Peter George
Encyclopedia
Peter Bryan George was a British author, most famous for the 1958 Cold War
thriller novel Red Alert, also known as Two Hours to Doom, written under the pen name Peter Bryant. The book was the inspiration for Stanley Kubrick
's classic film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
.
, Wales, and died in Hastings
, East Sussex by suicide. He was a Flight Lieutenant
and navigator in the Royal Air Force
during World War II
, where he was involved in a plane crash that nearly resulted in his death. Despite this he reenlisted in 1951. Deeply committed to disarmament and haunted by the prospects of a nuclear war he fatally shot himself in the mouth in 1966.
's classic film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
.
Due to interest in nuclear themes sparked by Stanley Kramer
's film version of On the Beach
in 1959, the film rights to Red Alert were sold that year, only to be handed around until Stanley Kubrick bought them in 1962, reportedly for as little as $3,500.
Peter George co-wrote the screenplay for the film with Kubrick and Terry Southern
, but wasn't completely satisfied with the overall satirical
feel of the movie. After the film was released, he wrote a novelisation of Dr. Strangelove and dedicated it to Kubrick.
George later wrote another novel to denounce the use of nuclear weapons, entitled Commander-1
. He died in 1966 when he was working on his next novel, Nuclear Survivors.
In 1958 Cool Murder was copyrighted. This was translated into German (with the title Die verschwundenen Perlen – the disappeared pearls) by Magdalena Sobez and published by Wilhelm Goldmann Verlag, München. The back cover says that at age 11 he enrolled at an English International School. Die verschwundenen Perlen is a Mike Hammer type detective story set in Pacific City (Los Angeles) in the 1950s.
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
thriller novel Red Alert, also known as Two Hours to Doom, written under the pen name Peter Bryant. The book was the inspiration for Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's classic film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, commonly known as Dr. Strangelove, is a 1964 black comedy film which satirizes the nuclear scare. It was directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, starring Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, and featuring Sterling...
.
Life
He was born in TreorchyTreorchy
Treorchy is a village, although it used to be and still has characteristics of a town, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr valley...
, Wales, and died in Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
, East Sussex by suicide. He was a Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
and navigator in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, where he was involved in a plane crash that nearly resulted in his death. Despite this he reenlisted in 1951. Deeply committed to disarmament and haunted by the prospects of a nuclear war he fatally shot himself in the mouth in 1966.
Works
His best-known novel, Red Alert was written while a serving RAF officer, (hence the original use of a pseudonym: Peter Bryant – the Bryan being taken from his middle name). Drawn from personal experience, Red Alert was the inspiration for Stanley KubrickStanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's classic film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, commonly known as Dr. Strangelove, is a 1964 black comedy film which satirizes the nuclear scare. It was directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, starring Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, and featuring Sterling...
.
Due to interest in nuclear themes sparked by Stanley Kramer
Stanley Kramer
Stanley Earl Kramer was an American film director and producer. Kramer was responsible for some of Hollywood's most famous "message" movies...
's film version of On the Beach
On the Beach (1959 film)
On the Beach is a post-apocalyptic drama film based on Nevil Shute's 1957 novel of the same name. The film features Gregory Peck , Ava Gardner , Fred Astaire and Anthony Perkins...
in 1959, the film rights to Red Alert were sold that year, only to be handed around until Stanley Kubrick bought them in 1962, reportedly for as little as $3,500.
Peter George co-wrote the screenplay for the film with Kubrick and Terry Southern
Terry Southern
Terry Southern was an American author, essayist, screenwriter and university lecturer, noted for his distinctive satirical style...
, but wasn't completely satisfied with the overall satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
feel of the movie. After the film was released, he wrote a novelisation of Dr. Strangelove and dedicated it to Kubrick.
George later wrote another novel to denounce the use of nuclear weapons, entitled Commander-1
Commander-1
Commander-1 is a 1965 novel by Welsh author Peter Bryan George and deals with the aftermath of a nuclear war between the United States, the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China...
. He died in 1966 when he was working on his next novel, Nuclear Survivors.
In 1958 Cool Murder was copyrighted. This was translated into German (with the title Die verschwundenen Perlen – the disappeared pearls) by Magdalena Sobez and published by Wilhelm Goldmann Verlag, München. The back cover says that at age 11 he enrolled at an English International School. Die verschwundenen Perlen is a Mike Hammer type detective story set in Pacific City (Los Angeles) in the 1950s.
External links
- http://digitaldavid.net/DrStrangelove/DrStrangelove_PeterGeorge.htmlWeb site of George's son with some memorabilia of George's Two Hours to Doom (Red Alert) including the letter from Stanley KubrickStanley KubrickStanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
] - http://homepage.ntlworld.com/elizabeth.ercocklly/peter.htm Website detailing his life, works and suicide.