Fredrick Forsyth

Frederick McCarthy Forsyth CBE, born on August 25, 1938, is a famous English author and journalist. He's most famous for writing exciting books like "The Day of the Jackal," "The Odessa File," "The Fourth Protocol," "The Dogs of War," "The Devil's Alternative," "The Fist of God," "Icon," "The Veteran," "Avenger," "The Afghan," "The Cobra," and "The Kill List." His books are so popular that they often end up on lists of best-sellers. Over 70 million copies of his books have been sold in more than 30 different languages. Also, more than a dozen of his stories have been turned into movies.

Military and Journalism

Before he became a journalist, Forsyth did his National Service in the Royal Air Force as a pilot. He flew a plane called the de Havilland Vampire. After that, in 1961, he started working at Reuters, a news agency. Then, in 1965, he began working for the BBC as an assistant diplomatic correspondent, where he reported on international news. So, before he was a journalist, he flew planes in the Air Force and then worked for Reuters and the BBC, telling people about what was happening in the world.

Forsyth shared about his early experiences as a journalist. At the beginning of his career, he mainly wrote about what was happening in France and the time when someone tried to harm Charles de Gaulle, a famous French leader. He hadn't been to Black Africa before, but then he went there to report on the Nigerian Civil War between Biafra and Nigeria while working for the BBC. He stayed there for the first six months of 1967. At that time, not many people thought the war would go on for a long time because the Biafrans had fewer weapons and weren't as prepared as the Nigerians, whom the British supported.

Later on, Forsyth went back to Biafra as an independent reporter and wrote his first book, "The Biafra Story," in 1969. In August 2015, Forsyth shared that during his time in Biafra, he worked as an informant for MI6, a British intelligence agency, and he continued this for 20 years. He mentioned that he didn't get paid for this work.

Forsyth also sometimes talks on the radio about political topics, and he has written articles for newspapers throughout his career, including a regular page in the Daily Express. In 2003, he criticized people in churches who were against the LGBTQ+ community in The Guardian newspaper.

Additionally, he has lent his voice to narrate various documentaries, such as "Jesus Christ Airlines," "Soldiers: A History of Men in Battle," and "I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal So, besides writing, he's also involved in speaking on the radio and contributing to newspapers, as well as narrating documentaries on different subjects.

Writing

Forsyth didn't originally plan to be a writer of fiction. He wanted to be a fighter pilot when he was young, and later, he became a journalist to explore the world as a foreign and war correspondent. But he ended up writing his first full-length novel, "The Day of the Jackal," because he needed money and was pretty much broke.

To create his novels, he used the same research methods he had learned as a journalist. "The Day of the Jackal," published in 1971, became a huge success worldwide and earned him the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel. In this book, a group called the Organisation armée secrète hires an assassin to try and kill the French President Charles de Gaulle. This story was made into a movie with the same name.

In his second full-length novel, "The Odessa File," published in 1972, a reporter tries to find a former Nazi SS officer in modern Germany. He discovers the officer's hiding place by reading a diary left behind by a Jewish Holocaust survivor who took her own life. However, the ex-Nazi is being protected by an organization called ODESSA, which is believed to shield ex-Nazis. This book was also turned into a movie of the same name, starring Jon Voight, but there were some changes in the film. Many people who read the book thought that ODESSA was a real organization, but historians don't agree on that point.

Top of Form

Frederick Forsyth wrote many exciting books. In "The Dogs of War," a British mining boss hires a group of soldiers for a secret mission in Africa. They plan to overthrow the government and put in place a leader who will give them access to valuable minerals. This story became a movie in 1980.

Then, there's "The Shepherd," a short book with pictures, where an RAF pilot has a scary experience while flying home for Christmas in the 1950s. He tries to explain what happened, but it's not easy.

In "The Devil's Alternative," set in 1982, there's a big problem in the Soviet Union because they have a bad grain harvest. The US offers help, but it leads to a political fight. Some people even talk about going to war. Ukrainian freedom fighters make things more complicated. There's a Swedish oil tanker, a hijacked Russian plane, and many governments involved.

In "No Comebacks," a book from 1982, there are ten short stories. Some happen in Ireland, where Forsyth lived at the time. One of these stories, "There Are No Snakes in Ireland," won an award for being the best short story.

"The Fourth Protocol," published in 1984, is about Soviet rebels trying to plant a bomb near an American airbase in the UK. They want to change the British government, but a movie made from this story left out most of the politics.

"The Negotiator," from 1989, is about the American President's son being kidnapped, and one person's job is to get him back.

In 1991, "The Deceiver" tells four stories about British secret agent Sam McCready. Some people want him to retire, and these stories are used to argue that he should stay in the spy business.

Forsyth's book "The Fist of God," from 1994, is about the first Gulf War, Project Babylon, and the fight between intelligence agencies. In 1996, he wrote "Icon," a story about fascists gaining power in post-Soviet Russia.

"The Phantom of Manhattan" is a book from 1999 and is a sequel to "The Phantom of the Opera." It's a bit different from Forsyth's usual books, exploring human emotions.

In 2001, he published "The Veteran," another collection of short stories, and in 2003, "Avenger" is about a rich man hiring a soldier to find his grandson's killer.

"The Afghan," from 2006, is a kind of sequel to "The Fist of God." It's about a big threat discovered on a computer, leading the US and UK to use a British operative to deal with it.

"The Cobra," published in 2010, brings back some characters from "Avenger" and is about stopping the cocaine trade.

In 2013, "The Kill List" was published, and it later became a movie. In 2015, Forsyth released his autobiography, "The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue."

In 2018, he wrote a thriller called "The Fox" about computer hackers inspired by real stories. It's about an exceptionally talented hacker with autism.

Shows

In September 2005, Forsyth went on a TV quiz show called "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" and won £250,000 for charity. He could have won even more, but he decided to stop and take the £250,000 prize.

Then, on February 8, 2007, he was on another TV show called "QuestionTime," where people talk about important topics. He shared his doubts about the idea that humans are causing climate change.

On March 26, 2008, he was on "The One Show," a popular TV program. And on June 17, 2008, Forsyth talked on the radio about something called the "Military Covenant." On February 2 2015, he joined a quiz show called "Eggheads" as part of a team called "Rewarding Talent."

Awards

On February 16, 2012, a group of crime writers gave Forsyth a special award called the Cartier Diamond Dagger for all the books he had written. In 1997, he was also given another special title, Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), as part of a list of people who did good things for literature during the New Year celebrations.

Personal Life

Forsyth has been married two times. First, he was married to a former model named Carole Cunningham from 1973 to 1988. They had two sons together named Stuart and Shane. Then, he married Sandy Molloy in 1994. He also had a romantic relationship with an actress named Faye Dunaway. Before 2010, Forsyth and his family lived in a big house in Hertfordshire. But in 2010, they moved to Buckinghamshire.

Conclusion

Frederick Forsyth, a renowned author, led a remarkable life filled with achievements. He experienced two marriages and had a noteworthy relationship with actress Faye Dunaway. His prolific writing career earned him several honors, including the prestigious Cartier Diamond Dagger award fromthe Crime Writers Association. Recognized for his literary contributions, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1997. Forsyth's residence shifted from Hertfordshire to Buckinghamshire in 2010. In 2016, he decided to retire from writing gripping novels, citing age and travel safety as factors influencing his choice.