Literary Birthday – 17 July – Michael Gilbert

Michael Gilbert was born on 17 July 1912 and died on 8 February 2006.

Michael Gilbert Quotes

1. What is a writer to do if he is not allowed to entertain?
2. A thriller is more difficult to write than a detective story. (‘The Moment of Violence’)
3. Because thrillers are more difficult, they are, on the whole, written by professionals. Detective stories of the greatest excellence are produced by school-mistresses, dons, County Court judges, poets, lawyers, Army Commanders, chemists, critics and other members of those underpaid professional classes who have to use their spare time productively or starve. (‘The Moment of Violence’)
4. I’ve learned that sometimes a smile represents the greatest form of deceit. (Perfected Sinfulness)
5. The detective story is the sonnet. It is precise, neat, satisfyingly symmetrical, constrained, but sustained, by the nicety of its form… The thriller is the ode. It has no formal rules at all. It has no precise framework. It has no top and, Heaven knows, no bottom. (Death Has Deep Roots: A Second World War Mystery)

Michael Gilbert was an English solicitor and acclaimed writer of crime fiction. During his long career, he wrote nearly 30 novels and hundreds of short stories, creating mysteries that ranged from police procedurals and courtroom dramas to espionage thrillers. Gilbert wrote his novels during his daily train journeys between Kent and Lincoln’s Inn, setting himself the goal of writing 500 words during each 50-minute commute. His background in law strongly influenced his work, giving his stories an authentic understanding of justice, investigations, and the drama of the British legal system. Known for combining sharp humour with the darker side of crime, Gilbert became a respected detective writer. He was a founding member of the British Crime Writers Association and was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1988. He also received the Life Achievement Anthony Award in 1990 and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1980. His many popular series include the Inspector Hazlerigg novels, beginning with Close Quarters, and the Patrick Petrella series, which began with Blood and Judgement.

Source for photograph: Curtis Brown

by Amanda Patterson
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