Winston Graham

Winston Mawdsley Graham OBE (30 June 1908 – 10 July 2003) was an English novelist, best known for the Poldark series of historical novels. Graham was born in Victoria Park, Manchester, England. When he was 17 he moved to Perranporth, Cornwall. His first novel, The House with the Stained Glass Windows was published in 1934; his first Poldark novel, Ross Poldark, was published in 1945, and was followed by a series of eleven further titles, the last... more

Winston Mawdsley Graham OBE (30 June 1908 – 10 July 2003) was an English novelist, best known for the Poldark series of historical novels. Graham was born in Victoria Park, Manchester, England. When he was 17 he moved to Perranporth, Cornwall. His first novel, The House with the Stained Glass Windows was published in 1934; his first Poldark novel, Ross Poldark, was published in 1945, and was followed by a series of eleven further titles, the last of which, Bella Poldark, came out in 2002. The series was set in Cornwall, especially in and around Perranporth, where Graham spent much of his life. The Poldark saga was made into a BBC television series in the 1970s and, with audiences reaching 14 million, was so successful that vicars moved or cancelled church services rather than try to hold them when Poldark was showing. Aside from the Poldark series, Graham's most successful work was Marnie, a thriller which was filmed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1964. Hitchcock had originally hoped that... less