John Blackburn (author)

Infobox Writer
name = John Blackburn


imagesize = 150 px
caption = "A Scent of New-Mown Hay" cover art
pseudonym =
birthdate = 1923
birthplace = Northumberland
deathdate = death year and age|1993|1923
deathplace =
occupation = Bookseller
nationality = British
genre = Thrillers, horror, historical fiction

John Fenwick Blackburn (born Northumberland, 26 June, 1923; died 1993) was a British novelist who wrote thrillers, horror novels, and "The Flame and the Wind" (1967), an unusual historical novel set in Roman times, in which a nephew of Pontius Pilate tries to discover the facts about the crucifixion of Jesus.

His horror novels are often structured as thrillers, with detective story plots involving international espionage, but leading to a supernatural resolution. This means that, as with some of the books of James Herbert, many of Blackburn's horror novels are notable for pace and plotting rather than for atmospheric effects. Blackburn specialised in mixing modern concerns such as germ warfare and international conspiracies with ancient traditions and curses, often to ingenious effect.

Many of his books feature stock characters, including General Charles Kirk of British Intelligence and his friends, the scientist Sir Marcus Levin and his Russian wife Tania.

Blackburn's novels "Nothing But the Night" and "The Gaunt Woman" were the basis for screenplays. "The Gaunt Woman" appeared as a made for TV movie in 1969 as "Destiny of a Spy" and "Nothing But the Night" was released to theaters in 1972. [ [http://imdb.com/name/nm2531967/ imdb Filmography John Blackburn] ]

Life

Blackburn was born in Corbridge, Northumberland and educated at Haileybury and Durham University. He was the brother of the poet Thomas Blackburn. During the Second World War (1942-45) he served in the British merchant navy, becoming a radio officer. He attended Durham University after returning to civilian life, earning his bachelor's degree in 1949. In 1950 he married Joan Mary Clift. He was a schoolmaster in London for two years, and he taught in Berlin for a year, following which he returned to London and became a director of Red Lion Books.

Bibliography

Horror novels

* "A Scent of New-Mown Hay" (1958)
* "A Sour Apple Tree" (1958)
* "Broken Boy" (1959)
* "A Ring of Roses" (1965)
* "Children of the Night" (1966)
* "Nothing But the Night" (1968)
* "Bury Him Darkly" (1969)
* "Blow the House Down" (1970), a non-supernatural story in which a racist architect deliberately designs a building to be a death-trap
* "Devil Daddy" (1972)
* "For Fear of Little Men" (1972)
* "Our Lady of Pain" (1974), based on Elizabeth Bathory, suggested by and dedicated to Christopher Lee

Thrillers

* "Bound to Kill" (1963)
* "The Winds of Midnight" (1964)
* "Murder at Midnight" (1964)
* "Packed for Murder" (1964)
* "Dead Man Running" (1964)
* "The Reluctant Spy" (1966)
* "The Gaunt Woman" (1967)
* "Blue Octavo" (1967)
* "Colonel Bogus" (1969)
* "The Young Man from Lima" (1970)
* "The Household Traitors" (1971)
* "Deep Among the Dead Men" (1973)
* "Mister Brown's Bodies" (1975)
* "The Face of the Lion" (1976)
* "The Cyclops Goblet" (1977)
* "Dead Man's Handle" (1978)
* "The Sins of the Father" (1979)
* "A Beastly Business" (1982)
* "The Bad Penny" (1985)

Historical novels

* "The Flame and the Wind" (1967)

ee also

* List of horror fiction authors

References