David Hugh Courtney Gurr is a Canadian writer and author of literary novels and political thrillers. He was born William Le Breton Harvey Brisbane-Bedwell in 1936 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England but his name was changed by adoption in 1941. He was educated at Sherborne Prep and

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

in England before emigrating with his family to Canada. He attended Belmont High School in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

, the

Royal Canadian Naval College Royal Roads Military College (RRMC) was a Canadian military college from 1940 to 1995, located in Hatley Park, Colwood, British Columbia, near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The facility now serves as the campus of Royal Roads University, a ...

, and the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...

. Gurr served with the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

from 1954 to 1970 as an executive officer and computer systems analyst. His first interest was in the theatre, and he received a scholarship to "tread the boards" at UBC in the summer of 1952. His name can still be seen painted on the backstage wall of the Old Auditorium. From 1971 to 1980 he designed and built homes on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

. He has been a writer since 1976. His works include: ''Troika'' (1979), ''A Woman Called Scylla'' (1981), ''The Action of the Tiger'' (1984), ''An American Spy Story'' (1984), ''On the Endangered List'' (1985), ''The Ring Master'' (1987) plus various thrillers under pseudonyms; two stage plays: ''Leonora'' (1984) and ''The Ring Play: An Evening with Hitler'' (1991); and he was co-author for two screen plays (with

George Cosmatos George Pan Cosmatos (4 January 1941 – 19 April 2005) was a Greek-Italian film director and screenwriter. Following early success in his home country with drama films such as ''Massacre in Rome'' with Richard Burton (based on the real-life Arde ...

). ''Troika'' was short-listed for the John Creasey Memorial Award. ''The Ring Master'' was nominated for the

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

. ''The Voice of the Crane'' was short-listed for the

Commonwealth Prize Commonwealth Writers (established in 2011) is the cultural initiative of the Commonwealth Foundation. It aims to inspire, develop and connect writers across the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth. Its flagship is a literary award for short sto ...

(Canadian-Caribbean Division).Sherrill Grace, "The Black Curtain", review in ''Canadian Literature'' 129, pp. 151-152. He currently resides in Victoria,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada.

Notes

References

*The Canadian Who's Who, Elizabeth Lumle

*The Canadian Encyclopedia, "Popular Literature in English: Mysteries"
Interview with the author
by

Raymond H. Thompson Raymond H. Thompson is a Canadian scholar of medieval literature specializing in King Arthur and the Matter of Britain, and in the reinterpretation of this material in modern literature. He is a professor emeritus in the Department of English at Aca ...

on The Ring Master. 27 July 1989. *Gale CENGAGE sources: Contemporary Authors, volume(s) 132, Contemporary Authors - Brief Entry, volume(s) 125, Contemporary Authors New Revision Series, volume(s) 105, Interview in volume(s) CA-132

External links

* 1936 births Canadian male novelists Living people English emigrants to Canada Writers from Victoria, British Columbia 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Canadian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian male writers {{Canada-playwright-stub