Morgan, Charles Langbridge (1894–1958)

English novelist and playwright. His first novel, The Gunroom 1919, was based on his early naval experiences. Portrait in a Mirror 1929 (Femina Vie Heureuse prize) gained him popularity in France; it was followed by The Fountain 1932 (Hawthornden prize) and The Voyage 1940 (Tait Black Memorial Prize).

Other novels are The Judge's Story 1947, Breeze of Morning 1951, and Challenge to Venus 1957. His plays include The Flashing Stream 1938, The River Line 1952, and The Burning Glass 1954.

Morgan was born in Kent. He studied at the naval colleges of Osborne and Dartmouth, and served on the Atlantic and China stations 1911–13. Imprisoned during the Naval Brigade's defence of Antwerp in World War I, he spent four years on parole in the Netherlands. After the war he joined the staff of The Times, where he was drama critic, and in 1923 he married the novelist Hilda Vaughan. In World War II he served at the Admiralty with naval intelligence.