Mackenzie, Sir Compton

MacKenzie, Sir Compton, 1883–1972, English author, b. West Hartelpool, Durham, educated at Oxford. In Apr., 1923, he founded the Gramophone, a periodical devoted to reviewing recordings. A prolific and versatile writer, MacKenzie was particularly noted for his novels, which were often set in exotic locations. They include Carnival (1912), Sinister Street (1913), and On Moral Courage (1962). Among his nonfiction works is Mr. Roosevelt (1944).

Bibliography

See his autobiography, My Life and Times (10 vol., 1963–71); study by K. Young (1968).

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Mackenzie, Sir (Edward Montague) Compton

(born Jan. 17, 1883, West Hartlepool, Durham, Eng.—died Nov. 30, 1972, Edinburgh, Scot.) British novelist and playwright. Educated at Oxford University, he gave up legal studies to finish his first play, The Gentleman in Grey (1906). During World War I he directed the Aegean Intelligence Service in Syria; when he wrote about those experiences in Greek Memories (1932), he was prosecuted under Britain's Official Secrets Act. He founded Gramophone magazine in 1923 and edited it until 1962. He served as rector of Glasgow University (1931–34) and as literary critic for the London Daily Mail; his more than 100 novels, plays, and biographies include 10 volumes of memoirs.