Author(s): Alan Davies

Classic Fiction

The first full-length biography of an eminent but often neglected writer

A. J. Cronin, author of some of the best-loved novels of the 20th century and the creator of Dr Finlay(basis of a BBC show), has been unjustly overlooked by literary biographers. This biography recounts the story of Cronin's Scottish childhood as the son of a Protestant mother and Catholic father, his subsequent medical career, and ultimately his rise to literary prominence, emphasizing throughout the importance of holding at arm's length many of the apocryphal tales that have accumulated around the memory of the author of The Citadel, Hatter's Castle, and The Stars Look Down, many of which are based on mistaken autobiographical readings of Cronin's fiction itself. Incorporating an account of Cronin's tempestuous relationship with his publisher, Victor Gollancz, and some startling revelations about the mental illness, betrayal, and forbidden affection at the heart of Cronin's loveless marriage, this timely and moving book paints a clear portrait of both Cronin the writer and Cronin the man.