Edgar Lustgarten

Who was Edgar Lustgarten?

Edgar Marcus Lustgarten was a British broadcaster and noted crime writer.

Born in the Broughton Park area of Manchester, he was the son of Joseph and Sara Lustgarten. His father was a Latvian-Jewish barrister. Lustgarten was educated at Manchester Grammar School and St John's College Oxford. He was President of the Oxford Union in 1930. His years at the bar - he was a practising barrister, 1930-40 - provided the background to his crime novels and his studies in true crime.

During the Second World War he was medically unfit for active service but worked in Radio Counter-Propaganda, 1940–45, under the name of 'Brent Wood' to deflect from Jewish associations. He was a BBC staff producer, 1945–48, and organiser of the BBC television programme, 'In the News', 1950–54, and of the ATV programme, 'Free Speech', 1955-61.

His books included crime fiction, but most were accounts of true-life criminal cases. The legal justice system and courtroom procedures were his main interests and his writings reflect this. He also wrote numerous articles for newspapers and presented the radio series Advocate Extraordinary. He used to say that he had no schedules, writing everywhere any time, on bars, on cars and while walking by the streets.