Michael Arlen

Date of Birth: November 16, 1895

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Date of Death: June 23, 1956

Biography

Michael Arlen, born Dikran Kouyoumdjian, was an influential British-Armenian writer best known for his satirical novels and short stories that captured the spirit of the 1920s. Born on November 16, 1895, in Ruse, Bulgaria, he later moved to England with his family. Arlen’s most famous work, “The Green Hat,” published in 1924, became a sensation and was later adapted into a successful play and film. His literary style often spotlighted the glamorous yet hollow lives of the British elite during the post-World War I era. Arlen’s works were characterized by their wit, sophistication, and keen observations of social mores. He continued to write throughout his life, producing several novels, short stories, and even screenplays. Michael Arlen passed away on June 23, 1956, in New York City, leaving behind a legacy as one of the quintessential chroniclers of the 1920s.

5 Interesting Facts about Michael Arlen

1. Michael Arlen was born Dikran Kouyoumdjian to an Armenian family in Bulgaria before moving to England.

2. His novel “The Green Hat” was a bestseller and was later adapted into a play starring Katharine Cornell and a film featuring Greta Garbo.

3. Arlen was known for his distinctive style, often wearing a monocle and a cape, which became part of his public persona.

4. He was friends with notable authors such as D.H. Lawrence and Aldous Huxley.

5. Arlen’s works were often critical of the superficiality and excess of the British upper class in the 1920s.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Michael Arlen

1. “All men are islands, surrounded by the bottomless oceans of unthinking night.”

2. “The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.”

3. “Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather than the victim.”

4. “There are three kinds of people who run toward disaster, not away: cops, firemen and reporters.”

5. “Happiness is the china shop; love is the bull.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

At the peak of his career in the 1920s, Michael Arlen’s net worth was estimated to be around £100,000, a substantial fortune at the time, equivalent to several million pounds today.

Children

Michael Arlen had two children: a son named Michael John Arlen, who became a noted American writer and journalist, and a daughter named Venetia Arlen.