Palma Harcourt
Palma N. Harcourt was a prolific author known for her spy novels, born circa 1917 in Jersey, British Channel Islands. After attending Jersey Ladies' College, she pursued a degree in classics at St Anne's College, Oxford, and later married Jack Harry Trotman, an intelligence officer. Her husband's military service during World War II and subsequent roles with the British Foreign Office and NATO provided Harcourt with invaluable insights into intelligence and diplomacy, which would significantly influence her writing. Harcourt began her literary career while living abroad, publishing her first novel, "Climate for Conspiracy," in 1974 and continuing to write nearly annually until 1996. Alongside her husband, she coauthored books under the pseudonym John Penn, further expanding her literary output. Critics have praised her work for its engaging plots, suspenseful pacing, and rich character development, often drawing comparisons to renowned spy writers like John Le Carré. Despite some criticism regarding predictability, her novels gained recognition in major publications and were adapted by the BBC, showcasing her talent and the international appeal of her stories. Harcourt's legacy is also marked by her involvement in community organizations in Jersey before her passing in 1999.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Palma Harcourt
Writer
- Born: c. 1917
- Birthplace: Jersey, Channel Islands, Great Britain
- Died: December 7, 1999
Biography
Palma N. Harcourt was born around 1917 at Jersey in the British Channel Islands, growing up there. She did not publicize her parents’ names or family information. Harcourt attended the Jersey Ladies’ College before enrolling in St Anne’s College at Oxford University in 1936. Harcourt focused on studying classics, earning a degree four years later and joining the Society of Oxford Home Students. She married an Oxford alumnus, Jack Harry Trotman.
Harcourt accompanied her husband during his foreign assignments as an intelligence officer. During World War II, he served in the Intelligence Corps of the British Army. By 1946, Harcourt’s husband joined the British Foreign Office for two years. They moved to Ottawa, Canada, in 1949, when he worked for the Joint Intelligence Bureau there until 1965. Harcourt remained in Ottawa through 1973, as her husband was affiliated with the Canadian Department of National Defense. She then resided in Paris, France, while her husband joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) International Staff until 1977. Harcourt occasionally conducted intelligence assignments. Her involvement in intelligence matters enhanced her awareness of diplomacy protocol and plot possibilities for spy novels she aspired to write.
After her husband’s retirement, Harcourt returned to her native Jersey, settling at St Brelade. During the 1980’s, she assisted her husband when he served as president of the Royal Commonwealth Society’s Jersey Branch and for the National Trust for Jersey. According to the Oxford University Gazette, Harcourt died on December 7, 1999, when she was eighty-two years old. Her husband also died in 1999. They gave their property, worth approximately œ425,000, to the National Trust for Jersey.
Harcourt began writing spy novels while living abroad. Her international experiences inspired exotic in addition to English settings, characters, and intrigue for her stories. After Harcourt’s first book, Climate for Conspiracy, was published in 1974, she wrote prolifically, producing a new book almost annually through 1996, concluding with Shadows of the Past. Harcourt wrote several short stories printed in Crime Writers Association’s anthologies.
Harcourt’s agent, Murray Pollinger, encouraged her husband to write crime fiction. The couple coauthored novels using the pseudonym John Penn, combining his formal name and his mother’s maiden name. Beginning with their 1982 debut book, Notice of Death, Harcourt also wrote a book annually with her husband, sometimes publishing several novels per year, through their 1995 collaboration So Many Steps to Death.
Although some critics described her work as predictable, reviewers in major British and U.S. periodicals mostly praised Harcourt’s writing as outstanding in her genre, stating that her books attained the quality of the spy writers Mary Stewart’s and Helen MacInnes, and comparing her to John Le Carré. Critics noted Harcourt’s literary strengths included skillful pacing to create well-plotted, suspenseful novels, incorporating imaginative, clever twists and realistic characterizations and dialogue. They noted her intelligence expertise and familiarity with settings contributed to her novels’ excellence. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) aired radio adaptations of Harcourt’s novels. Publishers issued translated editions of her novels in several languages.