Leslie, Desmond (Peter Arthur) (1921-)

Irish novelist, film scriptwriter, musician, and coauthor of a key book on flying saucers. Born on June 21, 1921, in London, the youngest son of novelist Sir Shane Leslie and nephew of Lionel Leslie, explorer and author involved in investigations of lake monsters in Scotland. He was educated at Ampleforth, England, and Trinity College, Dublin. During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force (1940-44). Over the years he wrote a number of books, but his most famous was written with George Adamski. Flying Saucers Have Landed (1953) created a sensation and launched a trend. It passed through many editions and was translated into 16 different languages. Adamski claimed that he had met a voluptuous golden-haired Venusian, and the book contains photographs of this creature and of flying saucers. In addition to his novels and scripts, Leslie has composed electronic music for films and television.

Sources:

Hogan, Robert, ed. Dictionary of Irish Literature. 2 vols. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1996.

Leslie, Desmond. The Amazing Mr. Lutterworth: A Novel. London: Allan Wingate, 1958.

——. "Leslie Strikes Back." Nexus 1, nos. 2-5 (May 1955): 7-8; Saucer News 2, nos. 2-6 (June/July 1955): 7-8.

——. "Obituary: George Adamski." Flying Saucer Review 11, no. 4 (July/August 1965): 18-19.

Leslie, Desmond, and George Adamski. Flying Saucers Have Landed. New York: British Book, 1953.