QUINNELL, A. J. 1940-2005

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born June 25, 1940, in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England; died July 10, 2005, in Gozo, Malta. Author. Quinnell was the pen name of author Philip Nicholson, best known for his 1980 novel, Man on Fire. As a boy, he much admired Ernest Hemingway and resolved to be a writer like him. For many years, however, necessity meant earning a living in various other trades, including work for a Liverpool shipping company and as a textile trader in Hong Kong. It was while working in the latter capacity that a chance event led to his first novel. He helped an Italian passenger suffering a heart attack on an airplane flight get to a private hospital for care. The passenger's family had connections with the Italian mafia, and in gratitude to Quinnell's help they provided him with leads to interview various criminal and police figures in Italy. This formed the basis for Man on Fire, which became a best seller when it was published in 1980, and the book was later adapted as an uninspired 1987 movie. However, when director Tony Scott remade it into a 2004 film starring Denzel Washington, the adaptation was a great success, even though the setting was moved from Italy to Mexico. Quinnell would continue to write several other novels, including Blood Ties (1984), In the Name of the Father (1987), and Message from Hell (1996), but he would remain best known for his debut. At the time of his death, he was working on a prequel to Man on Fire.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Independent (London, England), July 16, 2005, p. 39.

Times (London, England), August 20, 2005, p. 67.