Mackenzie, Compton (1883-1972), was a British writer. During his long career, Mackenzie wrote more than 100 books, including novels, biographies, autobiographies, histories, and plays. He first became known for his novels The Passionate Elopement (1911) and Carnival (1912). Perhaps his best-known fiction is a series of novels beginning with Sinister Street (two volumes, 1913-1914). The novels describe the childhood and youth of Michael and Stella Fane, the illegitimate children of wealthy parents. Mackenzie continued their story in Plashers Mead (1917), Sylvia Scarlett (1918), and Sylvia and Michael (1919).
Mackenzie’s other novels include the humorous The Monarch of the Glen (1941) and Whisky Galore (1947), both set in Scotland. The Four Winds of Love is a series of six novels published from 1937 to 1945. Mackenzie wrote 10 volumes of autobiography called My Life and Times (1963-1971). He also completed three volumes of memoirs about his experiences in World War I (1914-1918), Gallipoli Memories (1929), Athenian Memories (1931), and Greek Memories (1932).
Edward Montague Compton Mackenzie was born on Jan. 17, 1883, in West Hartlepool, Cleveland, England. He was educated at Oxford University. Mackenzie strongly supported the Scottish nationalism movement and lived in Scotland after 1928. He was rector of Glasgow University from 1931 to 1934. He was knighted in 1952 and died on Nov. 30, 1972.
