Bruce Marshall
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...
Claude Cunningham Bruce Marshall, known as Bruce Marshall (24 June 1899 – 18 June 1987) was a prolific Scottish writer who wrote fiction and non-fiction books on a wide range of topics and genres. His first book, ''A Thief in the Night'' came out in 1918, possibly
self-published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pri ...
. His last, ''
An Account of Capers ''An Account of Capers'' is a novel in Scotland, novel by Scottish writer Bruce Marshall (writer), Bruce Marshall. His last book, it was published List of works published posthumously, posthumously in 1988. Plot summary Set against the backgrou ...
'' was published
posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...
in 1988, a span of 70 years.


Life and work

Marshall was born in
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
, Scotland, the son of Claude Niven Marshall and Annie Margaret (Bruce) Marshall. He was educated at St. Andrews. He became a Roman Catholic in 1917 and remained active and interested in the faith for the rest of his life. He was a member and at times served as an officer in the
Una Voce The ''Fœderatio Internationalis Una Voce'' or simply ''Una Voce'' (Latin for "With One Voice"; from the preface to the Roman Canon) is an international federation of Catholic lay organizations attached to the Tridentine Mass. History The ''Foede ...
and the Latin Mass Society organisations. During
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
he initially served as a private in the
Highland Light Infantry The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First and Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fus ...
. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Royal Irish Fusiliers in 1918 and was then moved to The 34th County of London Battalion. Six days before the 1918
Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...
he was seriously wounded at Bruyelles in France. Courageous German medical orderlies risked intense shelling to rescue him and he was taken prisoner. His injuries resulted in the amputation of one leg. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1919 and invalided out in 1920. After the war he completed his education in Scotland, graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce from the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
in 1925 before becoming an
auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting and a ...
, and moved to France where he worked in the Paris branch of Peat Marwick Mitchell. In 1928 he married Mary Pearson Clark (1908–1987). They had one daughter—Sheila Elizabeth Bruce Marshall. In 2009, his granddaughter, Leslie Ferrar, was Treasurer to the
Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
. He was living in Paris during the 1940
Invasion of France France has been invaded on numerous occasions, by foreign powers or rival French governments; there have also been unimplemented invasion plans. * the 1746 War of the Austrian Succession, Austria-Italian forces supported by the British navy attemp ...
and escaped two days before the
Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
occupied the city. Returning to England he rejoined the military, initially serving in the
Royal Army Pay Corps The Royal Army Pay Corps (RAPC) was the corps of the British Army responsible for administering all financial matters. It was amalgamated into the Adjutant General's Corps in 1992. History The first "paymasters" have existed in the army before t ...
as a lieutenant. He was promoted to captain in
Intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can be des ...
, assisting the French underground, and then was a
lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...
in the Displaced Persons Division in Austria.Marshall, B: ''The Accounting'' endnote Houghton Mifflin Company 1958. He transferred to the
General List The General Service Corps (GSC) is a corps of the British Army. Role The role of the corps is to provide specialists, who are usually on the Special List or General List. These lists were used in both World Wars for specialists and those not allo ...
in 1945, and left the Army as a lieutenant-colonel in 1946. After the war Marshall returned to France, moving to the Côte d'Azur and living there for the remainder of his life. He died in Biot, France, six days before his 88th birthday.


Writing career

A
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
convert Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...
, Marshall wrote stories that are usually humorous and mildly satiric and typically have religious overtones. Important themes which run through his works are
Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, accounting, a Scottish heritage and war, adventure and intrigue. Often major characters are
accountants An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certifi ...
or Catholic priests. Characters in his novels are often fond of animals and concerned about their treatment. Contempt for modern art and literature is often expressed. Marshall's first literary work was a collection of short stories entitled ''A Thief in the Night'' published while he was still a student at St. Andrews University. His first novel, '' This Sorry Scheme'' was published in 1924. A stream of novels soon followed, but none of the fiction he wrote before the
Second World War 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 opposi ...
gained as much notoriety or staying power as '' Father Malachy's Miracle'' (1931). After the Second World War Marshall became a writer full-time, giving up his work as an accountant. As to his dual career as an accountant and writer, Marshall once said, "I am an accountant who writes books. In accounting circles I am hailed as a great writer. Among novelists I am assumed to be a competent accountant."Marshall, B: ''To Every Man a Penny'' endnote. Houghton Mifflin 1949. Among his better known works after the Second World War is ''
The White Rabbit The White Rabbit is a fictional and anthropomorphic character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. He appears at the very beginning of the book, in chapter one, wearing a waistcoat, and muttering "Oh dear! Oh dear! ...
'' (1953), a biography of
Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...
F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas, describing his exploits and sufferings while in the Resistance during World War II. In 1959 he was awarded the
Włodzimierz Pietrzak Włodzimierz Pietrzak (; 7 July 1913 – 22 August 1944) was a Polish poet and literary critic. He was active in the underground cultural life in occupied Poland, editing underground magazines. He took part and died in the Warsaw Uprising. A lite ...
prize. The theme of much of Marshall's works is religion, with a focus on Roman Catholicism. His first great success, ''Father Malachy's Miracle'', is about an innocent Scottish priest whose encounter with sinful behaviour causes him to become involved in a
miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...
. A number of his later novels also deal with clergy who are faced with temptation but manage to triumph in a modest and humble manner (e.g., '' The World, the Flesh, and Father Smith'' (AKA ''All Glorious Within'') (1944), '' A Thread of Scarlet'' (AKA ''Satan and Cardinal Campbell'') (1959), ''
Father Hilary's Holiday ''Father Hilary's Holiday'' is a 1965 novel by Scottish writer Bruce Marshall Lieutenant-Colonel Claude Cunningham Bruce Marshall, known as Bruce Marshall (24 June 1899 – 18 June 1987) was a prolific Scottish writer who wrote fiction an ...
'' (1965), '' The Month of the Falling Leaves'' (1963)). Other books centered on religious issues deal more with Catholic doctrine and its relationship to modern life than with personal responsibility, such as ''
The Bishop A bishop is a person of authority in a Christian church. Bishop, Bishops or Bishop's may also refer to: Religious roles * Bishop (Catholic Church) * Bishop (Eastern Orthodox Church) * Bishop (Latter Day Saints) * Bishop (Methodism) Places An ...
'' (1970), '' Peter the Second'' (1976), '' Urban the Ninth'' (1973) and '' Marx the First'' (1975). Like many
expatriates An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...
, Marshall expressed great love for his homeland. Most of his books were either set in Great Britain and/or have main characters of British nationality. The work which best shows Marshall's affection for Scotland may be '' The Black Oxen'' (1972), which Marshall billed as a Scottish Epic. Several of Marshall's books have themes about espionage and intrigue, such as '' Luckypenny'' (1937), '' A Girl from Lübeck'' (1962), ''The Month of the Falling Leaves'' (1963), '' Operation Iscariot'' (1974), ''
An Account of Capers ''An Account of Capers'' is a novel in Scotland, novel by Scottish writer Bruce Marshall (writer), Bruce Marshall. His last book, it was published List of works published posthumously, posthumously in 1988. Plot summary Set against the backgrou ...
'' (1988), '' The Accounting'' (AKA ''The Bank Audit'') (1958), and '' Only Fade Away'' (1954). Some of his novels feature major characters who, like Marshall himself, have suffered the loss of a limb. Often major characters from one novel appear in minor roles in other novels. Marshall was relatively popular in his time. His books were reviewed in major publications on both sides of the
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
. At least two of his books were
Book of the Month Club Book of the Month (founded 1926) is a United States subscription-based e-commerce service that offers a selection of five to seven new hardcover books each month to its members. Books are selected and endorsed by a panel of judges, and members ...
selections; '' Vespers in Vienna'' (1947) and ''The World, the Flesh, and Father Smith'' (AKA ''All Glorious Within'') (1944), in June 1945. An
Armed Services Edition Armed Services Editions (ASEs) were small paperback books of fiction and nonfiction that were distributed in the American military during World War II. From 1943 to 1947, some 122 million copies of more than 1,300 ASE titles were distributed to s ...
of ''The World, the Flesh, and Father Smith'' was also produced. His books were published in at least nine languages – English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish, Czech, Portuguese & Spanish.


Film, stage and television adaptations

His 1931 novel '' Father Malachy's Miracle'' was adapted for the stage in 1938 by Brian Doherty. ''Father Malachy's Miracle'' play review The novel was adapted for presentation on ''
The Ford Theatre Hour ''Ford Theatre'', spelled ''Ford Theater'' for the original radio version and known, in full, as ''The Ford Television Theatre'' for the TV version, is a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 1950 ...
'', an American TV show, in 1950. In 1961, the novel was the basis for the German film '' Das Wunder des Malachias'' directed by
Bernhard Wicki Bernhard Wicki (28 October 1919 – 5 January 2000) was an Austrian actor and film director. Life and career Wicki studied in the city of Breslau such topics as art history, history and German literature. In 1938, he transferred to the d ...
and starring Horst Bollmann, Richard Münch and Christiane Nielsen. His 1947 novel '' Vespers in Vienna'' was the basis of the 1949 film ''
The Red Danube ''The Red Danube'' is a 1949 American drama film directed by George Sidney and starring Walter Pidgeon. The film is set during Operation Keelhaul and was based on the 1947 novel '' Vespers in Vienna'' by Bruce Marshall. Plot In Rome shortly af ...
'' starring
Walter Pidgeon Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian-American actor. He earned two Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his roles in '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942) and ''Madame Curie'' (1943). Pidgeon also starred in ...
, Ethel Barrymore,
Peter Lawford Peter Sydney Ernest Lawford ( Aylen; 7 September 1923 – 24 December 1984) was an English-American actor.Obituary '' Variety'', 26 December 1984. He was a member of the " Rat Pack" and the brother-in-law of US president John F. Kennedy and se ...
,
Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...
and
Janet Leigh Jeanette Helen Morrison (July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004), known professionally as Janet Leigh, was an American actress, singer, dancer, and author. Her career spanned over five decades. Raised in Stockton, California, by working-class parents, ...
.
George Sidney George Sidney (October 4, 1916May 5, 2002) was an American film director and producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His work includes cult classics '' Bye Bye Birdie'' (1963) and ''Viva Las Vegas'' (1964). With an extensive backgr ...
directed. After the movie's release the novel was re-issued under the title ''The Red Danube''. His 1953 novel '' The Fair Bride'' was the basis of the 1960 film ''
The Angel Wore Red ''The Angel Wore Red'', also known as ''La sposa bella'' in its Italian version, is a 1960 Italian-American MGM/Titanus coproduction war drama starring Ava Gardner and Dirk Bogarde. It was directed by Nunnally Johnson and produced by Goffredo Lo ...
'' starring
Ava Gardner Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' attention in 1946 with her perform ...
, Dirk Bogarde,
Joseph Cotten Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr. (May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American film, stage, radio and television actor. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original stage productions of '' The Philadelphia Story'' and '' Sab ...
and
Vittorio De Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: ''Sciuscià'' and ''Bicycle Thieves'' (honorary) ...
. It was the last film directed by
Nunnally Johnson Nunnally Hunter Johnson (December 5, 1897 – March 25, 1977) was an American screenwriter, film director, producer, and playwright. As a filmmaker, he wrote the screenplays to more than fifty films in a career that spanned from 1927 to 1967. He ...
. His 1952 book, ''
The White Rabbit The White Rabbit is a fictional and anthropomorphic character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. He appears at the very beginning of the book, in chapter one, wearing a waistcoat, and muttering "Oh dear! Oh dear! ...
'', recounting the
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 ...
exploits of secret agent F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas, was made into a TV mini-series in 1967. His 1963 novel '' The Month of the Falling Leaves'' was the basis of the 1968 German TV show '' Der Monat der fallenden Blätter''. Marshall co-wrote the screenplay with . It was directed by Dietrich Haugk.


Notes


References

* ''Contemporary Authors'', Vols. 5–8, p. 733 (First Revision, 1969) * ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Vol. 36, pp. 835–836 (2000)


External links


Georgetown Bruce Marshall Papers



Biography in Purvis Family Tree
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Bruce 1899 births 1987 deaths British Army General List officers British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II British traditionalist Catholics Converts to Roman Catholicism Highland Light Infantry soldiers Writers from Edinburgh Alumni of the University of St Andrews Roman Catholic writers Royal Army Pay Corps officers Royal Irish Fusiliers officers Scottish novelists Scottish Roman Catholics Scottish Roman Catholic writers Traditionalist Catholic writers 20th-century Scottish novelists Scottish male novelists 20th-century British male writers Scottish amputees