A. J. Cronin

A. J. Cronin
Cronin in 1939
Cronin in 1939
BornArchibald Joseph Cronin
(1896-07-19)19 July 1896
Cardross, Dunbartonshire,[1] Scotland
Died6 January 1981(1981-01-06) (aged 84)
Montreux, Switzerland
Resting placeCimetière de La Tour-de-Peilz, La Tour-de-Peilz, Vaud, Switzerland
Occupation
Spouse
Agnes Gibson
(m. 1921)
Children3, including Vincent and Patrick

Archibald Joseph Cronin (19 July 1896 – 6 January 1981), known as A. J. Cronin, was a Scottish physician and novelist.[2] His best-known novel is The Citadel (1937), about a Scottish physician who serves in a Welsh mining village before achieving success in London, where he becomes disillusioned about the venality and incompetence of some doctors. Cronin knew both areas, as a medical inspector of mines and as a physician in Harley Street. The book exposed unfairness and malpractice in British medicine and helped to inspire the National Health Service.[3]

The Stars Look Down, set in the North East of England, is another of his best-selling novels inspired by his work among miners. Both novels have been filmed, as have Hatter's Castle, The Keys of the Kingdom and The Green Years. His 1935 novella Country Doctor inspired a long-running BBC radio and TV series, Dr. Finlay's Casebook (1962–1971), set in the 1920s. There was a follow-up series in 1993–1996.[4]

  1. ^ Before 16 May 1975 Cardross was in Dunbartonshire
  2. ^ "AJ Cronin". University of Glasgow. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  3. ^ "A.J. Cronin: Biography on Undiscovered Scotland". www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  4. ^ "All about the doctor turned novelist whose heart always remained in Scotland". The National. 3 January 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2023.