James Hilton was born in Lancashire in 1900, the son of a headmaster. His best known books, Lost Horizon and Goodbye Mr Chips, were written during the thirties, a period which afforded him great commercial success and enormous popularity. Lost Horizon was made into a blockbuster Hollywood film in 1937. For a time, Hilton was highest paid screen-writer in Hollywood and he won an Academy Award in 1942 for his work on the screenplay of Mrs. Miniver. Hilton continued to write novels throughout his career. He died in 1954.
Biografie
James Hilton (eigentlich: Glen Trevor), geboren am 9. September 1900 in Leigh (Lancashire), studierte an der Cambridge University. Er begann seine Karriere als Journalist bereits mit 17 Jahren und schrieb unter anderem für den 'Manchester Guardian' und die 'Daily News'. Seit 1931 verfasste er Unterhaltungsromane und Drehbücher, die mehrfach verfilmt und in viele Sprachen übersetzt wurden, so 'Lost Horizon' (1933, deutsch 1951 unter dem Titel 'Irgendwo in Tibet'), 'Goodbye, Mr. Chips!' (1934, deutsch 1951) und 'We Are Not Alone' (1935, deutsch 1953). Hilton lebte zunächst in London, ab 1937 in Hollywood. Er starb 1954 in Long Beach.
