Winston Mawdsley Graham OBE was a highly respected English novelist, best known for his Poldark series of historical novels set in Cornwall. He was born on June 30, 1908, in Victoria Park, Manchester, to Albert Grime, a prosperous tea importer and grocer. Graham had a strong desire to become a writer from a young age, and after his father's death, he was supported by his mother as he wrote novels at home and attempted to get them published.
Graham was a keen tennis player in his youth and recorded the number of sets he played each day in his diary. He lived in Perranporth, Cornwall, from 1925 until 1959, and later in the south of France and East Sussex. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and served as the Chairman of the Society of Authors. In 1983, he was invested as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to literature.
Throughout his career, Graham wrote over forty novels, many of which have been widely translated and have become bestsellers. His Poldark series was particularly successful and was developed into two television series that were shown in 22 countries. Six of Graham's books have been turned into films, the most notable being "Marnie," which was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Graham was married to Jean Williamson in 1939, and they had two children together. He passed away in London in 2003.