AJ Cronin, author of some of the best-loved novels of the mid-twentieth century and the creator of Dr Finlay, has been unjustly overlooked by literary biographers. This title tells the story of Cronin's Scottish childhood as the son of a Protestant mother and Catholic father, his subsequent medical career, and his rise to literary prominence.

A.J. Cronin, author of some of the best-loved novels of the mid-twentieth century and the creator of Dr Finlay, has been unjustly overlooked by literary biographers. In this, the first full-length life of this eminent but often neglected writer, Alan Davies recounts the story of Cronin's Scottish childhood as the son of a Protestant mother and Catholic father, his subsequent medical career, and ultimately his rise to literary prominence, emphasizing throughout the importance of holding at arm's length many of the apocryphal tales that have accumulated around the memory of the author of “Hatter's Castle”, “The Citadel” and “The Stars Look Down”, many of which are based on mistaken autobiographical readings of Cronin's fiction itself. Incorporating an account of Cronin's tempestuous relationship with his publisher, Victor Gollancz, and some startling revelations about the mental illness, betrayal and forbidden affection at the heart of the author's loveless marriage, Davies' timely and moving book paints a clearer portrait of both Cronin the writer and Cronin the man than the world has hitherto seen.

Review
“Cronin is a first-rate literary craftsman with an honest love of simple humanity.” —“Time”

Born in Pontnewydd in South Wales, Alan Davies read Anthropology at University College London. After a career in industry, he turned to writing and the study of the life and works of AJ Cronin, one of his lifelong passions. He has two children and lives in Shropshire with his wife.