Brian Moore by Denis Sampson
When the news of Brian Moore’s death in early 1999 became known, the literary world joined in mourning one of our country’s most versatile and gifted novelists. In a writing career spanning half a century, Brian Moore was shortlisted three times for the Booker Prize and was twice awarded the Governor General’s Award for Fiction. In this critical biography, Denis Sampson expertly traces Moore’s life and career, and illuminates the craft of this master storyteller.
From a comfortable upbringing in Belfast to serving behind the front lines in the Second World War, Brian Moore eventually moved to Montreal. His career as a novelist began with pulp thrillers, but Moore had greater ambitions. In 1955, the Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne instantly established Brian Moore’s reputation.
Sampson chronicles Moore’s first marriage, as well as his friendships with writers such as Mordecai Richler and William Weintraub. With success came a move to new York, but he was brought to Hollywood by Alfred Hitchcock, for whom we wrote the screenplay Torn Curtain. Moore re-married and settled in Malibu, all the while writing and enjoying growing international recognition.
Mining the novelist’s works, Sampson illustrates how Moore’s imagination and identity transformed his life experience into disparate characters and far-reaching situations. The biography draws on interviews with Brian Moore, and with family members, and on Moore’s non-fictional writing, to create a complex portrait. Most importantly, this insightful biography should inspire readers to re-discover one of the world’s great writers.
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