Patrick O'Brian

Patrick O'Brian is the pen name of Richard Patrick Russ, an English novelist born on December 12, 1914, in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, England. He passed away in January 2000. O'Brian is best known for his remarkable Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin series, which comprises 21 novels. This series, set during the Napoleonic Wars, is highly regarded for its detailed portrayal of 19th-century life, especially life in the Royal Navy.

The Aubrey/Maturin series has received considerable praise from critics and fellow authors. It has been described as "a masterpiece" by David Mamet of the New York Times, "addictively readable" by Patrick T. Reardon of the Chicago Tribune, and "the best historical novels ever written" by Richard Snow of the New York Times Book Review. George Will went so far as to say that the series should have been included in lists of the greatest novels of the 20th century. The tenth book in the series, "The Far Side of the World," was adapted into a film called "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" in 2003. This film, directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany, was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture.

In addition to the Aubrey-Maturin series, O'Brian wrote several standalone novels and short story collections. Some of these include "Testimonies," "The Golden Ocean," and "The Unknown Shore." He also penned biographies of notable figures such as Pablo Picasso and Sir Joseph Banks. O'Brian was also a prolific translator, bringing many French works into English. These include the novels and memoirs of Simone de Beauvoir, the first volume of Jean Lacouture's biography of Charles de Gaulle, and Henri Charriere's memoir "Papillon."