Nicholas Monsarrat (1910-79) was one of the twentieth centuries most succesful novelists, having decided to give up being a lawyer and head for London with a half finished manuscript in his pocket.
His most famous work was The Cruel Sea (1951), which was made into a film starring Jack Hawkins and Denholm Elliot. Set in the 2nd world War, it tells of two ships and their crews defending Atlantic convoys against impossible odds. Liverpool forms the background for much of the story.
Other works of Monsarrat include The Tribe That Lost Its Head and The Master Mariner. He also wrote Three Corvettes, an autobiographical account of his time in the navy during the war years.
Monsarrat was born in Liverpool in Rodney Street, the son of a dental surgeon. The family moved moved to the suburb of Allerton towards the end of World War 1. After being educated at Winchester and Cambridge he practiced law in the city before deciding to pursue a career in writing. My Brother Denys, an autobiographical account of growing up in Liverpool was written in 1948. |
