Peter George - Definition and Overview

Peter George (March 24, 1924 - June 11, 1966) was a British author, most famous for the Cold War thriller novel Red Alert. He was born in Treorchy, Wales, and died in Hastings, East Sussex when he committed suicide.

George was deeply committed to nuclear disarmament and had been a lieutenant in the Royal Air Force.

Red Alert, his best-known novel, was the inspiration for Stanley Kubrick's classic film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Peter George in fact wrote the screenplay for the film (in collaboration with Kubrick and Terry Southern), and was displeased with the overall satirical feel of the movie. He wrote a novelization of the screenplay after the film was released and dedicated it to the director.

George later wrote another novel to denounce the use of nuclear weapons, entitled Commander-I.