Lewis Patrick Greene
Encyclopedia
Lewis Patrick Greene who usually wrote under the
name L. Patrick Greene, was an English writer of adventure stories
.
Greene was born in England. He spent several years in Rhodesia
working
as a civil servant, before a back injury caused him to be deemed
medically unfit for service and discharged. By 1913, Greene had emigrated
to the US and became an American citizen, settling in Boston
.
his main market was Adventure
magazine. For Adventure, Greene created his most famous character,
the "Major", the alias of English adventurer Aubrey St. John Major. An eccentric Englishman whose foppish
behaviour disguised a clever and heroic character,
the Major, aided by his Khoikhoi
friend Jim, worked as an Illicit Diamond Buyer, illegally
trading diamonds in South Africa.
Despite his criminal status, the Major and Jim often intervened to help the innocent and bring criminals
to justice.
For a time, Greene worked as Assistant Editor on Adventure and was not allowed to write fiction
for it. He then began selling fiction to other pulp magazines, especially
Short Stories
, (where
he transferred the Major series). Green became one of Short Stories most frequent and most popular contributors.
Other publications Greene wrote for included Action Stories
, Argosy
,
Blue Book
, and Everybody's Magazine
.
For his nephews, Greene wrote a children's book, Tabu Dick (1933). This revolved around the adventures
of a Tarzan
-like boy in Africa.
of L. Patrick Greene at the Black Dog Books
website.
name L. Patrick Greene, was an English writer of adventure stories
Adventure novel
The adventure novel is a genre of novels that has adventure, an exciting undertaking involving risk and physical danger, as its main theme.-History:...
.
Greene was born in England. He spent several years in Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
working
as a civil servant, before a back injury caused him to be deemed
medically unfit for service and discharged. By 1913, Greene had emigrated
to the US and became an American citizen, settling in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
Writing Career
In 1918, Greene began to write fiction based on his experiences for the pulp magazines. Initially,his main market was Adventure
Adventure (magazine)
Adventure magazine was first published in November 1910 as a monthly pulp magazine. Adventure went on become one of the most profitable and critically acclaimed of all the American pulp magazines...
magazine. For Adventure, Greene created his most famous character,
the "Major", the alias of English adventurer Aubrey St. John Major. An eccentric Englishman whose foppish
behaviour disguised a clever and heroic character,
the Major, aided by his Khoikhoi
Khoikhoi
The Khoikhoi or Khoi, in standardised Khoekhoe/Nama orthography spelled Khoekhoe, are a historical division of the Khoisan ethnic group, the native people of southwestern Africa, closely related to the Bushmen . They had lived in southern Africa since the 5th century AD...
friend Jim, worked as an Illicit Diamond Buyer, illegally
trading diamonds in South Africa.
Despite his criminal status, the Major and Jim often intervened to help the innocent and bring criminals
to justice.
For a time, Greene worked as Assistant Editor on Adventure and was not allowed to write fiction
for it. He then began selling fiction to other pulp magazines, especially
Short Stories
Short Stories (magazine)
-Origin of Short Stories:Short Stories began its existence as a literary periodical, carrying work by Rudyard Kipling,Emile Zola, Bret Harte, Ivan Turgenev and Anna Katharine Green. The magazine advertised...
, (where
he transferred the Major series). Green became one of Short Stories most frequent and most popular contributors.
Other publications Greene wrote for included Action Stories
Action Stories
Action Stories was a multi-genre pulp magazine published between September 1921 and Fall 1950, with a brief hiatus at the end of 1932.As an adventure pulp it did not feature the horror and science fiction of other pulp magazines. Instead it focused on real-world adventure stories...
, Argosy
Argosy (magazine)
Argosy was an American pulp magazine, published by Frank Munsey. It is generally considered to be the first American pulp magazine. The magazine began as a general information periodical entitled The Golden Argosy, targeted at the boys adventure market.-Launch of Argosy:In late September 1882,...
,
Blue Book
Blue Book (magazine)
Blue Book was a popular 20th-century American magazine with a lengthy 70-year run under various titles from 1905 to 1975.Launched as The Monthly Story Magazine, it was published under that title from May 1905 to August 1906 with a change to The Monthly Story Blue Book Magazine for issues from...
, and Everybody's Magazine
Everybody's Magazine
Everybody's Magazine was an American magazine from 1899 to 1929.The magazine was founded by Philadelphia merchant John Wanamaker in 1899, though he had little role in its actual operations....
.
For his nephews, Greene wrote a children's book, Tabu Dick (1933). This revolved around the adventures
of a Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
-like boy in Africa.
External links
Biographyof L. Patrick Greene at the Black Dog Books
Black Dog Books (US)
Black Dog Books located in Normal, Illinois, is one of the finest independent press operations in North America. Founded by publisher Tom Roberts to keep an outlet for adventure fiction alive, they have expanded to publish fiction in the adventure, mystery, science fiction, and horror genres.-...
website.