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Michael Harrison (25 April 1907 – 13 September 1991) was the pen name of the
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
detective fiction and
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
writer Maurice Desmond Rohan.


Biography

Michael Harrison was born in Milton,
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, on 25 April 1907. He attended the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
and served briefly in the British Military Intelligence during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. He married Marie-Yvonne Aubertin.


Career

Harrison published seventeen novels between 1934 and 1954, when he turned to writing detective fiction. He wrote
pastiches A pastiche is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking it ...
of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Poe's C. Auguste Dupin and was a noted Sherlock Holmes scholar. His most successful work, ''In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes'', was published in 1958 and was followed by ''The London of Sherlock Holmes'' and ''The World of Sherlock Holmes.'' Harrison was awarded the Occident Prize for ''Weep for Lycidas'' (1934), was named Duke of Sant Estrella by the
Kingdom of Redonda The Kingdom of Redonda is the name for the micronation associated with the tiny uninhabited Caribbean island of Redonda. The island lies between the islands of Nevis and Montserrat, within the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain, in the Wes ...
(1951), and was named Irregular Shilling by
The Baker Street Irregulars The Baker Street Irregulars is an organization of Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts founded in 1934 by Christopher Morley. The nonprofit organization currently numbers some 300 individuals worldwide. The group has published '' The Baker Street Journa ...
of New York (1964). He was a member of the
Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. , it represents over 12,000 members and ass ...
,
Crime Writers Association The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors’ organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its Dagger awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. T ...
, Baker Street Irregulars of New York, and the Sherlock Holmes Society of London.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Michael 1907 births 1991 deaths English fantasy writers English mystery writers English science fiction writers Sherlock Holmes scholars Alumni of the University of London People from Milton, Kent 19th-century British short story writers