Patrick O8217;Brian dies at 85

LONDON, JAN 8: Writer Patrick O8217;Brian, whose celebrated novels of 19th century seafaring won praise from critics and loyalty of legions of readers, has died at age 85.

O8217;Brian, who had lived in France since 1949, died in Dublin, where he had spent a few weeks at Trinity College working on a book. The cause of death was not given. O8217;Brian8217;s major work was a 20-volume series set in the royal navy during the Napoleonic wars. A deep knowledge of naval history and 19th century life enabled him to evoke a time and place so vividly that, in this era of supersonic jets and smart bombs, readers were gripped by slow-motion suspense of sea battles fought under sail.

Although the books were well-reviewed and found an enthusiastic readership from the start, it wasn8217;t until the 1990s that they achieved wide recognition abroad and were lifted out of the quot;historical fictionquot; genre in which they generally were reviewed.

In 1992, a critic for the Washington Post called O8217;brian quot;the best novelist you have never heard of.quot;