Geoffrey Jenkins

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Born June 16, 1920
Pretoria, South Africa
Died November 7, 2001
Durban, South Africa
Nationality South African
Genres Thrillers
Spouse(s) Eve Palmer
Children David Jenkins

Geoffrey Jenkins (June 16, 1920 Pretoria, South Africa - November 7, 2001) was a South African novelist.

Contents

[edit] Early life

When Jenkins was 17 he wrote and had published A Century of History which received a special eulogy from General Jan Smuts at the centenary of Potchefstroom.

He subsequently won the Lord Kemsley Commonwealth Journalistic Scholarship, which took him to Fleet Street, where he spend World War II as a war correspondent. While working for the Sunday Times he became friends with author Ian Fleming, the creator of the British secret agent James Bond. Fleming later praised Jenkins' writing, saying "Geoffrey Jenkins has the supreme gift of originality.... A Twist of Sand is a literate, imaginative first novel in the tradition of high and original adventure'".

After the war Jenkins settled in Rhodesia, where he met his wife, author Eve Palmer. He was the editor of the newspaper The Umtali Advertiser and eventually took up a position with The Star newspaper in Johannesburg.

[edit] Writing

It was while working for The Star that he wrote his first novel, A Twist of Sand (1959), which was subsequently translated into 23 languages and became a motion picture in 1968 starring Richard Johnson and Honor Blackman. He kept his newspaper job until he had published his third novel.

[edit] Connection with James Bond

After Ian Fleming's death it was reported that Glidrose Productions commissioned Jenkins to write a James Bond novel in 1966. Jenkins claimed that he and Fleming together developed a diamond-smuggling storyline in 1957, which he finished for Glidrose entitled Per Fine Ounce, but it was rejected. A manuscript copy reportedly exists in the Ian Fleming Publications (formerly Glidrose) archives. Raymond Benson, the fourth official Bond author, has confirmed its existence, which has caused some fans to call for its publication. Some sources suggest that Jenkins' book was considered for publication under the "Robert Markham" pseudonym used for Kingsley Amis's post-Fleming novel, Colonel Sun, but this has never been confirmed.

Producer Harry Saltzman bought a key scenario from Jenkins' book Hunter-Killer which was incorporated into the 1967 Bond movie You Only Live Twice; the lead character faking his death and funeral at sea, only to clamber aboard a submarine.

[edit] Books

  • A Twist of Sand (1959)/1968 film
  • The Watering Place of Good Peace (1960; revised 1974)
  • A Grue of Ice (1962)
  • The River of Diamonds (1964)/1990 film
  • Hunter Killer (1966)
  • Scend of the Sea (1971)
  • A Cleft of Stars (1973)
  • A Bridge of Magpies (1974)
  • South Trap (1979)
  • A Ravel of Waters (1981)
  • The Unripe Gold (1983)
  • Fireprint (1984)
  • In Harm's Way (1986)/1989 film titled Dirty Games
  • Hold Down a Shadow (1989)
  • A Hive of Dead Men (1991)
  • A Daystar of Fear (1993)

[edit] References

[edit] External links


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