Archibald Joseph Cronin was born in Scotland, graduated from the University of Glasgow, and worked as a doctor in South Wales and London. But his true calling became literature, to which he devoted himself after the resounding success of his first novel "The Citadel." Among Cronin's other well-known books are "The Stars Look Down," "The Citadel," "The Young Years," "Shannon's Way," "The Keys of the Kingdom," "The Testament of a Crusader," and "Three Loves." The most striking novels belong to the number of bestsellers that have sold in huge editions worldwide; over 30 adaptations have been made based on Cronin's works. However, it cannot be said that, having left his medical practice, Archibald Cronin permanently parted ways with medicine. This profession, the problems associated with it, and the challenges of the time always stirred the writer's creative imagination, which is why the main character of his books often became a talented and determined doctor—someone to whom the author could convey his ideas, views, and searches. Driven by his beloved work, Duncan Stirling is the hero of the novella "Brilliant Years." Despite his crippled hand, he is full of determination to achieve worldwide fame in the medical field. Harvey Leith ("Gran Canaria") dreams of this as well. A gifted doctor and researcher, confident that his discovery will revolutionize science, he suffers a brutal failure and goes to the Canary Islands to start all over again... In the small novella "The Local Doctor," a romantic and gripping story is told about doctor Robert Murray and nurse Mary, who arrived on a remote Caribbean island on the eve of ominous events...
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