Patrick O'Brian (1914–2000) was a British novelist and translator, best known for the Aubrey–Maturin series of Napoleonic-era sea novels. Born Richard Patrick Russ in London, he published early fiction as R. P. Russ and worked in British wartime intelligence during World War II. After the war he adopted the name Patrick O'Brian, married Mary Tolstoy, and settled in Collioure, France, where he wrote, researched maritime history, and translated French authors including Simone de Beauvoir. His meticulously detailed naval adventures earned international acclaim and numerous honors; he was appointed CBE in 1997. O'Brian died in Dublin in 2000.
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