A. J. Cronin

Life & Legacy

Archibald Joseph Cronin (Cronogue) (19 July 1896 – 6 January 1981) was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known novel is The Citadel (1937), about a Scottish physician who serves in a Welsh mining village, and then moves into a highly paid private practice in London where he becomes disillusioned with the greed and incompetence of some doctors. In writing the book, Cronin utilized his experiences both as a medical inspector of mines, and a physician on Harley Street. The Citadel exposed unfairness in British medicine and helped inspire the National Health Service.
The Stars Look Down, set in the North East of England, is another of his best-selling novels that used his first-hand knowledge of mining communities. The book's success prompted a film adaptation, as did The Citadel, Hatter's Castle, The Keys of the Kingdom and The Green Years. Cronin's 1935 novella Country Doctor was turned into a long-running BBC radio and TV series, Dr. Finlay's Casebook (1962–1971), set in the 1920s. There was a follow-up series in 1993–1996.