'Burl Barer' (born
1947,
Walla Walla, Washington) is an
American author and literary historian. He is best known for his fiction and non-fiction writings about the character
Simon Templar, also known as "
The Saint".
Barer's best-known work is ''The Saint: A Complete History in Print, Radio, Television, and Film 1928-1992'' which was first published in 1992 and republished in 2003. He received a 1994
Edgar Award for this book, which is a chronological examination of The Saint in all media.
Considered a leading expert on Simon Templar and the work of the character's creator,
Leslie Charteris, Barer has also written two novels, both published in 1997, based upon the character. The first was a
novelization of the screenplay for the
1997 film adaptation of ''The Saint'' starring
Val Kilmer, although the film itself was only loosely based upon Charteris' creation. This was followed by ''
Capture the Saint'', which was published by The Saint Club (an organization founded by Charteris) to mark the 70th anniversary of the character's first appearance, in ''
Meet - The Tiger!''. It is the most recent Saint story to have been published as of 2006.
Barer is also a prolific author of true crime books and was praised by
Pulitzer Prize nominee
Jack Olsen for "writing true crime at its best."
[1]
Before becoming an author, Barer was a prominent radio personality in the Pacific Northwest. He also garnered awards in commercial writing and production. He is the uncle of authors
Lee Goldberg and
Tod Goldberg. His nieces have also been published. A compilation by Burl Barer published entitled 'Selections from the Holy Qur'án: Translations and Emendations by
Shoghi Effendi', as an appendix in James Heggie's Bahá'í References to Judaism, Christianity and Islam (Oxford: George Ronald, 1986).
[2]
According to the
Internet Movie Database, Barer is also credited with a small acting role in the 1991 film, ''The Last Ride''.
[1]
He is a
Bahá'í by religion.
[3]
External links
★
Spywise: "The Saint in Fact and Fiction: An Interview with Historian and Novelist Burl Barer"
References
1. Jack Olsen Remembered
2. see item 11, MEMORANDUM - Questions about aspects of the Bahá'í Teachings From: Research Department To: The Universal House of Justice Date: 6 August 1997
3. Burl Barer, Brilliant Author author's blog