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| Horatio Hornblower | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | The Happy Return (1937) |
| Last appearance | "The Last Encounter" (1967) |
| Created by | C. S. Forester |
| Portrayed by | Gregory Peck David Buck Michael Redgrave Ioan Gruffudd |
| In-universe information | |
| Nickname | Horry (by his first wife) Horny (by his shipmates) |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Naval officer |
| Spouse | Maria Mason (†) Lady Barbara Wellesley |
| Children | Horatio Hornblower Jr. (†) Maria Hornblower (†) Richard Hornblower |
| Nationality | British |
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.
- ^ Parkinson, C. Northcote (1970). The True Story of Horatio Hornblower. London: Michael Joseph. ISBN 0750934395.