A. G. Macdonell (1895–1941)
Author of England, Their England
About the Author
Disambiguation Notice:
A.G. Macdonell wrote mystery novels under the pseudonym Neil Gordon.
Image credit: Archibald Gordon MacDonnell
Series
Works by A. G. Macdonell
The Fur Coat 2 copies
The Plays of Mr. Noel Coward 1 copy
The Big Ben alibi 1 copy
The seven stabs 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Macdonell, Archibald Gordon
- Other names
- Gordon, Neil (pseudonym)
Macdonell, Archie
Cameron, John (pseudonym) - Birthdate
- 1895-11-03
- Date of death
- 1941-01-16
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Winchester College
- Occupations
- novelist
journalist
broadcaster - Organizations
- London Mercury
The Observer
British Broadcasting Corporation - Short biography
- Neil Gordon is one of two pseudonyms used by Archibald Gordon Macdonell when he was writing detective and thriller fiction. Macdonell began his writing career as a journalist, writing mostly theater reviews for London Mercury. In 1933 his novel England, Their England received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and it is this book for which he is most likely best remembered. Another satirical novel The Autobiography of a Cad (1938) has garnered something of a cult reputation lately. In addition to novels and a handful of plays he wrote at least one book on military history. As "Neil Gordon" he wrote five detective novels, one mystery novel was done in collaboration with Milward Kennedy, one of the founders of the Detection Club, and he wrote two other detective novels under the pen name John Cameron. In 1941 Macdonell died unexpectedly at the age of only 45 in Oxford.
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Poona, India
- Places of residence
- London, Middlesex, England, UK
Russia
Poland - Place of death
- Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK
- Burial location
- Wolvercote Cemetery, Oxford, England, UK
- Disambiguation notice
- A.G. Macdonell wrote mystery novels under the pseudonym Neil Gordon.
- Associated Place (for map)
- England, UK
Members
Reviews
A British attempt at a “hard-boiled” American-style mystery thriller, with gunfights and fistfights galore and a detective who is unfamiliar with Hamlet. Mystery-solving takes a backseat to the action and in any event the title is a spoiler. The PI’s charm did not resonate with me, the other characters were undeveloped. A South American was confusingly characterised as “Tarzan” and depicted as subhuman. All in all, a disappointment.
One of the best Golden Age mysteries that I've read. An intriguing plot, mostly good characterization especially the amateur sleuth who was particularly likeable, and an exciting, satisfying finish. The puzzle that concealed the treasure worth a million pounds was a clever one, no wonder it hadn't been solved in a hundred years.
I picked this up because it was carried by a character in Uprooted by Lynne Reid Banks. It is quite funny in parts. Some of it is more difficult for an American to understand (like the chapter on cricket). But the general idea comes across. There is not much of a plot. It is a fond look at the foibles of the English written by a Scot. A fun read.
This book was a huge success in the 1930's but in recent years has rather fallen into neglect - a great pity, as it deserves to stand with "Three Men in a Boat" as a humorous classic. In fact it has more than just humour in common with Jerome K. Jerome's book, as it is essentially a series of set-pieces including a village cricket match (widely regarded as the book's high point), a game of golf, a country house weekend and a fox hunt. The tone doesn't vary as much as in Jerome's book show more (although there are occasional purple patches, they don't descend into sentimentality as much). The central character, Donald Cameron, is a Scot, and the essential point of the whole novel is that he is trying to write a book about the English, which leads him to participate in the various activities, but somehow he never seems to be able to form a coherent picture. The ending is a bit arbitrary, and structurally the book is weak (though no more so than, say, "The Pickwick Papers"), but if you can find a copy it is well worth your while. show less
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- Works
- 20
- Also by
- 6
- Members
- 643
- Popularity
- #39,229
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 13
- ISBNs
- 43
- Languages
- 3
- Favorited
- 1