Nicholas Monsarrat transitioned from law to a writing career, delving into social and political issues. His World War II naval experiences profoundly shaped his subsequent literary output, particularly his acclaimed sea stories that unflinchingly depicted the harsh realities of wartime service. Later, drawing on his diplomatic postings, he explored the complexities of British colonial Africa and human relationships within that context. Monsarrat's writing is distinguished by its realistic portrayal of challenging circumstances and its insightful examination of characters confronting extreme adversity.
Father Salvatore was a simple, lumbering priest, a kappillan serving the poor Valetta, when war came out of the blue skies to pound the island to dust. Now amid the catacombs discovered by a chance bomb, he cared for the flood of homeless, starving, frightened people who sought shelter from the death that fell unceasingly from the sky. His story, and the story of Malta, is told in superbly graphic pictures of six days during the siege. Each of those days brought forth from the kappillan a message of inspiration to keep them going - the legendary tales of six mighty events of Malta's history which shone through the centuries and gathered them together in a fervent belief in their survival.
Contains 23 accounts of daring escapes from captivity and courageous battles against death. Episodes from thrilling real life adventures and from some of the worlds most exciting fiction make up this outstanding collection. Atmospheric line drawings bring each story to life.
This is Nicholas Monsarrat's final masterpiece, an epic tale of the sea and seafaring from the sixteenth century to near the end of the twentieth.Told from the point of view of Mathew Lawe, a young Devon sailor who is cursed after a spectacular act of cowardice to wander 'the wild waters till all the seas run dry', it is historical fiction but beset by real events. Monsarrat follows the great captains and naval adventurers from the Artic to the South Pacific. Lawe represents the spirit of maritime exploration and fortitude; his life is the thread stringing together a long history of nautical adventure.He finds himself mixed up with Drake and the Armada; sailing with Hudson in search of the North-West passage; a buccaneer under Sir Henry Morgan in the Caribbean; assisting Samuel Pepys with his responsibilities as Secretary to the Navy; at the side of Captain Cook as he transports General Wolf to the storming of Quebec, and then on to his death in the Pacific; serving in Nelson's household and then to the Nile, Naples and Trafalgar; working on a slaver from Liverpool to the Caribbean; press-ganged aboard the Shannon just before her duel with the American Chesapeake, exploring the Artic with Sir John Franklin; fighting in both world wars, including the action at Zebrugge and 'D' Day; before a final test with a tanker catching fire after the opening of the St.Lawrence Seaway - and much more besides!Under sail and steam, as Mathew's eternal existence progresses, the action-packed novel is both highly entertaining and instructive and has been widely acclaimed as a masterpiece.
