Rafael Sabatini Italian-English writer Date of Birth: 29.04.1875 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Rafael Sabatini

Rafael Sabatini, an Italian-English writer, is best known for his adventure novels, including "Captain Blood" and "Scaramouche". He was born in Iesi, Italy, to an Italian father and an English mother. His parents were opera singers who later became teachers. Sabatini grew up learning several languages due to his upbringing in England, schooling in Portugal, and Switzerland. He settled in England at the age of 17 and eventually became fluent in English, which he believed to be the language of the best stories.

After initially pursuing a career in business, Sabatini turned to writing in the 1890s. However, it took him a quarter of a century to achieve success as an author. His breakthrough came with the publication of "Scaramouche" in 1921, a fast-paced adventure novel set during the French Revolution that became an international bestseller. His following novel, "Captain Blood", enjoyed similar success. Sabatini continued to write prolifically, completing a new book nearly every year for the next few decades.

Sabatini's works were adapted for the screen during the silent film era, with three of his novels becoming popular films. However, the 1926 adaptation of "Bardelys the Magnificent", directed by King Vidor and starring John Gilbert, gained notoriety as a "lost film" for many years. Fortunately, several complete copies of the film were recently discovered and restored. Other adaptations include the 1923 version of "Scaramouche" and the 1924 film "The Sea Hawk". In 1940, a separate film adaptation of "Captain Blood" was released, starring Errol Flynn.

Sabatini had one son, Rafael-Angelo, who tragically died in a car accident in 1927. In 1931, Sabatini divorced his wife and moved to Clifford, Herefordshire with his second wife, Christine Dixon Wood. Their happiness was short-lived as Christine's son Lancelot Dixon died in an airplane crash. These family tragedies affected Sabatini's health and slowed down his writing output in the 1940s. However, he continued to write until his final days, even publishing some works while being ill.

Sabatini spent his final years in Switzerland, often wintering there and finding inspiration for new novels. Unfortunately, his health deteriorated to the point where he was bedridden. He passed away on February 13, 1950, in Adelboden, Switzerland, and was buried there. His gravestone bears the first sentence from his famous novel "Scaramouche": "He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad". Sabatini's writing was influenced by another renowned author, Daniel Defoe, whose biography provided material and inspiration for Sabatini's own characters and stories.