Max Catto

Maxwell Jeffrey Catto (29 July 1907 – 12 March 1992) was born Mark Finkell in Manchester, England and was an English playwright and novelist.

Writing career

Catto wrote adventure novels and dramas for more than four decades and also wrote under the pseudonym Simon Kent. Ten of his works were adapted for film, the most notable of which was the novel ''The Killing Frost'', which became Carol Reed's 1956 film ''Trapeze''. Although he was a holder of a degree in electrical engineering from Manchester University, Catto began writing novels and plays in the late 1930s. After a stint in the Royal Air Force during World War II, Catto returned to writing fiction. Exotic settings and fast-paced action were the trademarks of his novels, defying categorization into any one genre, instead blending elements of many popular literary styles. Much of his work has been translated into other languages.

Works

Novels under his own name

* ''River Junk'' – Arthur Barker, 1937
* ''The Hairy Man'' – M. Secker, 1939
* ''Ginger Charley'' – M. Secker, 1939
* '' The Flanagan Boy'' – Harrap, 1949 (made into the film '' The Flanagan Boy'' in 1953)
* ''The Killing Frost'' – Heinemann, 1950 (made into the film ''Trapeze'' in 1956 and consequently re-published as ''Trapeze'' by Landsborough in 1959)
* ''The Sickle'' – Heinemann, 1952
* ''The Mummers'' – Heinemann, 1953
* '' A Prize of Gold'' – Heinemann, 1953 (made into the film '' A Prize of Gold'' in 1955)
* ''Gold In The Sky'' – Heinemann, 1956, Morrow, 1958
* ''The Devil at Four O'Clock'' – Heinemann, 1958, Morrow, 1959 (made into the film '' The Devil at Four O'Clock'' in 1961)
* ''The Melody Of Sex'' – Heinemann, 1959, Morrow, 1960
* ''Mister Moses'' – Morrow, 1961 (made into the film '' Mister Moses'' in 1965)
* ''D-Day In Paradise'' – Heinemann, 1963, Morrow, 1964
* ''The Tiger In The Bed'' – Morrow, 1963
* ''I Have Friends In Heaven'' – Heinemann, 1965, Little, Brown, 1966
* ''Love From Venus'' – Heinemann, 1965
* ''Bird On The Wing'' – Heinemann, 1966
* ''The Banana Men'' – Simon & Schuster, 1967
* ''Murphy's War'' – Simon & Schuster, 1969 (made into the film '' Murphy's War'' in 1971)
* ''King Oil'' – Simon & Schuster, 1970
* ''The Fattest Bank In New Orleans'' – Heinemann, 1971
* ''Sam Casanova'' – Heinemann, 1973, Signet, 1977
* ''Mister Midas'' – M. Joseph, 1976
* ''The Empty Tiger'' – St. Martin's, 1977

Novels under the pseudonym Simon Kent

* ''Fleur-de-Lys Court'' – Heinemann, 1950
* ''For The Love Of Doc'' – Heinemann, 1951 (published in the US as ''The Doctor On Bean Street'' – Crowell, 1952)
* ''A Hill in Korea'' – Hutchinson, 1953 (made into the film ''A Hill in Korea'' in 1956)
* ''Fire Down Below'' – Hutchinson, 1954 (made into the film '' Fire Down Below'' in 1957)
* ''Ferry to Hong Kong'' – Hutchinson, 1957 (made into the film '' Ferry to Hong Kong'' in 1959)
* ''The Lions At The Kill'' – Hutchinson, 1959 (made into the film '' Seven Thieves'' in 1960)
* ''Charlie Gallagher My Love!'' – Hutchinson, 1960, Macmillan, 1961

Plays

* '' French Salad'', 1934
* '' Green Waters'', 1936
* '' They Walk Alone'', 1938
* '' Punch without Judy'', 1939

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Catto, Max
1907 births
1992 deaths
English short story writers
English thriller writers
20th-century English novelists
20th-century English short story writers