Horatio Hornblower

Horatio Hornblower
First appearanceThe Happy Return (1937)
Last appearance"The Last Encounter" (1967)
Created byC. S. Forester
Portrayed byGregory Peck
David Buck
Michael Redgrave
Ioan Gruffudd
In-universe information
NicknameHorry (by his first wife)
Horny (by his shipmates)
GenderMale
OccupationNaval officer
SpouseMaria Mason (†)
Lady Barbara Wellesley
ChildrenHoratio Hornblower Jr. (†)
Maria Hornblower (†)
Richard Hornblower
NationalityBritish

Horatio Hornblower is a fictional officer in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, the protagonist of a series of novels and stories by C. S. Forester. He later became the subject of films and radio and television programmes, and C. Northcote Parkinson elaborated a "biography" of him, The True Story of Horatio Hornblower.[1]

Forester's series about Hornblower tales began with the novel The Happy Return (US title: Beat to Quarters), published in 1937. Herein, Hornblower is a captain on a secret mission to Central America in 1808. Later stories fill out his career, starting with his unpromising beginning as a seasick midshipman. As the Napoleonic Wars progress, he steadily gains promotion as a result of his skill and daring, despite his initial poverty and lack of influential friends. After surviving many adventures in a wide variety of locales, he rises to become Admiral of the Fleet.

  1. ^ Parkinson, C. Northcote (1970). The True Story of Horatio Hornblower. London: Michael Joseph. ISBN 0750934395.