John Buchan Life and Works

Scottish Novelist and Biographer

Mar 1, 2009 Tel Asiado

Brief biography and works of British author John Buchan, famous for The Thirty-Nine Steps.

John Buchan is best known for action adventure novels, especially The Thirty-Nine Steps and Prester John. He served as the 15th Governor-General of Canada. The Thirty-Nine Steps was made into a film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935. Since then, there have been other adaptations.

Early Life of John Buchan

John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, was born on August 26, 1875, in Perth, Scotland, the son of a Protestant minister. He studied at Glasgow and Oxford universities. Buchan published his first novel at the age of 20.

Between 1901 and 1903, following the Boer War, Buchan worked in South Africa with the reconstruction commission.

Governor-General of Canada

Buchan was an active politician. In 1927, aged 52, he was elected to the British parliament. A few years later, in 1935, King George V made him a lord taking the title Baron Tweedsmuir, and appointed him governor-general of Canada. In this position he represented the king in that country in the monarch's absence.

Adventure Stories

At first, writing was much a hobby for Buchan. Although he wrote many nonfictions, including biographies and history, his worldwide reputation was mainly on adventure stories.

His adventure tales have simple characterizations but contain exciting plots with all the elements of action-packed films. His endings are dramatic. He featured a recurring group of heroes such as Richard Hannay, Sandy Arbuthnot, and Edward Leithen.

His settings were often Scotland, southwest England or South Africa. Like The Thirty-Nine Steps, there are almost always cross-country chases, with the landscape brilliantly and magnificently described.

Final Words on John Buchan

Buchan's last novel, Mountain Meadow, which was published posthumously, was set in the icy wastes of Canada, a country he loved. He died on February 11, 1940, at the age of 64. As a legacy to Buchan, certain places in Canada have been named in his honour, as Tweedsmuir.

Major Books by John Buchan

• Sir Quixote of the Moors, 1895
• Prester John, 1910
• The Thirty-Nine Steps, 1915
• Salute to Adventurers, 1915
• The Power House, 1916
• Greenmantle, 1916
• Mr. Standfast, 1919
• History of the Great War, 1921-1922
• The Dancing Hour, 1926
• Witch Wood, 1927, horror fiction
• Sir Walter Scott, 1932
• Pilgrim's Way, 1940, published after he died
• Mountain Meadow, 1941, published after he died

Sources:

Biographical Dictionary, edited by Una McGovern, Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers, 2002.

Larousse Dictionary of Writers, edited by Rosemary Goring. New York: Larousse, 1994.

The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English by Ian Ousby. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

The copyright of the article John Buchan Life and Works in Great Thinkers is owned by Tel Asiado. Permission to republish John Buchan Life and Works in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

John Buchan, Novelist and Biographer

Comments

Mar 2, 2009 2:05 PM

Guest :

I really enjoyed this post. A new plaque is due to be unveiled in Glasgow, Scotland by the John Buchan Society. I hope to visit the John Buchan Centre later this year.

Mar 3, 2009 5:53 PM

Tel Asiado :

Hi Guest,
Thank you for your encouraging comment. It would be great if you can update us of your visit to the JB Centre. Btw, I still keep my old video of The Thirty-Nine Steps until now.

2 Comments