Arthur Hailey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Arthur Frederick Hailey (1920-04-05)5 April 1920 Luton,Bedfordshire, England |
| Died | 24 November 2004(2004-11-24) (aged 84) |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | British/Canadian |
| Notable works | Hotel (1965) Airport (1968) Wheels (1971) |
| Spouses | Joan Fishwick (1944–1950; div.) Sheila Dunlop (m.1951) |
| Children | 6 |
Arthur Frederick Hailey,AE (5 April 1920 – 24 November 2004) was a British/Canadian novelist whose plot-driven storylines were set against the backdrops of various industries. His books, which include such best sellers asHotel (1965),Airport (1968),Wheels (1971),The Moneychangers (1975), andOverload (1979), have sold 170 million copies in 38 languages.[1]
Arthur Frederick Hailey was born on 5 April 1920, inLuton,Bedfordshire, England, the only child of George Wellington Hailey, a factory worker, and Elsie Wright Hailey. An avid reader,[2] Hailey began to write poems, plays and stories at a young age.[3] He once said, "My mother left me off chores so I could write."[2] Elsie encouraged her son to learn typing andshorthand so that he might become a clerk instead of a factory worker.[3]
At fourteen, Hailey failed to win a scholarship which would have enabled him to continue his schooling.[4] From 1934 to 1939 he was an office boy and clerk[5] in London. He joined theRoyal Air Force in 1939, and served as a pilot duringWorld War II, eventually rising to the rank offlight lieutenant.[3] In 1947, unhappy with thepost-war Labour government,[2] he emigrated to Canada, becoming a dual citizen.[6] Settling in Toronto,[3] he held a variety of jobs in such fields as real estate, sales, and advertising.[1] He was editor of a trade magazine calledBus and Truck Transport.[6] During these years, he continued to write.[2]
Hailey's professional writing career began in 1955 with a script calledFlight into Danger, which was purchased by theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation and telecast on 3 April 1956.[7] This story of a plane flight in jeopardy after its crew is incapacitated was "the smash hit of the season," won enormous acclaim, and was broadcast internationally.[8] It was adapted as a novel by "John Castle" (a pseudonym for Ronald Payne and John Garrod), with Hailey credited as co-author; it was published by Britain's Souvenir Press in 1958 under its original title, but renamedRunway Zero-Eight (Doubleday) for its 1959 American publication.[9] The story was filmed in 1957 asZero Hour! (Paramount), and for television in 1971 asTerror in the Sky.[10]
With the success ofFlight into Danger, Hailey was in demand as a television writer, and wrote for such shows asStudio One,Kraft Television Theatre,Playhouse 90, andSuspense. In 1959, he adapted histeleplayNo Deadly Medicine (for which he received anEmmy nomination) into his first novelThe Final Diagnosis. Published by Doubleday, it is the story of the chief pathologist at a Burlington, Pennsylvania, hospital. The book received good reviews,[11][12] and was a selection of theLiterary Guild of America.[9]Hailey's second novel,In High Places (Doubleday) was published in 1962. Dealing with international politics[9] the book was again selected by the Literary Guild, and was a best seller in Canada.[13]
Hailey's commercial breakthrough came in 1965 with publication ofHotel[14] (Doubleday), which followed five days in the lives of employees and residents of New Orleans' luxurious St. Gregory Hotel. The book spent 48 weeks on theNew York Times Best Seller list, peaking at No. 3,[15] and became the eighth highest-selling novel of the year.[16] It established the template for Hailey's future works: ordinary people involved in extraordinary situations in a business or industry which is described in meticulous detail.[2]
Following the success ofHotel, Hailey moved to California. In 1968 he achieved international fame[17] with his fourth novel,Airport (Doubleday), the story of one eventful night at a midwestern international airport. The novel was No. 1 in theNew York Times for 30 weeks, and became the top-selling novel of the year.[18] Thefilm adaptation, released in 1970, was the second-highest-grossing film of the year (second only toLove Story)[19] and received tenAcademy Award nominations, including Best Picture.[20] The success of the film, together with that of 1972'sThe Poseidon Adventure, led to the proliferation of "disaster films" during the 1970s,[21] which included three additional films in what became theAirport franchise.
After the financial success ofAirport, on the advice of his tax attorney, Hailey moved as a tax exile to theBahamas[22] settling inLyford Cay onNew Providence Island. He had intended to stay for just two years, but liked it so much[22] that he remained there for the rest of his life. In 1971, he publishedWheels (Doubleday), set in the automobile industry; likeAirport, it was a no. 1New York Times best seller,[23] and the highest-selling novel of its year.[24] Hailey followed it with two additional no. 1 sellers:The Moneychangers (Doubleday, 1975),[25] about the banking industry; andOverload (Doubleday, 1979),[26] about an electric utility company.
In 1979, following publication ofOverload, Hailey announced his retirement. After undergoing quadruple heart bypass surgery, however, he felt rejuvenated, and returned to work.[27] His novelStrong Medicine (Doubleday), about the pharmaceutical industry, was published in 1984 and was another major best seller; it became the thirteenth highest-selling novel of the year.[28] His commercial success had declined somewhat[29] by 1990 with publication ofThe Evening News (Doubleday), and with his final novel,Detective (Crown), which appeared in 1997. Hailey continued to write, but—except for the slimThe Lyford Legacy: A Brief History of Lyford Cay from 1788 (Lyford Cay Foundation, 2000),[30]—he now wrote only as a hobby.[1]
Arthur Hailey's papers are housed at theThomas Fisher Rare Book Library,University of Toronto, and at the Harry C. Moore Library of theCollege of The Bahamas.[31]
Hailey would usually spend three years[32] on each book. First, he would dedicate a year to research, then six months reviewing his notes, and finally 18 months writing.[14] His research was painstaking:[6] he read 27 books about the hotel industry forHotel,[17] he spent months at a Detroit car plant forWheels,[6] and he spent time—at the age of 67—with rebel guerillas in the jungles of Peru[2] forThe Evening News. Hailey had no discernible literary pretensions; he said, "I'm a storyteller and anything else is incidental."[14]
Hailey was not a critical favourite. In theNew York Times, Martin Levin called him "a plodding sort of writer."[33]Martha Gellhorn, reviewingThe Evening News forThe Daily Telegraph wrote, "This is not a book you cannot put down; it is a book you can hardly hold up. It will sell in millions and be translated into 34 languages. Possibly it is more readable in Icelandic or Urdu."[3] AndTime magazine, reviewingWheels together withHarold Robbins'sThe Betsy, said, "Yes, junk fans, it is a mano a mano for novelists who are all thumbs. Two of the greatest schlockmeisters in the history of solid waste have just published novels about the auto industry."[34]
But Hailey's ability to tell a story was recognised by some critics. In theNew York Times, John Reed conceded, in a review ofWheels, that "Mr. Hailey is nothing if not a competent craftsman."[35]Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, in hisNew York Times review ofThe Moneychangers wrote, "What I had in mind was diversion, and, to tell the shameful truth, I found it."[36] ReviewingDetective,Publishers Weekly wrote, "Old pro Hailey... remains adept at hooking readers with his propulsive brand of storytelling."[37]
Hailey was married twice. In 1944 he married Joan Fishwick (1918–2004), with whom he had three children before divorcing in 1950. In 1951 he married Sheila Dunlop (1927–2017), with whom he also had three children.[1] In 1978 Sheila Hailey publishedI Married a Best Seller: My Life with Arthur Hailey (Doubleday), which was not always complimentary,[29] but the couple remained together for 53 years.
Arthur Hailey died at age 84 in his sleep on 24 November 2004, at his home inLyford Cay in the Bahamas, of what doctors believed to be astroke.[38][39]
