Ruined City
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Books |
Ruined City is a novel authored by Nevil Shute and first published in the United Kingdom by Cassell in 1938. In the United States, it appeared under the alternative title Kindling through William Morrow.
Plot summary
The story unfolds during the economic hardships of the 1930s Depression and centers on Henry Warren, a prosperous financier from London who is grappling with health problems and a failing marriage. Seeking escape, he chooses to vanish from his previous life and travel anonymously to the industrial North, a region plagued by widespread joblessness.
In Sharples, a fictional town where the only shipyard has shut down, Warren falls ill and is admitted to hospital, where he is mistaken for an unemployed laborer. Following a successful surgical procedure and developing a friendship with Alice, the hospital almoner, he evaluates the struggling local economy. Motivated to aid the community’s recovery, he covertly acquires the shipyard at a bargain price. However, his only secured contract comes from an oil-rich Balkan nation requiring tanker vessels. To initiate the enterprise, Warren issues a prospectus that falsely asserts profitability. When a revolution in that Balkan country leads to order cancellations, Warren accepts full accountability for the misleading statements and is sentenced to two years imprisonment.
After serving his term, he returns to discover the shipyard thriving due to new rearmament contracts. The company management commemorates his efforts by placing a bronze plaque in recognition of his role in preserving local employment. The townsfolk acknowledge him warmly—including Alice, who has remained faithfully awaiting his return.
Background
The narrative is influenced by Shute’s professional experiences as Calculator on the R100 airship project based at Howden in Yorkshire and as director of Airspeed Ltd.
In 1935, Airspeed entered into a licensing arrangement with Fokker and investigated manufacturing the Fokker D.XVII fighter aircraft for Greece, motivated by currency considerations favoring British exports. At that time managing director, Shute accompanied a Fokker official knowledgeable about Balkan affairs on a three-week visit to Athens; however, no contract was ultimately secured.