Arthur Hailey Biography

British-Canadian novelist, born in Luton, Bedforshire, he left school at fourteen to work as a clerk and emigrated to Canada in 1947 after serving in the RAF throughout the Second World War. He worked in commercial capacities until 1956, when he became a full-time writer, initially of television plays. Flight into Danger (1956), his first novel, drew its factual authenticity from Hailey's experiences as a pilot. The detailed documentary character of his best-known works results from meticulous research into the social and professional spheres in which they are set. Hotel (1965) was followed by Airport (1968), which established him as a best-selling popular author. His subsequent books include Wheels (1971), a treatment of the automobile industry. The Moneychangers (1975), which deals with banking, Strong Medicine (1984), set in a major pharmaceuticals company, and The Evening News (1990), which concerns television journalism. Hailey's novels typically feature a proliferation of characters around whom a complex network of dramatic plots is woven. Among his other works are The Final Diagnosis (1959), In High Places (1962), and Overload (1979).