Basil Copper
Basil Copper is a pseudonymous author known for his prolific writing in the genres of mystery, gothic fiction, and dark fantasy. Born Lee Falk on February 5, 1924, in London, he worked as a news editor for thirty years before transitioning to full-time writing after his retirement in 1970. Copper's works often reflect settings that evoke both the Victorian era and a nostalgic version of the 1920s, blending historical elements with a cinematic flair. He has a unique ability to mimic the styles of other authors, such as H. P. Lovecraft and Mickey Spillane, yet he also possesses a distinct voice that showcases his individuality as a writer. His Lovecraftian novels, including "The Great White Space" and "Into the Silence," effectively capture the themes of exploration and ancient mysteries central to Lovecraft’s narratives. In addition to his horror and fantasy works, Copper has written detective novels, including the Mike Faraday series, which portrays a private eye in a Hollywood-inspired Los Angeles. Copper's integration of literary references, particularly to Sherlock Holmes, adds depth and humor to his stories, appealing to both genre enthusiasts and casual readers alike.
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Basil Copper
Writer
- Born: February 5, 1924
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: April 4, 2013
Biography
Basil Copper is the pseudonym of Lee Falk, a name playing upon the common British slang term for a police officer, “copper,” which has been shortened on the western side of the Atlantic to “cop.” He was born on February 5, 1924, in London, England, and attended a private college. Copper was a news editor for a county newspaper in Kent for thirty years, and during that time published a short-story collection and several mystery novels. He retired in 1970, and then became a full-time writer.
The majority of his novels and short-story collections have been published since his retirement, and he has been quite prolific, often turning out two or three books a year. Many of his books are set in the Victorian era or the 1920’s; the latter is often not the historical 1920’s but a sort of timeless, nostalgic setting that owes more to films and popular recollection than to historical fact.
Like writer August Derleth, Copper has a talent for literary mimicry, and he is able to imitate with astonishing accuracy the style of almost any author, ranging from H. P. Lovecraft to Mickey Spillane. However, he is not merely an imitator, and he is quite capable of writing in his own voice and creating works of stunning individuality. In his Lovecraftian novels, particularly The Great White Space and Into the Silence, he captures the 1920’s of Lovecraft’s short story “At the Mountains of Madness” (1936), when the few uncharted places of the globe were being investigated for the first time and it was still possible to believably create a story of the discovery of ancient lost civilizations without descending into camp or outright farce. In both novels, Copper captures Lovecraft’s style of introducing the setting at a leisurely pace, then steadily speeding things up as the alien menace from Earth’s distant past presents itself and threatens the very future of humanity.
Copper also dabbled in the style of Victorian gothic, particularly in Necropolis, which also partakes of the mystery genre by having as its protagonist a private detective who stumbles upon horrific misdeeds while investigating a seemingly ordinary death. In this novel, Copper amuses the alert reader by including a number of references to various cases by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes. In addition to his dark fantasy and horror, Copper has written straightforward detective novels, particularly his Mike Faraday series. The series is about a Los Angeles private eye, although as an Englishman Copper draws as much from the Hollywood image of the city as its actuality.