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| Clive Cussler | |
Bestselling author Clive Cussler, who wrote more than 70 books and founded the National Underwater & Marine Agency, died February 24. He was 88. On his Facebook page, Cussler's wife, Janet Horvath, posted: "It is with a heavy heart that I want to share the sad news that my husband, Clive passed away on Monday. It has been a privilege and a great honor to share in his life. I want to thank you, his fans and friends for all the support, for all the good times and all the adventures you have shared with him. He was the kindest, most gentle man I ever met. I have always loved him and always will. I know, his adventures will continue."
Noting that his "vivid literary fantasies and his larger-than-life exploits swirled together for four decades," the New York Times reported that "his work--mostly action thrillers of the James Bond-Indiana Jones kind, plus nonfiction accounts of his marine quests and a few children's books--made him a global celebrity." His books sold more than 100 million copies and were translated into 40 languages.
Cussler's novels often featured Dirk Pitt, "an undersea explorer who cheats death and saves the world as he foils the diabolical plots of megalomaniac villains, while satisfying his taste for exotic cars and lusty women," the Times noted, adding that he "also connected with readers by turning his love for scuba diving into an oceanic lifestyle that paralleled and validated his superhero."
His commercial breakthrough was Raise the Titanic! (1976), and his first nonfiction book was The Sea Hunters (1996, with Craig Dirgo). In addition to the Dirk Pitt books, Cussler also wrote other series, including The NUMA Files (with Graham Brown or Paul Kemprecos); The Fargo Adventures (with Grant Blackwood or Thomas Perry); The Oregon Files (with Jack DuBrul or Mr. Dirgo; and The Isaac Bell Adventures (with Justin Scott). His nonfiction works include Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed (with Dirgo) and Built for Adventure: The Classic Automobiles of Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt. His latest book, Journey of the Pharaohs: A Novel From the NUMA Files (with Graham Brown), is scheduled to be published in March by Putnam.
Cussler first created the National Underwater and Marine Agency as a fictional government organization that employed Dirk Pitt, but in 1979 he founded an actual NUMA as a private nonprofit group committed to "preserving maritime heritage through the discovery, archaeological survey and conservation of shipwreck artifacts," the Times wrote.
The Guardian noted that in the early 2000s, Cussler agreed to work with co-authors in order to publish more frequently. " 'I don't give a damn,' he said in a 2015 interview, in reply to criticism of the move. 'I never had a highfalutin view of what I write. It's a job. I entertain my readers. I get up in the morning and I start typing.... I want it to be easy to read. I'm not writing exotic literature. I like snappy dialogue and short descriptions and lots of action."