Lost Horizon'', in 1937 by director Frank Capra. It is best remembered as the origin of Shangri-La, a fictional utopian lamaser ...
'' (1933), which won a
Hawthornden Prize
The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender, who was born at Hawthornden Castle. Authors under the age of 41 are awarded on the quality of their "imaginative literature", which can be written ...
; ''
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' is a novella about the life of a school teacher, Mr. Chipping, written by English writer James Hilton and first published by Hodder & Stoughton in October 1934. It has been adapted into two feature films and two televi ...
'' (1934); and ''
Random Harvest
''Random Harvest'' is a novel written by James Hilton, first published in 1941. Like previous Hilton works, including ''Lost Horizon'' and ''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'', the novel was immensely popular, placing second on ''Publishers Weekly'' list ...
'' (1941). After this, he continued to write, but the works were not regarded as of the same quality as his better-known novels.
Hilton's books are sometimes characterised as sentimental and idealistic celebrations of English virtues. This is true of ''Mr. Chips'', but some of his novels had a darker side. Flaws in the English society of his time—particularly narrow-mindedness and class-consciousness—were frequently his targets. His novel ''
We Are Not Alone'', despite its inspirational-sounding title, is a grim story of legally approved lynching brought on by wartime hysteria in Britain.
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies explained as originatin ...
, an early admirer despite his tepid reaction to ''The Meadows of the Moon'', came to conclude that Hilton had wasted his talent by being too prolific.
From 1948 to 1952, Hilton was also host of one of radio's prestige drama anthologies, ''
Hallmark Playhouse''. He also presented six episodes of ''
Ceiling Unlimited'' (1943) and hosted ''The Hallmark Playhouse'' (1948–1953) for
CBS Radio
CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broadc ...
.
''Lost Horizon''
First published in 1933, this novel won Hilton the
Hawthornden Prize
The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender, who was born at Hawthornden Castle. Authors under the age of 41 are awarded on the quality of their "imaginative literature", which can be written ...
in 1934.
Later,
Pocket Books
Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books.
History
Pocket Books produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in the United States in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing in ...
, which pioneered the publication of small, soft-cover, inexpensive books, picked ''
Lost Horizon
''Lost Horizon'' is a 1933 novel by English writer James Hilton. The book was turned into a film, also called ''Lost Horizon'', in 1937 by director Frank Capra. It is best remembered as the origin of Shangri-La, a fictional utopian lamaser ...
'' as its first title in 1939. For that reason, the novel is frequently called the book that began the "paperback revolution."
Hilton is said to have been inspired to write ''Lost Horizon'', and to invent "
Shangri-La
Shangri-La is a fictional place in Asia's Kunlun Mountains (昆仑山), Uses the spelling 'Kuen-Lun'. described in the 1933 novel ''Lost Horizon'' by English author James Hilton. Hilton portrays Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, ge ...
" by reading the ''
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
'' articles of
Joseph Rock, an
Austrian-American
Austrian Americans (, ) are Americans of Austrian descent, chiefly German-speaking Catholics and Jews. According to the 2000 U.S. census, there were 735,128 Americans of full or partial Austrian descent, accounting for 0.3% of the population. The ...
botanist
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
and
ethnologist
Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology) ...
exploring the southwestern Chinese provinces and
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
an borderlands. Still living in Britain at the time, Hilton was perhaps influenced by the Tibetan travel articles of early travelers in Tibet whose writings were found in the British Library. Christian Zeeman, the
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...
father of the
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
On ...
Christopher Zeeman
Sir Erik Christopher Zeeman FRS (4 February 1925 – 13 February 2016), was a British mathematician, known for his work in geometric topology and singularity theory.
Overview
Zeeman's main contributions to mathematics were in topology, partic ...
, has also been claimed to be the model for the hero of the story. He disappeared while living in Japan (where his son was born in 1925), and was reputed to be living incognito in a
Zen Buddhist
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
monastery.
Some say that the isolated valley town of
Weaverville, California, in far-northern
Trinity County, was a source, but this is the result of a misinterpretation of a comment by Hilton in a 1941 interview, in which he said that Weaverville reminded him of Shangri-La. Coincidentally,
Junction City (about 8 miles from Weaverville) now has a
Tibetan Buddhist centre with the occasional Tibetan monks in
saffron
Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent i ...
robes.
The name "
Shangri-La
Shangri-La is a fictional place in Asia's Kunlun Mountains (昆仑山), Uses the spelling 'Kuen-Lun'. described in the 1933 novel ''Lost Horizon'' by English author James Hilton. Hilton portrays Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, ge ...
" has become a byword for a mythical
utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...
, a permanently happy land, isolated from the world. After the
Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, when the fact that the bombers had flown from an aircraft carrier remained highly classified, U.S. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
told the press facetiously that they had taken off from Shangri-La. The Navy subsequently gave that name to an
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
, and Roosevelt named his presidential retreat in Maryland Shangri-La. (Later, President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
renamed the retreat
Camp David
Camp David is the country retreat for the president of the United States of America. It is located in the wooded hills of Catoctin Mountain Park, in Frederick County, Maryland, near the towns of Thurmont and Emmitsburg, about north-northwe ...
after his grandson, and that name has been used for it ever since.)
Zhongdian, a mountain region of northwest Tibet, has been renamed Shangri-La (Xianggelila), based on its claim to have inspired Hilton's book.
''Goodbye, Mr. Chips''
W.H. Balgarnie, a master at The Leys School, Cambridge and Hilton's father, headmaster of Chapel End School in
Walthamstow
Walthamstow ( or ) is a large town in East London, east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London and the Historic counties of England, ancient county of Essex. Situated northeast of Chari ...
, were the inspirations for the character of Mr. Chipping in ''
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' is a novella about the life of a school teacher, Mr. Chipping, written by English writer James Hilton and first published by Hodder & Stoughton in October 1934. It has been adapted into two feature films and two televi ...
'', a best-seller. Hilton first sent the material to ''
The Atlantic
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'', and the magazine printed it as a short story in April 1934. On 8 June, it was published as a book. Four months later it appeared as a book in Britain.
Personal life
Hilton wrote his two best remembered books, ''
Lost Horizon
''Lost Horizon'' is a 1933 novel by English writer James Hilton. The book was turned into a film, also called ''Lost Horizon'', in 1937 by director Frank Capra. It is best remembered as the origin of Shangri-La, a fictional utopian lamaser ...
'' and ''
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' is a novella about the life of a school teacher, Mr. Chipping, written by English writer James Hilton and first published by Hodder & Stoughton in October 1934. It has been adapted into two feature films and two televi ...
'', while living in a house at 42 Oak Hill Gardens, in
Woodford Green in northeast London. The house still stands, with a
blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...
marking Hilton's residence. By 1938, he had moved to California, and his work became more connected with the Hollywood film industry.
He married Alice Brown, a secretary at the BBC, just before they left for the United States in 1935, but they divorced in 1937.
The same year, he married actress
Galina Kopernak
Galina Kopernak (March 22, 1902 – July 11, 1985) was a Russian theater actress who appeared on Broadway in the 1920s. She may have been originally from Shanghai. She came to the United States from Moscow.
Stage career
Kopernak performed a ...
, but they divorced eight years later.
He became an American citizen in 1948.
Death
A heavy smoker, Hilton had various health problems when he made a farewell visit to England in 1954, and in December he died at his home in
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
, from
liver cancer
Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...
, with his reconciled former wife Alice at his side.
His obituary in ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' describes him as "a modest and retiring man for all his success; he was a keen mountaineer and enjoyed music and travel."
He was buried at
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Long Beach)
Forest Lawn-Long Beach is a 38-acre mortuary and memorial garden in Long Beach, California, United States. The gardens were established as Sunnyside Memorial Gardens in 1921 by Cecil E. Bryan, Sr., an entrepreneur whose family operated the facili ...
.
Works
Novels
*''Catherine Herself'' (1920)
*''Storm Passage'' (1922)
*''The Passionate Year'' (1924)
*''Dawn of Reckoning'' (U.S. title: ''Rage in Heaven'') (1925)
*''Meadows of the Moon'' (1926)
*''Terry'' (1927)
*''The Silver Flame'' (U.S. title: ''Three Loves Had Margaret'') (1928)
*''
Murder at School'' (U.S. title: ''Was It Murder?''), published under the pen-name
Glen Trevor (1931)
*''And Now Goodbye'' (1931)
*''Contango'' (''Ill Wind'') (1932)
* ''Rage in Heaven'' (1932)
*''
Knight Without Armour
''Knight Without Armour'' (styled as ''Knight Without Armor'' in some releases) is a 1937 British historical drama film starring Marlene Dietrich and Robert Donat. It was directed by Jacques Feyder and produced by Alexander Korda from a screenpl ...
'' (U.S. title: ''Without Armor'') (1933)
*''
Lost Horizon
''Lost Horizon'' is a 1933 novel by English writer James Hilton. The book was turned into a film, also called ''Lost Horizon'', in 1937 by director Frank Capra. It is best remembered as the origin of Shangri-La, a fictional utopian lamaser ...
'' (1933)
*''
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' is a novella about the life of a school teacher, Mr. Chipping, written by English writer James Hilton and first published by Hodder & Stoughton in October 1934. It has been adapted into two feature films and two televi ...
'' (1934)
*''
We Are Not Alone'' (1937)
*''
Random Harvest
''Random Harvest'' is a novel written by James Hilton, first published in 1941. Like previous Hilton works, including ''Lost Horizon'' and ''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'', the novel was immensely popular, placing second on ''Publishers Weekly'' list ...
'' (1941)
*''So Well Remembered'' (1945)
*''Nothing So Strange'' (1947)
*''Morning Journey'' (1951)
*''Time and Time Again'' (1953)
Non-fiction
*''Mr. Chips Looks at the World'' (1939)
*''
The Story of Dr. Wassell
''The Story of Dr. Wassell'' is a 1944 American World War II film set in the Dutch East Indies, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Gary Cooper, Laraine Day, Signe Hasso and Dennis O'Keefe. The film was based on a book of the same name by ...
'' (1944)
*''H.R.H.: The Story of Philip, Duke of Edinburgh'' (1956)
Short stories
*"The Failure" (1924)
*"Twilight of the Wise," published as a novella in 1949 (1936)
*"The Bat King" (1937)
*"It's a Crazy World" (1937)
*"From Information Received" (1938)
*"The Girl Who Got There" (1938)
*''To You, Mr Chips!'' (collection) (1938)
*"You Can't Touch Dotty" (1938)
Plays
*''And Now Goodbye'' (with Philip Howard) (1937)
*''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' (with Barbara Burnham) (1938)
Screenplays
*''
Camille'' (1936)
*''
We Are Not Alone'' (1939)
*''Lights Out in Europe'' (1940)
*''
Foreign Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...
'' (dialogue) (1940)
*''
The Tuttles of Tahiti'' (1942)
*''
Mrs. Miniver
''Mrs. Miniver'' is a 1942 American romantic war drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Inspired by the 1940 novel '' Mrs. Miniver'' by Jan Struther, it shows how the life of an unassuming British h ...
'' (1942)
*''
Forever and a Day'' (collaboration) (1943)
Adaptations and sequels of his works
Some of Hilton's novels were filmed:
*''
Lost Horizon
''Lost Horizon'' is a 1933 novel by English writer James Hilton. The book was turned into a film, also called ''Lost Horizon'', in 1937 by director Frank Capra. It is best remembered as the origin of Shangri-La, a fictional utopian lamaser ...
'' (
1937
Events
January
* January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua.
* January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Fe ...
,
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
)
*''
Knight Without Armour
''Knight Without Armour'' (styled as ''Knight Without Armor'' in some releases) is a 1937 British historical drama film starring Marlene Dietrich and Robert Donat. It was directed by Jacques Feyder and produced by Alexander Korda from a screenpl ...
'' (1937)
*''
We Are Not Alone'' (1939) with a screenplay by Hilton
*''
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' is a novella about the life of a school teacher, Mr. Chipping, written by English writer James Hilton and first published by Hodder & Stoughton in October 1934. It has been adapted into two feature films and two televi ...
'' (
1939
This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history.
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1
** Third Reich
*** Jews are forbidden to ...
,
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
, 1984, 2002)
*''
Rage in Heaven'' (1941)
*''
Random Harvest
''Random Harvest'' is a novel written by James Hilton, first published in 1941. Like previous Hilton works, including ''Lost Horizon'' and ''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'', the novel was immensely popular, placing second on ''Publishers Weekly'' list ...
'' (1942), reprised on radio in 1943
*''
The Story of Dr. Wassell
''The Story of Dr. Wassell'' is a 1944 American World War II film set in the Dutch East Indies, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Gary Cooper, Laraine Day, Signe Hasso and Dennis O'Keefe. The film was based on a book of the same name by ...
'' (1944), starring Gary Cooper
*''
So Well Remembered
''So Well Remembered'' is a 1947 British drama film starring John Mills, Martha Scott, and Trevor Howard. The film was based on James Hilton's 1945 novel of the same title and tells the story of a reformer and the woman he marries in a fictional ...
'' (1947) starring
John Mills
Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...
and narrated by Hilton
Hilton co-wrote the book and lyrics for ''
Shangri-La
Shangri-La is a fictional place in Asia's Kunlun Mountains (昆仑山), Uses the spelling 'Kuen-Lun'. described in the 1933 novel ''Lost Horizon'' by English author James Hilton. Hilton portrays Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, ge ...
'', a disastrous 1956 Broadway musical adaptation of ''Lost Horizon''.
There is one sequel to ''Lost Horizon'' titled ''Shangri-La'' and written by Eleanor Cooney and Daniel Altieri. It was licensed by the publisher
William Morrow (an imprint of
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...
) and approved by the heirs to the Hilton Estate, Elizabeth Hill and Mary Porterfield. ''Shangri-La'' continues James Hilton's tale, moving it forward in time to the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
of the 1960s and from there travelling back to the 1930s. In addition to its U.S. publication, the novel was further published in Germany, France, Spain and Portugal and Poland and (Eastern Europe) was a ''New York Times'' Notable Book.
[The New York Times, 1996 "...Subtle and beautiful." (date of review needs researching)]
Memorials
A furore was caused in the late 1990s, when
Wigan Council
The Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council is the local authority for the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in the United Kingdom. It consists of 75 Councillors with one-third being elected every three years in four. The borough is separated into 25 war ...
(the Metropolitan Borough responsible for Leigh) announced that a
blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...
in honour of Hilton would be placed not on his house in Wilkinson Street, but on the town hall. This caused great debate amongst the populace of Leigh, which considered it more appropriate to have it on the house itself, which is only a few hundred yards from the town hall. Subsequently, in 2013, a blue plaque was affixed to his birthplace at 26 Wilkinson Street.
In 1997, a blue plaque was erected on the wall of 42 Oakhill Gardens,
Woodford Green,
the modest semi-detached house in which Hilton was living with his parents from 1921.
James Hilton should not be confused with the Leigh businessman of the same name who became chairman of
Leigh Rugby League Football Club after the war and after whom the club's former ground,
Hilton Park (1947–2009), was named.
References
Further reading
*Roland Green in American Library Association (ALA) Booklist, 1996 (mo.?)
*Shangri-La, Kirkus Reviews Issue 15 Feb. 1996
*Shangri-La: Morrow/ Harper Collins/ pub. 1 May. 1996 Lib. Cong. 0-688-12872-6
External links
James Hilton Society(June 2009)
James Hilton Society Archived Website(June 2009)
*
*
*
a
Project Gutenberg AustraliaLost Horizon: NonProfit Fan Club of James Hilton's Book and Inspired Arts*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hilton, James
Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge
1900 births
1954 deaths
People educated at The Leys School
Deaths from liver cancer
People from Leigh, Greater Manchester
Deaths from cancer in California
20th-century English novelists
Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners
Male screenwriters
English male novelists
20th-century English male writers
20th-century English screenwriters
Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Long Beach)