Gerald Hanley
Encyclopedia
Gerald Hanley was a British novelist and travel writer of Irish descent.
(not Cork, Ireland as he claimed), was the youngest of a large, Irish-Liverpudleian Catholic, family. Both his working class parents were from Ireland, his father Edward from Dublin, his mother Bridget from Cobh, County Cork, but were married in Liverpool in 1891. His father Edward was a seaman, especially on Cunard liners, but he also some times worked on shore.
In 1934 Gerald went to East Africa, where he worked on a farm in Kenya until the war in 1939. This was arranged with the help of James Hanley's friend John Cowper Powys
, whose brother William farmed in Kenya.
Joining the King's African Rifles of the British army on the outbreak of the Second World War, Hanley served in both in Somalia and in Burma, where Monsoon Victory (1946) is set. Prior to this he had had a few short stories published. While he published a number of novels he also wrote radio plays for the BBC as well as some film scripts, most notably the "Blue Max" (1966). He was also one of several script writers for a life of Gandhi (1964). Parts of his script were used for the Richard Attenborough Film 'Gandhi' (see Attenborough's book on the subject).
In 1950, he went to the Punjab in India
, and Hanley also lived in Srinagar, Pakistan, where he was married to Asha Weymiss, a Brahmin woman who had been adopted as a child by an English woman working in India, before finally settling in County Wicklow, Ireland in 1954 with his first wife, Diana Fittall.(Some sources give a later date). He is survived by 7 children with Diana and two with Asha.
His brother was the novelist James Hanley, while the American novelist and playwright William Hanley
was his nephew. William's sister Ellen Hanley
was a successful broadway actress. Gerald Hanley died on the 7 September 1992, in Dun Leaoghaire, Ireland.
Hanley's first book, Monsoon Victory (1946), is an account of the 1944 Burma campaign, from the point of view of a war correspondent. The Consul at Sunset (1951), Drinkers of Darkness (1955) and The Year of the Lion (1959) have for their background the life of expatriates in Kenya
, as the British Empire
declines. While Warriors and Strangers (1971), a mixture of autobiography and travel writing, again has Africa as its setting.
Not all Gerald Hanley's novels, however, deal with war and empire, for example, Without Love is set in present-day Barcelona and its protagonist is the seedy son of a London-Irish family, who is an executioner for Russia's secret police
The Journey Homeward (1961), along with Hanley's last novel, Noble Descents (1982), are both set in India. Henry Hathaway
's 1967 movie entitled The Last Safari, starring Stewart Granger
and Gabriella Licudi
, was based on Gilligan's Last Elephant
. Noble Descents is set six years after independence, and concerns a friendship between an Indian Maharajah and an Englishman.
An abridged version of The Year of the Lion was boadcast by the BBC, in twelve parts, in 1984. Admired by Hemingway
and compared to Conrad
, Gerald Hanley, overshadowed by both Paul Scott and, to a lesser degree, his brother James Hanley, failed to achieve any lasting fame. Sinclair-Stevenson, in his obituary, suggests that the success of The Consul at Sunset, in 1951, was a factor in this: "Nothing after seemed to them to indicate progress or a new dimension". His stance against colonialism certainly didn't help his cause at the time.
Biography
Gerald Hanley born on 7 February 1916, in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
(not Cork, Ireland as he claimed), was the youngest of a large, Irish-Liverpudleian Catholic, family. Both his working class parents were from Ireland, his father Edward from Dublin, his mother Bridget from Cobh, County Cork, but were married in Liverpool in 1891. His father Edward was a seaman, especially on Cunard liners, but he also some times worked on shore.
In 1934 Gerald went to East Africa, where he worked on a farm in Kenya until the war in 1939. This was arranged with the help of James Hanley's friend John Cowper Powys
John Cowper Powys
-Biography:Powys was born in Shirley, Derbyshire, in 1872, the son of the Reverend Charles Francis Powys , who was vicar of Montacute, Somerset for thirty-two years, and Mary Cowper Johnson, a descendent of the poet William Cowper. He came from a family of eleven children, many of whom were also...
, whose brother William farmed in Kenya.
Joining the King's African Rifles of the British army on the outbreak of the Second World War, Hanley served in both in Somalia and in Burma, where Monsoon Victory (1946) is set. Prior to this he had had a few short stories published. While he published a number of novels he also wrote radio plays for the BBC as well as some film scripts, most notably the "Blue Max" (1966). He was also one of several script writers for a life of Gandhi (1964). Parts of his script were used for the Richard Attenborough Film 'Gandhi' (see Attenborough's book on the subject).
In 1950, he went to the Punjab in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and Hanley also lived in Srinagar, Pakistan, where he was married to Asha Weymiss, a Brahmin woman who had been adopted as a child by an English woman working in India, before finally settling in County Wicklow, Ireland in 1954 with his first wife, Diana Fittall.(Some sources give a later date). He is survived by 7 children with Diana and two with Asha.
His brother was the novelist James Hanley, while the American novelist and playwright William Hanley
William Hanley
William Hanley is an American author, playwright and screenwriter. Among other works, he has written the plays Slow Dance on the Killing Ground, Whisper in my good ear, and Mrs. Dally has a Lover, and the teleplays Who'll Save Our Children?, The Long Way Home, and The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank...
was his nephew. William's sister Ellen Hanley
Ellen Hanley
Ellen Hanley was a musical theater performer best known for playing Fiorello H. LaGuardia's first wife in the Pulitzer Prize-winning Fiorello!.-Biography:...
was a successful broadway actress. Gerald Hanley died on the 7 September 1992, in Dun Leaoghaire, Ireland.
Works
Gerald Hanley's novels reflect his experiences of living in Africa, both Kenya and Somalia, as well as in Burma and the Indian sub-continent, and of seeing the "influence of the British in the most distant parts of the world", as well as his life as a soldier.Hanley's first book, Monsoon Victory (1946), is an account of the 1944 Burma campaign, from the point of view of a war correspondent. The Consul at Sunset (1951), Drinkers of Darkness (1955) and The Year of the Lion (1959) have for their background the life of expatriates in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, as the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
declines. While Warriors and Strangers (1971), a mixture of autobiography and travel writing, again has Africa as its setting.
Not all Gerald Hanley's novels, however, deal with war and empire, for example, Without Love is set in present-day Barcelona and its protagonist is the seedy son of a London-Irish family, who is an executioner for Russia's secret police
The Journey Homeward (1961), along with Hanley's last novel, Noble Descents (1982), are both set in India. Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Westerns, especially starring John Wayne.-Background:...
's 1967 movie entitled The Last Safari, starring Stewart Granger
Stewart Granger
Stewart Granger was an English-American film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s rising to fame through his appearances in the Gainsborough melodramas.-Early life:He was born James Lablache Stewart in Old...
and Gabriella Licudi
Gabriella Licudi
Gabriella Licudi is a Moroccan-born British former actress.Born in Casablanca while her father, a Greek naval engineer, was stationed there, Gabriella Licudi was educated in England, France and Spain before settling permanently in England at the age of fifteen...
, was based on Gilligan's Last Elephant
Gilligan's Last Elephant
Gilligan's Last Elephant is a novel written by Gerald Hanley and first published in 1962.Henry Hathaway's 1967 movie entitled The Last Safari starring Stewart Granger and Gabriella Licudi was based on the novel....
. Noble Descents is set six years after independence, and concerns a friendship between an Indian Maharajah and an Englishman.
An abridged version of The Year of the Lion was boadcast by the BBC, in twelve parts, in 1984. Admired by Hemingway
Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway was an American writer and journalist.Hemingway may also refer to:*Hemingway , a surname and list of people with that name*Hemingway , a Marvel Comics character*Hemingway, South Carolina...
and compared to Conrad
Conrad
- Other uses :* Conrad Editora, Brazilian publisher* Conrad Hotels, global luxury brand of Hilton Hotels* Conrad * Conrad , German manufacturer of diecast toys and promotional models...
, Gerald Hanley, overshadowed by both Paul Scott and, to a lesser degree, his brother James Hanley, failed to achieve any lasting fame. Sinclair-Stevenson, in his obituary, suggests that the success of The Consul at Sunset, in 1951, was a factor in this: "Nothing after seemed to them to indicate progress or a new dimension". His stance against colonialism certainly didn't help his cause at the time.