Michael Sayers (19 December 1911 – 2 May 2010) was an Irish poet, playwright, and writer whose books co-authored with

Albert E. Kahn Albert Eugene Kahn (May 11, 1912 – September 15, 1979) was an American journalist, photographer, and author. He is known chiefly for his books ''Sabotage! The Secret War Against America'' (1944), related to Nazi and German-American subversive ...

made him a target of US blacklisting during the

McCarthyism McCarthyism is the practice of making false or unfounded accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to anarchism, communism and socialism, and especially when done in a public and attention-grabbing manner. The term origin ...

era of the 1950s. He wrote scripts for TV in the 1950s, and as a screenwriter in the 1960s for movies including James Bond film '' Casino Royale''.

Background

Parliament_Square_from_the_Graduates_Memorial_Building_(GMB)_-_geograph

Michael Sayers was born on December 19, 1911, in Dublin, Ireland, one of four children. His parents, Philip Sayers and Molly Harmel, were Jewish Lithuanians; his father, strongly committed to Irish Republicanism, was a friend of

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

. Sayers went to school in Dublin and briefly at Cheltenham College in England. He studied briefly at London University and at Trinity College Dublin. At Trinity, he studied French under

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...

. At Michael MacLiammoir's Gate Theatre, he interacted with actors like Orson Welles and

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was the top box-office attraction in the UK in 1944 and 1945; his British films inc ...

. He published poetry and wrote for the theater magazine ''Motley'' as well as ''College Miscellanyas''.

Career

In the 1930s, age 18, Sayers first worked for

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...

, who made him a theater reviewer for ''

The Criterion ''The Criterion'' was a British literary magazine published from October 1922 to January 1939. ''The Criterion'' (or the ''Criterion'') was, for most of its run, a quarterly journal, although for a period in 1927–28 it was published monthly. It ...

''. A.R. Orage gave him the same role for ''

The New English Weekly ''The New English Weekly'' was a leading British review of "Public Affairs, Literature and the Arts." It was founded in April 1932 by Alfred Richard Orage shortly after his return from Paris. One of Britain's most prestigious editors, Orage had ed ...

''. Through A.R. Orage, Sayers wound up sharing a flat with fellow writers

Rayner Heppenstall John Rayner Heppenstall (27 July 1911 in Lockwood, Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England – 23 May 1981 in Deal, Kent, England) was a British novelist, poet, diarist, and a BBC radio producer.John Wakeman, ''World Authors 1950-1970 : a companion volu ...

and Eric Blair ("

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...

"). Sayers published stories in

Edward J. O'Brien Edward Joseph Harrington O'Brien (1890–1941) was a U.S. writer, poet, editor and anthologist. As Edward J. O'Brien, he created a series of annual anthologies containing his selection of the previous year's best short stories by U.S. authors, ...

's annual ''Best British Short Stories''. In 1936, Sayers moved to New York City as dramaturge for Norman Bel Geddes. In 1939, Sayers worked for ''

Friday (magazine) is a Japanese weekly magazine that contains celebrity gossip, politics, news, and simply. It is published by Kodansha. New issues are released every friday, hence the name. History ''Friday'', often called , was launched on 9 November 1984. ...

'' and investigated pro-Nazi activities (e.g., Henry Ford) in the United States. By 1942, he was working with Kahn for ''The Hour'' newsletter, also investigating Nazis. Together, Sayers and Kahn wrote three books: ''Sabotage!: The Secret War Against America'' (1942), ''The Plot Against the Peace: A Warning to the Nation!'' (1945), and ''The Great Conspiracy'' (1946). Sayers claimed he was the first journalist to report on the newly liberated Nazi death camps – stories his '' Fortune (magazine)'' editor rejected the story as unbelievable. In March 1944, Sayers published a four-part series of articles entitled "Rise of Anti-Semitic Fifth Column in Eire" in '' PM'' newspaper. The title of one article was "Truth About Nazi Espionage in Eire: Irish Terrorists Work Directly Under Hitler's Order." The Irish consul general in New York City and the government in Ireland exchanged worried messages. The Jewish Representative Council of Ireland became involved and had 14 representatives sign a document that declared, "No Irish Government has ever discriminated between Jew and Non-Jew." Fianna Fáil T.D. Robert Briscoe, Jewish, wrote to the same effect. Their statements appeared in Irish and Catholic newspapers in the USA. On March 25, 1944, ''PM'' responded, denying it had imputed the current Irish government but also asserting that anti-Semitism did exist in Ireland and that some people there supported the Nazis, e.g., the Irish Fascist Party. Later, documentary evidence showed that pro-Nazi, anti-Semitic sentiments did exist among some people in Ireland. Also, the German embassy did foster such sentiments. Further, there were connections between Father Charles Coughlin and the Christian Front in the USA and a Father Denis Fahey of the Kimmage Manor seminary in Ireland. Exacerbating the cross-Atlantic concerns was the fact that, in February 1944, the Irish government had published the contents of an "American Crisis Note," in which US Secretary of State

Cordell Hull Cordell Hull (October 2, 1871July 23, 1955) was an American politician from Tennessee and the longest-serving U.S. Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years (1933–1944) in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ...

asked Ireland to expel German and Japanese government representatives. George-orwell-BBC

In mid-1945, Sayers returned to London, where he saw Orwell, who had just published ''

Animal Farm ''Animal Farm'' is a beast fable, in the form of satirical allegorical novella, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to crea ...

''. In the later 1940s, Sayers helped inaugurate live television by writing plays for NBC for stars like

Rex Harrison Sir Reginald Carey "Rex" Harrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor. Harrison began his career on the stage in 1924. He made his West End debut in 1936 appearing in the Terence Rattigan play ''French Without Tears'', in what ...

and Boris Karloff. In the 1950s, Sayers was blacklisted because of his left-wing sympathies. The renewal of his US passport was threatened. He reclaimed Irish citizenship and was helped to get an Irish passport by Irish writer and diplomat Conor Cruise O'Brien. Sayers seemed to escape anti-Communist efforts in theater (e.g., Maria Duce's Catholic Cinema and Theatre Patrons Association) when his play ''Kathleen'' ("a light romantic comedy") debuted in Dublin in the mid-1950s. In the 1950s he lived in France and, under the pseudonym "Michael Connor" he wrote plays for BBC television's '' Armchair Theatre''. He also wrote drama series such as The Adventures of Robin Hood, William Tell, and

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...

. He introduced

Joseph Losey Joseph Walton Losey III (; January 14, 1909 – June 22, 1984) was an American theatre and film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Wisconsin, he studied in Germany with Bertolt Brecht and then returned to the United States. Blackliste ...

Dirk Bogarde Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as ''Doctor in the House'' (1954) for the Rank Organ ...

; Bogarde appeared in Losey films, e.g., ''The Servant and Accident''. In the 1960s, Sayers worked for

Charles K. Feldman Charles K. Feldman (April 26, 1905 – May 25, 1968) was a Hollywood attorney, film producer and talent agent who founded the Famous Artists talent agency. According to one obituary, Feldman disdained publicity. "Feldman was an enigma to Holly ...

on the screenplays of ''

Zorba the Greek ''Zorba the Greek'' ( el, Βίος και Πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά, , Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas) is a novel written by the Cretan author Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in 1946. It is the tale of a young Greek int ...

'' and ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

''., and wrote the final version of the screenplay of the James Bond film '' Casino Royale'' In the 1980s, Sayers moved to New York City to stay and spent the rest of his life writing poems and plays and teaching screenwriting until shortly before his death.

Personal life and death

In 1938, Sayers married Mentana Galleani, daughter of the militant Italian anarchist

Luigi Galleani Luigi Galleani (; 1861–1931) was an Italian anarchist active in the United States from 1901 to 1919. He is best known for his enthusiastic advocacy of "propaganda of the deed", i.e. the use of violence to eliminate those he viewed as tyrants ...

(whose followers included Sacco and Vanzetti). They had two sons. In 1955, they divorced. In 1957, Sayers married Sylvia Thumin (who died in 2006. and he adopted her son. Sayers died age 98 on May 2, 2010, in New York.

Legacy

At his death, the UK's ''Independent'' wrote of him: "Sayers had a sharp political intelligence and spoke of his persecution in America with realism and resignation. He was a gentle, humorous man, who, like many gifted writers of his generation, paid the price for having the wrong opinions at the wrong time in the wrong place, and whose career never quite recovered from the set-back."

Works

;Books written with Alfred E. Kahn
''Sabotage! The Secret War Against America''
(1942, 1944) ** ''Taĭnai︠a︡ voĭna protiv Ameriki'' (1947)
''The Plot Against the Peace: A Warning to the Nation!''
(1945)
''The Great Conspiracy: The Secret War Against Soviet Russia''
(1946) ** ''Gran conspiración contra Rusia'' (1946, 1948) ** ''Grote samenzwering'' (1946) ** ''Groyse farshverung'' (1946) ** ''Gran conspiración contra Rusia'' (1948) ** ''Grande congiura'' (1948) ** ''Wielki spisek przeciwko ZSRR'' (1948) ** ''Velké spiknutí'' (1950) ** ''Tālāqu śérā'' (1981) ;Articles * "Japan's Undercover Drive in America," ''Friday'' (February 14, 1941) ;Plays * ''Kathleen'' (1955) * ''Electra: the Legend'' (1997) * ''The Neutrals'' (1998) * ''Joan Saint Joan'' (1991) ; Screenplays * '' Casino Royale (1967 film)'' ; Teleplays * ''Der Spazierstock'' (1955)

References

External links

Archive of Michael Sayers

Blacklisted! The Life and Extraordinary Times of Irish-Born Jewish Writer, Michael Sayers

Sean SayersKatrina Goldstone, ''Irish Writers and the Thirties: Art, Exile and War.'' Routledge, 2021
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayers, Michael 1911 births 2010 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American poets 20th-century American writers 20th-century Irish poets Alumni of Trinity College Dublin American investigative journalists American male dramatists and playwrights American male journalists American male poets American political writers Irish Jews Irish emigrants to the United States Irish socialists Irish writers Jewish American writers Jewish socialists Victims of McCarthyism