Maurice Edelman
Israel Maurice Edelman (2 March 1911 – 14 December 1975) was a Wales-born British Labour Party politician and novelist who represented Coventry constituencies in the House of Commons for over 30 years.
Early life
Maurice Edelman was born in Cardiff in 1911.[1] His parents came to Wales in 1905, escaping the pogroms in Tsarist Russia. His father was a photographer.[2] He was educated at Cardiff High School[1] and Trinity College, Cambridge,[1] where he was an Exhibitioner in Modern Languages (French, German and later Russian). He joined the plywood industry in 1931 as a company director and at the outbreak of the Second World War was engaged in research into the application of plywood and plastic materials to aircraft construction.[1]
Writing career
Edelman was a prolific journalist and author of several works of fiction and non-fiction. His novels include A Trial of Love (1951), Who Goes Home? (1953), A Dream of Treason (1954), The Happy Ones (1957), A Call on Kuprim (1959), The Minister (1961), The Fratricides (1963), The Prime Minister's Daughter (1964), All on a Summer's Night (1969), Disraeli In Love (1972) and Disraeli Rising (1975).[3]
His non-fiction works include France: The Birth of the Fourth Republic,[1] and a biography of David Ben Gurion.[2] He also produced screenplays for television broadcasts during the 1960s and 1970s.[4] During the Second World War he worked for Picture Post as a war correspondent in North Africa and Italy.[1]
Political career
At the 1945 election Edelman was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Coventry West.[1] In 1950 he won the new seat of Coventry North.
He was a vice-chairman of the British Council and chairman of the Franco-British Parliamentary Relations Committee.[1] He was a founder member of the Council of Europe in 1949.[1] A lifelong Francophile, Edelman was appointed Officier de la Légion d'Honneur in 1960,[1] having previously been awarded Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur in 1954.[5]
Following further boundary changes in 1974, Edelman represented Coventry North West until his death. His successor was Geoffrey Robinson, who won a by-election on 4 March 1976.
He appeared on the live television panel show What's My Line? from New York on 29 April 1962.[6]
He was also president of the Anglo-Jewish Association, and an active member of the Friends of the Hebrew University.[2]
He died on 14 December 1975 at the age of 64.
References
- Biography in Penguin Books edition of 'The Minister' 1964
- "Maurice Edelman Dead at 64 - Jewish Telegraphic Agency". www.jta.org.
- Catalogue of archives held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick.
- BFI filmography at http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2ba1dc3ee8 (accessed 21 December 2015)
- Letter offering Edelman the rank of officer of the French Légion d'Honneur, 1960, included in a file of "Miscellaneous official correspondence" [MSS.125/1/3/60] from the archives of Maurice Edelman, Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick
- What's My Line? (30 November 2014). "What's My Line? - Bob Cummings; Maurice Edelman [panel] (Apr 29, 1962)". Archived from the original on 13 December 2021 – via YouTube.