Rafael Sabatini (29 April 1875 – 13 February 1950) was an Italian-born British

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, pla ...

of romance and

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extr ...

novels. He is best known for his worldwide

bestseller A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, coo ...

s: '' The Sea Hawk'' (1915), ''

Scaramouche Scaramouche () or Scaramouch (; from Italian Scaramuccia , literally "little skirmisher") is a stock clown character of the 16th-century commedia dell'arte (comic theatrical arts of Italian literature). The role combined characteristics of the ...

'' (1921), ''Captain Blood'' (a.k.a. ''Captain Blood: His Odyssey'') (1922), and ''

Bellarion the Fortunate ''Bellarion the Fortunate'', published in 1926, is an historical novel by Rafael Sabatini. Set at the beginning of the 15th century in northern Italy, it takes place first in the Marquessate of Montferrat and later in the Duchy of Milan. Most ...

'' (1926). In all, Sabatini produced 34 novels, eight short story collections, six non-fiction books, numerous uncollected short stories, and several plays.

Biography

Rafael Sabatini was born in

Iesi Jesi, also spelled Iesi (), is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Ancona in Marche, Italy. It is an important industrial and artistic center in the floodplain on the left (north) bank of the Esino river before its mouth on the Adriati ...

, Italy, to an English-speaking mother, Anna Trafford, and Italian father, Vincenzo Sabatini. His parents were opera singers who then became teachers. At a young age, Sabatini was exposed to many languages, living with his grandfather in Britain, attending school both in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

, and, as a teenager, in Switzerland. By the time he was 17, when he returned to Britain to live permanently, he had become proficient in five languages. He quickly added a sixth language – English – to his linguistic collection. He consciously chose to write in his adopted language, because, he said, "all the best stories are written in English". After a brief stint in the business world, Sabatini went to work as a writer. He wrote short stories in the 1890s, and his first novel came out in 1902. In 1905, he married Ruth Goad Dixon, the daughter of a

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

merchant. It took Sabatini roughly a quarter of a century of hard work before he attained success with ''

'' in 1921. The novel, an historical romance set during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

, became an international

. It was followed by the equally successful '' Captain Blood'' (1922). All of his earlier books were rushed into reprints, the most popular of which was '' The Sea Hawk'' (1915). Sabatini was a prolific writer; he produced a new book approximately every year and maintained a great deal of popularity with the reading public through the decades that followed. Several of his novels were adapted into films during the

silent era A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

, and the first three of these books were made into notable films in the

sound era A sound film is a motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decad ...

: '' The Sea Hawk'' in 1940, ''

'' in 1952, and '' Captain Blood'' in 1935. His third novel '' Bardelys the Magnificent'' was made into a famous 1926 "lost" film of the same title, directed by

King Vidor King Wallis Vidor (; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-making career successfully spanned the silent and sound eras. His works are distinguished by a vivid, ...

, starring John Gilbert, and long viewable only in a fragment excerpted in Vidor's silent comedy '' Show People'' (1928). All but one of the reels of ''Bardelys'' were rediscovered in France in 2006, and a restoration (with production stills standing in for the missing reel) was completed in 2008. Two silent adaptations of Sabatini novels which do survive intact are Rex Ingram's ''

'' (1923) starring

Ramón Novarro José Ramón Gil Samaniego (February 6, 1899 – October 30, 1968), known professionally as Ramon Novarro, was a Mexican-American actor. He began his career in silent films in 1917 and eventually became a leading man and one of the top box ...

, and '' The Sea Hawk'' (1924) directed by

Frank Lloyd Frank William George Lloyd (2 February 1886 – 10 August 1960) was a British-born American film director, actor, scriptwriter, and producer. He was among the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was its preside ...

and starring

Milton Sills Milton George Gustavus Sills (January 12, 1882 – September 15, 1930) was an American stage and film actor of the early twentieth century. Biography Sills was born in Chicago, Illinois, into a wealthy family. He was the son of William Henr ...

. The 1940 film ''The Sea Hawk'', with

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

, is not a remake but a wholly new story which just used the title. A silent version of '' Captain Blood'' (1924), starring

J. Warren Kerrigan George Jack Warren Kerrigan (July 25, 1879 – June 9, 1947) was an American silent film actor and film director. Controversy In May 1917, Kerrigan was nearing the end of a four-month-long personal appearance publicity tour that had taken ...

, is partly lost, surviving only in an incomplete copy in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The librar ...

. '' The Black Swan'' (1942) was filmed starring

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James (193 ...

and

Maureen O'Hara Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was a native Irish and naturalized American actress and singer, who became successful in Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural redhead who was known for pl ...

Personal life

Sabatini's only son, Rafael-Angelo (nicknamed Binkie), was killed in a car crash on 1 April 1927. In 1931, Sabatini and his wife Ruth divorced. Later that year he moved from London to

Clifford, Herefordshire Clifford is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, and to the north of Hay-on-Wye. It lies on the south bank of the River Wye The River Wye (; cy, Afon Gwy ) is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, fourth-longest r ...

, near

Hay-on-Wye Hay-on-Wye ( cy, Y Gelli Gandryll), simply known locally as "Hay" ( cy, Y Gelli), is a market town and community in Powys, Wales; it was historically in the county of Brecknockshire. With over twenty bookshops, it is often described as "the to ...

. In 1935, he married the sculptor Christine Dixon ( Wood), his former sister-in-law. They suffered further tragedy when Christine's son, Lancelot Steele Dixon, was killed in a flying accident on the day he received his RAF wings in 1940; he flew his aeroplane over his family's house, but the plane went out of control and crashed in flames right before the observers' eyes. By the 1940s, illness forced Sabatini to slow his prolific method of composition, though he did write several works during that time. Sabatini died in Switzerland 13 February 1950. He was buried in

Adelboden , neighboring_municipalities= Diemtigen, Frutigen, Kandersteg, Lenk im Simmental, Leukerbad (VS), Sankt Stephan , twintowns= } Adelboden is a mountain village and a municipality in Switzerland, located in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental admi ...

, Switzerland. On his headstone his wife had written, "He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad", the first line of ''

''.

Works

Series

Scaramouche

* ''

'' (1921), a tale of the

in which a fugitive hides out in a

commedia dell'arte (; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charac ...

troupe and later becomes a fencing master. * ''Scaramouche the King-Maker'' (1931), Sabatini wrote this sequel after ten years.

Captain Blood

* ''Tales of the Brethren of the Main'' (a series of short stories first published in ''Premier Magazine'' from 1920–1921) * '' Captain Blood'' (also known as ''Captain Blood: His Odyssey'', 1922), in which the title character escapes from unjust slavery to become admiral of a fleet of pirate ships. * ''

Captain Blood Returns ''Captain Blood Returns'' is a 1931 British historical adventure novel by the Anglo-Italian writer Rafael Sabatini. It is the second in Sabatini's trilogy about the character after '' Captain Blood'' (1922) and was followed by '' The Fortunes of ...

'' (also known as ''The Chronicles of Captain Blood'', 1931) * ''

The Fortunes of Captain Blood ''The Fortunes of Captain Blood'' is a 1936 British historical adventure novel by the Anglo-Italian writer Rafael Sabatini. It is the third in Sabatini's trilogy alongside '' Captain Blood'' (1922) and '' Captain Blood Returns'' (1931). Film ad ...

'' (1936)

Other Novels

* ''The Lovers of Yvonne'' (also known as ''The Suitors of Yvonne'', 1902) * '' The Tavern Knight'' (1904) * '' Bardelys the Magnificent'' (1906) * ''The Trampling of the Lilies'' (1906) * ''Love-At-Arms: Being a narrative excerpted from the chronicles of Urbino during the dominion of the High and Mighty Messer Guidobaldo da Montefeltro'' (1907) * ''The Shame of Motley'' (1908) * ''St. Martin's Summer'' (also known as ''The Queen's Messenger'', 1909) * ''Mistress Wilding'' (also known as ''Anthony Wilding'', 1910) * ''The Lion's Skin'' (1911) * ''The Strolling Saint'' (1913) * '' The Gates of Doom'' (1914) * '' The Sea Hawk'' (1915), a tale of an Elizabethan Englishman among the

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

of the Barbary Coast. * ''The Snare'' (1917) * ''Fortune's Fool'' (1923) * ''The Carolinian'' (1924) * ''

'' (1926), about a cunning young man who finds himself immersed in the politics of fifteenth-century Italy. * ''

The Nuptials of Corbal ''The Nuptials of Corbal'' is a 1927 historical adventure novel by the British writer Rafael Sabatini. Set during the French Revolution, it portrays the escapades of a Frenchman who saves condemned prisoners from the guillotine. Film adaptation ...

'' (1927) * ''The Hounds of God'' (1928) * ''The Romantic Prince'' (1929) * ''The Reaping'' (1929) * ''

The King's Minion ''The King's Minion'' or ''The Minion'' is a 1930 historical novel by the British-Italian writer Rafael Sabatini.Henderson & Kirkpatrick p.570 It is based on the life of Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset charting his dramatic rise as favourite ...

'' (also known as ''The Minion'', 1930) * '' The Black Swan'' (1932) * ''The Stalking Horse'' (1933) * ''

Venetian Masque ''Venetian Masque'' is a 1934 adventure novel written by the Anglo-Italian writer Rafael Sabatini. It is set in the 1790s, around the time of the invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte which led to the fall of the Republic of Venice. The hero is the Vic ...

'' (1934) * ''Chivalry'' (1935) * ''The Lost King'' (1937) * ''The Sword of Islam'' (1939) * ''The Marquis of Carabas'' (also known as ''Master-At-Arms'', 1940) * ''

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

'' (1941) * ''

King in Prussia King ''in'' Prussia (German: ''König in Preußen'') was a title used by the Prussian kings (also in personal union Electors of Brandenburg) from 1701 to 1772. Subsequently, they used the title King ''of'' Prussia (''König von Preußen''). T ...

'' (also known as ''The Birth of Mischief'', 1944) * '' The Gamester'' (1949)

Collections

* ''The Justice of the Duke'' (1912) **The Honour of Varano **The Test Ferrante's jest **Gismondi's wage **The Snare **The Lust of Conquest **The pasquinade * ''The Banner of the Bull'' (1915) * ''Turbulent Tales'' (1946)

Posthumous collections

* ''Saga of the Sea'' (omnibus comprising ''The Sea Hawk'', ''The Black Swan'' and ''Captain Blood'', 1953) * ''Sinner, Saint And Jester: A Trilogy in Romantic Adventure'' (omnibus comprising ''The Snare'', ''The Strolling Saint'' and ''The Shame of Motley'', 1954) * ''In the Shadow of the Guillotine'' (omnibus comprising ''Scaramouche'', ''The Marquis of Carabas'' and ''The Lost King'', 1955) * ''A Fair Head of Angling Stories'' (1989) * ''The Fortunes of Casanova and Other Stories'' (1994, stories originally published 1907–1921 & 1934) *'' The Outlaws of Falkensteig'' (2000, stories originally published 1900–1902) * ''The Camisade: And Other Stories of the French Revolution'' (2001, stories originally published 1900–1916) * ''The Evidence of the Sword and Other Mysteries'', ed. Jesse Knight (

Crippen & Landru Crippen & Landru Publishers is a small publisher of mystery fiction collections, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1994 by husband and wife Sandi and Douglas G. Greene in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is named af ...

, 2006, stories originally published 1898–1916)

Plays

* ''Bardelys the Magnificent'' (with Henry Hamilton) * ''Fugitives'' * ''In the Snare'' (with Leon M. Lion) * ''Scaramouche'' * ''The Rattlesnake'' (also known as ''The Carolinian'', 1922, with J. E. Harold Terry) * ''The Tyrant: An Episode in the Career of Cesare Borgia, a Play in Four Acts'' (1925). Borgia was played by

Louis Calhern Carl Henry Vogt (February 19, 1895 – May 12, 1956), known professionally as Louis Calhern, was an American stage and screen actor. Well known to film noir fans for his role as the pivotal villain in 1950's ''The Asphalt Jungle'', he was n ...

Anthologies edited

* ''A Century of Sea Stories'' (1935) * ''A Century of Historical Stories'' (1936)

Nonfiction

* ''The Life of

Cesare Borgia Cesare Borgia (; ca-valencia, Cèsar Borja ; es, link=no, César Borja ; 13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was an Italian ex- cardinal and '' condottiero'' (mercenary leader) of Aragonese (Spanish) origin, whose fight for power was a major ...

'' (1912) *
Torquemada and the Spanish Inquisition: A History
' (original edition 1913, revised edition 1930) * ''The Historical Nights' Entertainment'' (1917) **The night of Holyrood – The Murder of David Rizzio **The night of Kirk O'Field – The Murder of Darnley **The night of Bertrayal – Antonio Perez and Philip II of Spain **The night of Charity – The Case of the Lady Alice Lisle **The night of Massacre – The Story of the Saint Bartholomew **The night of Witchcraft – Louis XIV and Madame De Montespan **The night of Gems – The "Affairs" Of The Queen's Necklace **The night of Terror – The Drownings at Nantes Under Carrier **The night of Nuptials – Charles The Bold And Sapphira Danvelt **The night of Stranglers – Govanna of Naples And Andreas of Hungary **The night of Hate – The Murder of the Duke of Gandia **The night of Escape – Casanova's Escape From The Piombi **The night of Masquerade – The Assassination of Gustavus III of Sweden * ''The Historical Nights' Entertainment – Series 2'' (1919) **The absolution – Affonso Henriques, first king of Portugal **The false Demetrius – Boris Godunov and the pretended son of Ivan the Terrible **The hermosa fembra – an episode of the Inquisition in Seville **The pastry-cook of Madrigal – the story of the false Sebastian of Portugal ** The end of the "vert galant" – the assassination of Henry IV ** The barren wooing – the murder of Amy Robsart ** Sir Judas – the betrayal of Sir Walter Raleigh ** His Insolence of Buckingham – George Villiers' courtship of Anne of Austria ** The path of exile – the fall of Lord Clarendon ** The tragedy of Herrenhausen – Count Philip Königsmark and the Princess Sophia Dorothea ** The tyrannicide – Charlotte Corday and Jean Paul Marat *''The Historical Nights' Entertainment – Series 3'' (1938) ** The king's conscience – Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn ** Jane the queen – The Lady Jane Grey ** The 'crooked carcase' – Queen Elizabeth and the Earl of Essex ** The forbidden fruit – The Marriage of the Lady Arabella Stuart ** The merchant's daughter – Catherine de' Medici and the Guises ** The king of Paris – The Assassination of Henri de Guise ** The tragedy of Madame – The End of Henriette d'Angleterre ** The vagabond queen – Christine of Sweden and the Murder of Monaldeschi ** The queen's gambit – Maria-Theresa and the Elector of Bavaria ** The secret adversary – The Rise and Fall of Johann Frederich Struensee ** Madam Resourceful – Catherine of Russia and Poniatowski ** The victor of vendémiaire – Barras' Account of Bonaparte's Courtship of La Montansier * ''Heroic Lives'' (1934)

Notes

References

External links

* * * * * * *
RafaelSabatini.com
* a chronology of events in Sabatini's works *
Rafael Sabatini Papers

Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center (until 1983 the Humanities Research Center) is an archive, library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe for the pu ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sabatini, Rafael 1875 births 1950 deaths People from Iesi Italian emigrants to the United Kingdom 20th-century Italian novelists 20th-century British male writers British historical novelists Italian historical novelists English people of Italian descent Nautical historical novelists 20th-century British novelists Pulp fiction writers British male novelists Italian male novelists Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period 20th-century Italian male writers