Writer Arthur Haley has produced a number of groundbreaking works in the production novel genre. Some of them are filmed. The works have been translated into many languages, the total circulation exceeded one hundred million. The modest author refused literary merits, saying that he had enough readers' attention. "Airport" is one of the most famous books of the writer.
The writer's books remain bestsellers, serials and films are shot based on them. Their creator was born in Luton, England in 1920 in the family of a factory worker. At the age of fourteen, the future author left his studies. He completed courses in shorthand and typing. Arthur dreamed of a career as a pilot, enrolled in the Royal Air Force. Haley, who received the rank of officer, was sent to training in Canada. The pilot served in India, with the headquarters in the Ministry in London. After the war, the author moved to Canada and started working for a local magazine.
The author and his creations
The stenographer Sheila became his wife. Together they lived for more than half a century. Hayley wrote scripts and plays. The first one, "Runway", became successful. She gave impetus to the writer to develop as a playwright. Haley's book is distinguished from the usual action films by the combination of intrigue with social issues, the versatility of the image. The innovator opened the world to a new genre, the production novel.
His novel "Airport" made the author famous throughout the world. A film of the same name, a TV series was shot on it. Meticulous detailing is noticeable in the essay. The author balances, proving mastery, between gripping storytelling and technical detail. This was noted by all the critics who wrote the reviews for the work.
Several books preceded the cult novel. In his essay "Overload" the author revealed to the readers the nuances of the energy industry. The manager of a large energy company, Nim Goldman, is tackling the difficult tasks of overcoming the crisis. The book also shows the private life of the hero.
In the "Hotel" the seething flow of life draws in readers from the very beginning. In the slightly old-fashioned St. Gregory Hotel, everything is turned into parts of a giant mechanism. The author slowly shows the sides of the hotel's life. There are hidden pitfalls behind its majestic façade. The Final Diagnosis depicts the everyday life of an ordinary hospital staff. Different people, fates, struggle for life - the plot has everything. Events change each other rapidly, overlapping one another. All the stories presented are distinguished by their realism, so readers cannot remain indifferent.
The "Money Changers" shows the banking sector. It all starts with the news of the fatal illness of the owner of a credit institution. The struggle for a new place in the sun begins immediately. One hero only cares about profit, the other is important about justice.
Iconic book
At the Airport, readers are amazed at the fascinating details. In the past, the author was a pilot, so he knew thoroughly what he was writing about. The action takes place in the nineties, during the illusion of complete security. Terrorism was not known to anyone at that time. Amazingly, Haley saw one of the biggest problems long before it was realized.
Regardless of the heroes and the choice of sphere, each novel is a sea of information. The author scrupulously researched the information, adapting it to suit the most fastidious readers. This is confirmed by numerous reviews.
The Airport has been hailed as Hailey's finest example of writing. An intricate web of plots suits fans who are waiting for interesting and good stories. Before writing the essay, the author conducted research for a year. Critics are convinced that all creations are expertly created. The narrative moves smoothly while remaining dynamic.
All the information provided is very interesting, and the plot develops rapidly. The work makes you think a lot. Often, the flow of the narrative is interrupted by security recordings, technical details. The writer uses this technique to control all the characters. The focus moves repeatedly from one character to another. Hayley temporarily leaves the heroes, returns to them again. All characters are typical and simple so that they meet every day in real life.
The book was published in 1968. The action takes place during a severe blizzard in Chicago, at the Lincoln International Airport invented by the author. The reader is opened by the work of a large air station, people responsible for its continuous operation. The tension builds up and is held. The liner stuck in the snow blocked the runway, provoking an emergency. A transatlantic flight prepares to take off, but there is a bomb on board. Aircraft workers are ordinary people. The passengers are outraged by too much noise, the air traffic controller conceived suicide, the stewardess found out that she was expecting a child.
main characters
The book immerses readers in a new world for them. Hardly anyone is unfamiliar with a plane, someone does not understand what an airport is. Everyone knows the smiling staff, always ready to help, the crowds of passengers, the attractiveness of the shops.
However, behind the external beauty of the species lies a responsible and difficult job. The main character of the work is the former military pilot Mel Bakersfeld, who manages the airport. He supervises the timely and accurate work of the employees, which ensures the uninterrupted operation of the terminal.
But Mel does not even suggest that at this moment in his own apartment a man who has been broken by life is making a bomb. Together with the weapon, he is going to board the plane. From that moment on, all events are rapidly unfolding and tensions are rapidly growing. The search for ways to prevent a catastrophe begins. People who find themselves in the alteration are saved only by endurance, which can be envied.
In a matter of minutes, it becomes clear to many who really is who. It is impossible to keep indifference after reading the work. The book has a lot of storylines, interesting characters and their relationships.
Many resemble Mel, strong, courageous. Broken by the circumstances, faced with the choice of getting rid of painful memories and the prospect of further life with them in misunderstanding and loneliness. There are those who love and love, want to leave behind a particle. However, there are characters who turn the lives of those around them and their own into a real hell. They need profit, recognition, fires seek to satisfy vanity, to solve material problems at the expense of the lives of others.
In his work, Haley touches upon the problems of morality and ethics, social issues concerning each reader. The writer draws attention to humanity, mutual respect, the constantly falling value of human life in the eyes of his contemporaries. These issues are worth pondering. Therefore, it is undoubtedly useful for everyone to get acquainted with the author's novel.
Reviews and reviews
The book is compared to a mechanism assembled from a huge number of parts. The master tuned it and made it work harmoniously. Not a second during the reading process does the reader feel that something is missing, that something is suspiciously implausible. The whole action fits into seven o'clock.
An astonishingly large number of events occur during this interval, everything is stated in great detail. This richness explains the considerable volume of the work. As you progress, an answer appears to the question of why the author describes the characters in such detail. This is intended to completely immerse fans in the action.
Hailey Airport is a whole organism. It includes factors both external and internal, large and small, positive and negative. Readers understand that it is very difficult to maintain such an organism, to maintain its vitality and stability.
Each hero has his own problems. All the actors refer to them as private, but in fact, the personal has an impact on the lives of many people nearby. If you do not help yourself in time, considering yourself an unnecessary grain of the world, keep failures, do not share problems, then the snowball will gradually begin to grow, affecting both its owner and others. The novel clearly demonstrates this.
