Patrick O’Brian

Patrick O’Brian (1914–2000) was a British writer and translator. He published his first novel at the age of fifteen and worked as a British secret agent during the Second World War. After the war, he translated works by, among others, Jean-Paul Sartre and Colette. He became internationally known for his maritime adventure series about naval officer Jack Aubrey and ship’s surgeon Stephen Maturin, whose first volume appeared in 1969. The series comprises twenty completed volumes and served as the basis for the film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.