Winston Graham, 93; Novelist Inspired Popular TV Series

Winston Graham, a novelist whose “Poldark” series about life in 18th century Cornwall was adapted into a popular television series, has died, his publisher announced Thursday. Graham was 93.

A spokeswoman for publisher Pan Macmillan said Graham, who lived in a Sussex County nursing home south of London, had died. The exact day and cause of death were not immediately available.

Graham wrote 40 novels, several of which were made into movies, including “Marnie,” Alfred Hitchcock’s psychological thriller, and “The Walking Stick.”

His best-known books were the historical novels that began with “Ross Poldark” in 1945, about a young army captain returning from the American Revolution to his family estate and a feud with his neighbor. It was followed by “Demelza” in 1946 and “Jeremy Poldark” in 1950, and eventually extended to a series of 12.

The novels were set in Cornwall, the county in southwest England where Graham lived for 30 years, and examined the life and culture of the country at a time of great social upheaval.

The British Broadcasting Corp. made a television miniseries of the saga in the 1970s, starring Robin Ellis as Ross Poldark and Angharad Rees as his wife, Demelza. It was shown in 22 countries, including the United States on the Public Broadcasting Service.

Graham was born in Manchester on June 30, 1910, and began writing novels as a young man. His mother supported him during his early writing endeavors.

Many of his early novels were destroyed when the firm that published them was badly damaged in the blitz of London in 1941.

Years later, he commented that he would not wish to resurrect any of them.

Graham served in the British coast guard during World War II. He lived for 30 years at Perranporth in Cornwall, where he wrote the first four Poldark books.

Graham was made an OBE, or officer of the Order of the British Empire, in 1983.

He was married in 1939 to Jean Williamson, who died in 1992. They had a son and daughter.

There was no immediate word on survivors or funeral plans.