Patrick O'Brian (1914–2000)
Author of Master & Commander
About the Author
Patrick O'Brian is the author of twenty volumes in the highly respected Aubrey/Maturin series of novels. (Publisher Provided) Patrick O'Brien was born in Ireland in 1914. His education included the Sorbonne. O'Brian has produced a variety of works, including biographies of Picasso and Sir Joseph show more Banks and translations of the novels and memoirs of Simone de Beauvoir, but he is best known for the creation of an unlikely pair of Napoleonic War-era heroes in the Aubrey-Maturin Series. British naval officer Jack Aubrey and Irish scholar and physician Stephen Maturin have been featured in more than a novels published in Great Britain (five of which have also appeared in America). He died on January 2, 2000. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Disambiguation Notice:
The principal author here is Patrick O'Brian famous for the Aubrey-Maturin novels. The birth name of this author was Richard Patrick Russ. He changed his name by deed poll in August 1945 to Patrick O'Brian, under which name his books were published.
Series
Works by Patrick O'Brian
LEGO Ninjago: Ready, Steady, Stick!: Sticker Activity Book (2014-11-06)" to "A Book of Voyages" 5 copies
The last pool and other stories 3 copies
Three Bear Witness 2 copies
Les aventures de Jack Aubrey : Coffret en 5 volumes : Tomes 1 à 5 : Avec Les navires de Jack Aubrey (2006) 2 copies
AM #02 - Post Captain 1 copy
Sophie 1 copy
Whispers 1 copy
Treason's Harbour 1 copy
AM #03 - H.M.S. Surprise 1 copy
Los Cien DAs 1 copy
The Thirtteen Gun Salute 1 copy
THE ILIAD SIDE OF THE WORLD 1 copy
Ai confini del mare 1 copy
La Costa Ms Lejana Del Mundo 1 copy
The Thirteen-Gun Salute (Aubrey-Maturin, Book 13) (Aubrey & Maturin series) (English Edition) 1 copy
El Puerto De La Traicin 1 copy
Misin en Jonia 1 copy
Die Inseln der Paschas 1 copy
O butim da guerra 1 copy
Hundred days, The 1 copy
Set of 4 Aubrey/Maturin Novels: Blue at the Mizzen, The Hundred Days, The Yellow Admiral, and the Commodore (1999) 1 copy
The Walker & Other Stories 1 copy
Patrick O'Brian Collection: "HMS "Surprise"", "The Commodore", "The Far Side of the World" v. 1 (2002) 1 copy
No Pirates Nowadays 1 copy
Picasso: A Biography 1 copy
Associated Works
Banco: The Further Adventures of Papillion (1972) — Translator, some editions — 701 copies, 9 reviews
The Mammoth Book of Men O'War: Stories from the Glory Days of Sail (1999) — Contributor — 106 copies, 1 review
Deep Blue: Stories of Shipwreck, Sunken Treasure, and Survival (Adrenaline) (2001) — Contributor — 32 copies
Van Der Valk, Series 1-5 [1972-1992] — Screenwriter — 7 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- O'Brian, Patrick
- Legal name
- Russ, Richard Patrick (birth)
O'Brian, Patrick (changed 1945) - Other names
- Russ, Patrick
Russ, R. P. - Birthdate
- 1914-12-12
- Date of death
- 2000-01-02
- Gender
- male
- Occupations
- translator
novelist - Awards and honors
- The Heywood Hill Literary Prize (1995)
Order of the British Empire (Commander, 1997)
Honorary Doctorate of Letters, Trinity College Dublin (1997) - Relationships
- Jones, Elizabeth (first wife)
Tolstoy, Mary (second wife)
Tolstoy, Nikolai (stepson) - Short biography
- Patrick O'Brian was known for being a prolific English novelist, biographer, and translator. He was best known for his Aubrey-Maturin novels set in the period of the Napoleonic Wars. The novels centered on the characters of Jack Aubrey, an officer in the Royal Navy, and his friend the physician, natural philosopher and intelligence agent Stephen Maturin. Meticulously researched, this twenty-volume series garnered enthusiastic critical reviews and a wide and fervent readership. The 21st unfinished novel of this series was published posthumously. After having an American publisher, he received notoriety, selling millions of books. Born Richard Patrick Russ, he published two books and several short stories under his birthname before changing his name after World War II. In 1949 he and his second wife moved to France. In addition, O'Brian authored biographies of Pablo Picasso and Sir Joseph Banks. His translations from French into English included Henri Charrière's "Papillion," Jean LaCouture's biography "Charles De Gaulle," and works of Simone de Beauvoir. In 1995 at age 80, he received his first award, the Heywood Hill Literary Prize for his lifetime literary contributions. In 1997 he received the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and an honorary doctorate degree from Trinity College.
- Cause of death
- heart attack
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Collioure, France
Cwm Croesor, Gwynedd, Wales, UK - Place of death
- Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
- Burial location
- Nouveau Cimetière de Collioure, Collioure, Departement des Pyrénées-Orientales, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
- Map Location
- England, UK
- Disambiguation notice
- The principal author here is Patrick O'Brian famous for the Aubrey-Maturin novels. The birth name of this author was Richard Patrick Russ. He changed his name by deed poll in August 1945 to Patrick O'Brian, under which name his books were published.
Members
Discussions
Ampersand Studio - Master and Commander in Fine Press Forum (November 2025)
Purchased the first nine volumes of Patrick O'Brian's Master & Commander. However... in Folio Society Devotees (September 2022)
Phantom duplicate ISBN in Bug Collectors (June 2021)
New pair of Aubrey - Maturin due in Folio Society Devotees (August 2011)
***Group Read: H.M.S. Surprise by Patrick O'Brian in 75 Books Challenge for 2011 (April 2011)
Folio Society Aubrey/Maturin Series in HMS Surprise (July 2010)
Reviews
Post Captain see Aubrey and Maturin ashore, enjoying the interlude of the Peace of Amiens and chasing after local eligible women Sophie Williams and Diane Villiers, when tragedy strikes. Jack's perfidious prize agent disappears with all his money, and Jack finds himself in debt to the tune of 11,000 pounds, and liable to be arrested at any time.
The two escape to France, and are there when the Peace of Amiens ends and it's back to war, lovely profitable war! Fortunately, Aubrey is hanging out show more with the French captains who captured the Sophie in the first book, and since they're such bros they give him warning. Maturin leads Jack across France disguised as a dancing bear (wait what?), and he gets a new ship, the experimental and unseaworthy Polychrest, and his career is back on track.
There's one naval action of note, but most of this book is concerned with courting, debt, political games, and the tightening and near breaking of the friendship of our leads while pursuing women. Putting Hos Before Bros, as the saying goes, only leads to tragedy. Still having fun, still dadly as hell. show less
The two escape to France, and are there when the Peace of Amiens ends and it's back to war, lovely profitable war! Fortunately, Aubrey is hanging out show more with the French captains who captured the Sophie in the first book, and since they're such bros they give him warning. Maturin leads Jack across France disguised as a dancing bear (wait what?), and he gets a new ship, the experimental and unseaworthy Polychrest, and his career is back on track.
There's one naval action of note, but most of this book is concerned with courting, debt, political games, and the tightening and near breaking of the friendship of our leads while pursuing women. Putting Hos Before Bros, as the saying goes, only leads to tragedy. Still having fun, still dadly as hell. show less
The wild thing about this book is that it is chock full of jargon about early 19th century naval warcraft that I understand absolutely none of and yet I easily got the gist of what was happening and enjoyed the hell out of it. This is is strange writing alchemy and I don't know how O'Brien pulled it off but it's very impressive. I recommend reading an overview of the Napoleonic Era and maybe looking up the odd naval term or pictures of ships or uniforms, but otherwise simply let the show more seafaring lingo wash over you. It's just a lovely buddy adventure story at its core and I can't recommend it enough. show less
We're reaching peak O'Brian with this book. Packed full of the best of A-M. The sense of humor is there, and adventures are about equally divided between land and sea. I love the interplay between Jack wishing to carry on an actual affair with Mrs. Fielding, the beautiful, married Italian woman (voiced expertly by Patrick Tull) and Stephen's fake affair with her, meant to titillate the local French spy organizations. Jack, sore over the arrangement and unaware that it's a fake affair, show more moralizes over Stephen's status in a hang dog way.
We have here also Maturin's diving bell used to recover - almost- a sunken 'treasure' from an Turkish galley, and Maturin's rather goofy friend the half blind Reverend Martin. Jack has also to contend with friend-for-life Ponto, Mrs. Fielding's enormous dog, who he saves from the cistern.
There are also spy shenanigans aplenty as Lesueur circles Stephen and plots against him with his Maltese henchmen, while Stephen, always with the upper hand, delivers false information to them through Mrs Fielding. Add to this the presence of Way, that sneaking, conniving spy planted high up in the British hierarchy, and how Stephen beats him at cards, winning a ship assignment for the newly minted Captain Pullings among other things.
Of course, Surprise is there in all her glory, as is Heneage Dundas, the awful Admiral Harte, the employment of a drag sail as a ruse de guerre, a hike across a desert with camels, Aubrey's diamond chelengk, a captured French privateer, a dashing rescue of Mrs Fielding by Stephen in the night - so much going on here that's so much fun. This one is worth a re-re-re-read. show less
We have here also Maturin's diving bell used to recover - almost- a sunken 'treasure' from an Turkish galley, and Maturin's rather goofy friend the half blind Reverend Martin. Jack has also to contend with friend-for-life Ponto, Mrs. Fielding's enormous dog, who he saves from the cistern.
There are also spy shenanigans aplenty as Lesueur circles Stephen and plots against him with his Maltese henchmen, while Stephen, always with the upper hand, delivers false information to them through Mrs Fielding. Add to this the presence of Way, that sneaking, conniving spy planted high up in the British hierarchy, and how Stephen beats him at cards, winning a ship assignment for the newly minted Captain Pullings among other things.
Of course, Surprise is there in all her glory, as is Heneage Dundas, the awful Admiral Harte, the employment of a drag sail as a ruse de guerre, a hike across a desert with camels, Aubrey's diamond chelengk, a captured French privateer, a dashing rescue of Mrs Fielding by Stephen in the night - so much going on here that's so much fun. This one is worth a re-re-re-read. show less
Book 13 in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series sends our nautical protagonists on an important diplomatic mission to Malaysia, which plays out with a lot of (honestly sometimes rather disturbing) tricks and shenanigans. Also, Stephen gets to see lots of cool wildlife.
I honestly don't know why I enjoy this series as much as I do. Even in installments like this, where there's not actually much in the way of confusing naval battles, I still spend a surprising amount of time not feeling show more entirely sure what's going on, as the historical terminology and references go rushing right over my head. And O'Brian, I swear, has no remotest acquaintance with the concept of pacing.
But he does have a very good sense of character, which is shown off to good effect here in the character of Fox, the envoy slowly being crushed under the increasing weight of his own inflated ego. He also has an impressive ability to make you feel like you're personally standing there on the deck of a ship next to Captain Aubrey. And he does a nicely realistic depiction of exactly how quickly fortunes can change at sea. show less
I honestly don't know why I enjoy this series as much as I do. Even in installments like this, where there's not actually much in the way of confusing naval battles, I still spend a surprising amount of time not feeling show more entirely sure what's going on, as the historical terminology and references go rushing right over my head. And O'Brian, I swear, has no remotest acquaintance with the concept of pacing.
But he does have a very good sense of character, which is shown off to good effect here in the character of Fox, the envoy slowly being crushed under the increasing weight of his own inflated ego. He also has an impressive ability to make you feel like you're personally standing there on the deck of a ship next to Captain Aubrey. And he does a nicely realistic depiction of exactly how quickly fortunes can change at sea. show less
Lists
Books Read in 2018 (20)
BBC Big Read (1)
Unread books (1)
Mamet's Ear (1)
Booker Prize (1)
Folio Society (16)
Favorite Series (1)
Best Sea Stories (3)
Favourite Books (2)
War Literature (1)
1980 great books (1)
Overdue Podcast (1)
Best Spy Fiction (1)
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 152
- Also by
- 22
- Members
- 76,582
- Popularity
- #161
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 1,048
- ISBNs
- 1,580
- Languages
- 20
- Favorited
- 370
