Friday, July 18, 2008

Alexander Kent


Douglas Edward Reeman is a British author who has written many historical fiction books on the Royal Navy, mainly set during World War II or during the Napoleonic Wars.

Reeman joined the Royal Navy in 1940, at the age of 16, and served during World War II and the Korean War. He eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant. In addition to being an author, Reeman has also taught the art of navigation for yachting and served as a technical advisor for films. Douglas married author Kimberley Jordan Reeman in 1985.

Reeman's debut novel, A Prayer for the Ship was published in 1958. Writing under the name Alexander Kent, Reeman is most famous for his series of Napoleonic Naval Stories whose central character is Richard Bolitho. He also wrote a series of novels about several generations of the Blackwood family who served in the Royal Marines from the 1850s to the 1970s and a non-fiction account of his World War II experiences, D-Day: A Personal Reminiscence (1984).