Eugene Vale; Novelist and Screenwriter

Eugene Vale, a versatile author, playwright and screenwriter best known for his first novel, “The 13th Apostle,” has died. He was 81.

Vale, whose 1959 book was a bestseller for more than 30 weeks, died Friday in his Los Angeles home.

The book garnered for Vale a long-elusive international reputation, the Christopher Gold Medal, the Rupert Hughes Award of the Authors Club of Southern California, the California Writers Guild Award, the Commonwealth Gold Medal for best work of fiction by a California author, the annual book award of the National Secondary Education Board and a commendation from the Los Angeles City Council.

Vale donated the original manuscript to USC for its American Literature Collection.

Former Times book editor Robert R. Kirsch called the novel brilliant and wrote:

“It will be described as a deep philosophical novel, as a parable of modern man and his moral dilemma, as a work of powerful symbolism. All of these are true. But what you must not forget is that Vale’s novel is also a powerful and compelling story. This element is indispensable to a great novel and this work is the stuff of which great novels are made.”

The Swiss-born Vale said he originated the concept of the book as a student and spent 21 years writing it--amid churning out plays, film and television scripts, and short stories and poems.

“I change from one medium to another because in each, I can say and do things I could not in the others,” the writer told The Times in 1960. “If I don’t, I am likely to put too much into a medium that does not belong there.”

Among Vale’s screenplays were “A Global Affair,” “Francis of Assisi,” “The Second Face,” “The Bridge of San Luis Rey” and the Oscar-nominated documentary “The Dark Wave.” He wrote about 60 television scripts, including several prestigious early series, including “Four Star Playhouse,” “Fireside Theatre,” “Hallmark Hall of Fame” and “Lux Video Theatre.” His short stories and poems were published by Esquire and other magazines.

In addition to the nomination by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, he also was nominated for top awards by the Writers Guild of America West and Screen Writers Guild.

Vale’s later novels included “Chaos Below Heaven,” “The Children’s Crusade” and “Passion Play.”

He also taught screenwriting and wrote a practical textbook, “The Technique of Screenplay Writing,” in 1944, which was revised and updated as “The Technique of Screen and Television Writing” in 1983.

Vale, who began his writing career in Paris, moved to the United States at the outbreak of World War II and decided on English as the language for his work.

He is survived by his son, Ronald, two brothers, Joe and George Weissman, a sister, Toni Weissman, caregiver Richard Bentor and two grandchildren.