Albert Campion
|
|
Albert Campion is a fictional character in a series of detective novels and short stories by Margery Allingham. Supposedly Campion was created as a parody of Dorothy L. Sayers' detective Lord Peter Wimsey, although he established his own identity as the series progressed.
| Contents |
Fictional biography
Born in 1900, Albert Campion is the pseudonym used by a man who is part of a prominent noble family in Britain. Well-educated, in his 20s he assumed the name Campion and began a life as an adventurer and detective. He first appeared as a supporting character in The Crime at Black Dudley, an adventure story involving a ring of criminals.
Campion is thin, blond, wears glasses, and is often described as inoffensive and bland. He is, nonetheless, a man of authority and action, and considers himself to be a helpful and comforting "Uncle Albert" to friends and those in need. He lives in a flat on Bottle Street in London above a police station, and his aided by his manservant, Lugg, an uncouth, rough-and-tumble fellow who used to be a burglar. He is good friends with Inspector Stanislaus Oates of Scotland Yard, who is as by-the-book as Campion is unorthodox. Campion also has friends and allies seemingly scattered all across the English countryside.
Campion's stories are generally adventures rather than true mysteries, as they rarely feature puzzles that the reader has a chance of solving. It's the characters and situations which carry the story. Most of the novels are short by modern standards - about 200 pages long.
Bibliography
Novels
- The Crime at Black Dudley (1929) (a.k.a. The Black Dudley Murder)
- Mystery Mile (1930)
- The Gyrth Chalice Mystery (1931) (a.k.a. Look to the Lady)
- Police at the Funeral (1932)
- The Fear Sign (1933) (a.k.a. Sweet Danger in the UK)
- Death of a Ghost (1934)
- Dancers in Mourning (1934)
- Flowers for the Judge (1937)
- The Case of the Late Pig (1937)
- The Fashion in Shrouds (1938)
- Traitor's Purse (1940)
- Pearls Before Swine (1945) (a.k.a. Coroner's Pidgin in the UK)
- More Work for the Undertaker (1949)
- The Tiger in the Smoke (1952)
- The Estate of the Beckoning Lady (1955)
- Tether's End (1958)
- The China Governess (1962)
- The Mind Readers (1965)
- Cargo of Eagles (1969) (completed posthumously by Philip Youngman Carter)
Short story collections
- Mr. Campion's Farthing
- Mr. Campion's Lucky Day and Other Stories
- Mr. Campion and Others
- Mr. Campion's Quarry
- The Return of Mr. Campion
Television
Campion was played by Peter Davison in two series of BBC adaptations of Allingham's stories, shown in the United States by PBS. Lugg was played by Brian Glover and Oates by Andrew Burt. Peter Davison sang the title music himself.