Frederick Forsyth, adventurer and bestselling spy novelist, dies aged 86
Emilie Bickerton
, AFP
Frederick Forsyth, pictured in 1997.
Photo:
ULF ANDERSEN / AFP
A pilot who turned to writing to clear his debts, British author Frederick Forsyth, who died on Monday aged 86, penned some 20 spy novels, often drawing on real-life experiences and selling 70 million copies worldwide.
In such bestsellers as
The Day of the Jackal
and
The Odessa File
, Forsyth honed a distinctive style of deeply researched and precise espionage thrillers involving power games between mercenaries, spies and scoundrels.
For inspiration he drew on his own globe-trotting life, including an early stint as a foreign correspondent and assisting Britain's spy service on missions in Nigeria, South Africa, and the former East Germany and Rhodesia.
"The research was the big parallel: as a foreign correspondent you are probing, asking questions, trying to find out what's going on, and probably being lied to," he told
The Bookseller
magazine in 2015.
"Working on a novel is much the same... essentially it's a very extended report about something that never happened - but might have."
He wrote his first novel when he was 31, on a break from reporting and in dire need of money to fund his wanderlust.
Having returned "from an African war, and stony broke as usual, with no job and no chance of one, I hit on the idea of writing a novel to clear my debts", he said in his autobiography
The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue
, published in 2015.
"There are several ways of making quick money, but in the general list, writing a novel rates well below robbing a bank."
But Forsyth's foray came good. Taking just 35 days to pen
The Day of the Jackal
, his story of a fictional assassination attempt on French president Charles de Gaulle by right-wing extremists, met immediate success when it appeared in 1971.
The novel was later turned into a film and provided self-styled revolutionary Carlos the Jackal with his nickname.
Forsyth went on to write a string of bestsellers including
The Odessa File
(1972) and
The Dogs of War
(1974).
His eighteenth novel,
The Fox
, was published in 2018.
Forsyth's now classic post-Cold War thrillers drew on drone warfare, rendition and terrorism - and eventually prompted his wife to call for an end to his dangerous research trips.
"You're far too old, these places are bloody dangerous and you don't run as avidly, as nimbly as you used to," Sandy Molloy said after his last trip to Somalia in 2013 researching
The Kill List
, as Forsyth recounted to AFP in 2016.
There were also revelations in his autobiography about his links with British intelligence.
Forsyth recounted that he was approached in 1968 by "Ronnie" from MI6 who wanted "an asset deep inside the Biafran enclave" in Nigeria, where there was a civil war between 1967 and 1970.
While he was there, Forsyth reported on the situation and at the same time kept "Ronnie informed of things that could not, for various reasons, emerge in the media".
Then in 1973 Forsyth was asked to conduct a mission for MI6 in communist East Germany. He drove his Triumph convertible to Dresden to receive a package from a Russian colonel in the toilets of the Albertinum museum.
The writer claimed he was never paid by MI6 but in return received help with book research, submitting draft pages to ensure he was not divulging sensitive information.
In later years Forsyth turned his attention to British politics, penning a regular column in the anti-EU
Daily Express
newspaper.
He also wrote articles on counter-terrorism issues, military affairs and foreign policy.
Despite his successful writing career, he admitted in his memoirs it was not his first choice.
"As a boy, I was obsessed by aeroplanes and just wanted to be a pilot," he wrote of growing up an only child in Ashford, southern England, where he was born on 25 August, 1938.
He trained as a Royal Air Force pilot, before joining Reuters news agency in 1961 and later working for the BBC.
But after he wrote
Jackal
, another career path opened up.
"My publisher told me, to my complete surprise, that it seemed I could tell a good story. And that is what I have done for the past forty-five years," he recalled in his autobiography.
- AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Ghislaine Maxwell's arrival at Texas prison camp sparks tension and restrictions
By Katelyn Polantz , CNN Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking minors following a trial in 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Photo: AFP / Getty Images Ghislaine Maxwell's arrival to the federal prison camp in Bryan , Texas, this month has sent a shot of tension across its minimum-security all-female units, even while her lawyer says she's in a safer facility as there is intense political inquiry around Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking ring. While Maxwell's living conditions will be less restrictive in Bryan, it's still a difficult situation, where the Epstein conspirator won't get all the benefits of an easy or short stay that other inmates might, like access to puppies to train or the ability to leave the facility for work, according to more than a half dozen people familiar with the Bryan prison, the programmes and the inmates there. The inmates inside Bryan, who are largely non-violent white-collar offenders, were warned recently by prison staff to use discretion talking about Maxwell since she arrived, according to two people who represent inmates in the Bryan prison camp. "She's not making any friends," Sam Mangel, a prison consultant who works with clients at the prison camp, said to CNN this week. "Radioactive." The relaxed nature of the camp became more tense when Maxwell arrived, which is typical of high-profile inmates on the inside, Mangel said. "Nobody's going to rock the boat there. They want to serve the remainder of their sentences with whatever modicum of comfort Bryan provides," he added about other inmates. The Daily Telegraph wrote last week that a prisoner at Bryan said she was "disgusted" by Maxwell's transfer there, in a comment provided to the publication through the inmate's husband. Since that comment was published, prison officials pulled that inmate, Julie Howell, out of a puppy-training class in the camp then transferred her out of the facility, according to her lawyer. Howell is now at a federal detention center in Houston, the lawyer and Bureau of Prisons records say. "Nobody's going to say anything about Ghislaine Maxwell now, are you kidding?" Howell's lawyer Patrick McLain said to CNN on Thursday. Two inmates who were released from FPC Bryan in the past year haven't heard anything yet on how Maxwell is faring inside, or even which of the three units in the camp she is housed in. One of the recently released inmates, Jill Ford, told CNN she would have been concerned with Maxwell's presence there around visitation time. Many of the women inside the prison have children who visit them frequently, where the families are also able to be seen by other inmates in the visitation rooms. It's not known what level of visitation ability Maxwell has. Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking minors following a trial in 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in prison, with a release date set for 12 years from now, according to federal prison and court records. This undated trial evidence image shows British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and US financier Jeffrey Epstein. Photo: AFP / US District Court for the southern district of New York The infamous Epstein conspirator's transfer from a more restrictive prison in Florida to the prison camp in Texas also continues to raise questions this week around the Justice Department's reasons for her move and the treatment she may receive inside her new home. On Thursday, Maxwell's attorney David O Markus offered a reason: The transfer happened because Maxwell needed a "safer placement," according to a post he wrote on X. "I'm surprised to hear my progressive friends criticizing more humane prisons and Ghislaine's transfer to a safer facility, especially after she faced serious danger in Tallahassee," he wrote. "The outrage machine wants to turn a safer placement into a scandal." Maxwell would have been housed potentially around women convicted of violent crime in the low-security Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee, where she was until earlier this month, according to people familiar with the BOP system. While the prison camp in Bryan is an even less-secure facility, designated as minimum-security by BOP, it houses non-violent offenders who largely have committed only white-collar federal crimes. It is highly unusual for a person convicted of a sex crime to be transferred to a federal prison camp, where women convicted of non-violent white-collar crime are able to move about relatively freely inside and bunk together in dormitory-style rooms. It's also usually not allowed for an inmate with as many years as Maxwell still had left on her sentence - more than 10 - to be allowed in a prison camp. Maxwell's attorney Markus declined to provide any additional information to CNN. Spokespeople from the Justice Department and the Bureau of Prisons haven't responded to multiple requests for comment this week. The unusual nature of Maxwell's transfer, coming after she spoke to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche for two days following a proffer agreement, has also caught the attention of Capitol Hill. Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has requested more information from the Bureau of Prisons about her transfer and internal BOP designations. A spokesperson for Whitehouse said he hasn't received any new information as of Thursday (local time). Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Audrey Strauss, announces charges against Ghislaine Maxwell at a media conference in July 2020. Photo: AFP But just because Maxwell now has some of these lower designations doesn't mean she'll get full access to what the camp at Bryan has to offer. Some of the programmes inmates want to participate in may not take her. For instance, the work release programme at the Bryan prison camp trains certified nursing assistants, according to several people familiar with the prison camp. The program is run by the Southern Careers Institute, an education company that screens applicants from the prison and won't allow inmates with certain charges to take part in the programme if they apply, a person familiar with the program told CNN. Canine Companions, which places puppies in federal prisons for inmates to train as service dogs, explicitly said it wouldn't allow Maxwell into the puppy programme at the prison camp. Currently, there are seven puppies (Names: Kianda, Lisa VII, Louise V, Mavis IV, Hector VII, Gator V) paired with a total of 15 inmate handlers at FPC Bryan. The inmates keep the dogs with them from eight weeks to 17 months, teaching the puppies their first 20 or so tasks to use in service of people with disabilities, and the inmates groom, exercise and socialise the puppies inside the prison. Maxwell hasn't applied to the programme. But if she were to, the puppy programme wouldn't accept her. "We do not allow anyone who has committed crimes against animals or minors. That's because they're vulnerable populations," Paige Mazzoni, Canine Companions' CEO, told CNN. "The goal is to give the puppies love and enough confidence to continue to learn tasks." Two other high-profile inmates at FPC Bryan, Elizabeth Holmes the former CEO of Theranos and Jennifer Shah of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, aren't part of the puppy programme, either, Mazzoni said. - CNN
RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
Espionage trial of New Zealand soldier shrouded in secrecy
The Linton-based soldier faces 17 charges under the Armed Forces Discipline Act. Photo: Petty Officer Chris Weissenborn A soldier with links to far-right groups and who is accused of spying will face a court martial hearing next week - a first-of-its-kind prosecution shrouded in secrecy for now. The Linton-based soldier's name is suppressed and so is the foreign country at the centre of the espionage case, as well as the names of some prosecution expert witnesses. RNZ is opposing these orders and a suppression hearing is scheduled for Monday morning, before the court martial begins. In late 2020, 17 charges under the Armed Forces Discipline Act were laid against the soldier, including espionage and possessing objectionable material. Since then, the case has wended its way through pre-trial hearings . RNZ has previously reported the soldier, aged 27 at the time of his arrest, was a member of far-right groups the Dominion Movement and Action Zealandia. A similar case 50 years ago saw Bill Sutch tried and acquitted in the civilian court of espionage , for passing information to the Russians. Next week's court martial is the first military case. "I think 'unusual' is not the right term," said retired Auckland University law professor Bill Hodge about the prosecution. "I think 'unique' might be the correct term." Hodge said the suppression orders appeared extensive. "I've always been surprised that there could be information held by the armed forces, which absolutely had to be kept top secret. "There maybe information about the citizens of a foreign jurisdiction and what they're doing here, but still, that would be of public interest." Hodge said military courts were historically ahead of civilian ones on matters of justice and fairness, although they might hold concerns about making information public. "Remember, the background of a military court would concern hostilities and [be] in the face of the enemy. In that sort of situation, that sort of context, they would be greatly concerned with information that would aid the enemy. "I don't see an enemy at this moment, so I'm still mystified at what secrecy they'll be pursuing." One difference between courts martial and civilian courts is that, instead of a jury, a panel of senior military officers hears the evidence, and decides on a defendant's guilt or innocence, and - if applicable - their sentence. In his previous career in the military, Hodge sat on these panels. "A military court is concerned with fairness, right to counsel, the insanity defence, for example, the discovery of information," he said. "One thing I could say firmly is the individual will have a fair trial, because in my experience, it's a fair system." David Pawson is an experienced court martial counsel and, in 30 years - firstly with the military police, then as a lawyer - he has never seen a similar case. "When I was a military police special investigator - that was at the end of the Cold War period - and even during that period, I was not aware of any investigation of that sort of nature. I have to say that was a new one to me." The system was robust and transparent, he said. "The court martial, in my experience, has always been very careful not to be seen as a secretive court and generally does apply those principles the same way that they do in the civil court." This meant the starting point for suppression decisions was open justice. Another experienced court martial lawyer, Michael Bott, said talking to a military panel was somewhat different to addressing a jury. "There are military values you have to take into account and also, with a court martial, it's governed by the Armed Forces Discipline Act, as opposed to the Criminal Procedure Act, but the Bill of Rights still applies. "When you're doing an opening and a closing, the processes and techniques are pretty much transferable." He said suppression arguments at courts martial sometimes included matters not applicable to civilian courts, such as national security. Hodge said he didn't think the court martial would reflect badly on New Zealand's reputation. "I think there's the opposite argument that the allies could say, 'New Zealand is alert, New Zealand is sufficiently concerned about this matter and they're looking after whatever information this might be'. "While you could say, 'Is New Zealand a leaky sieve?', no, New Zealand is behaving properly and attending to the disciplinary side of a possible breach." If the soldier is found guilty next week, he won't face the death penalty. This was removed from military law in 1989, but sentences for courts martial range from losing rank to a lengthy term in military prison. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
4 days ago
- RNZ News
Solider accused of spying to face court martial
life and society defence force 18 minutes ago A soldier with links to far right groups and who is accused of spying will face a court martial hearing next week - a first-of-its-kind prosecution that's for now shrouded in secrecy. The Linton-based soldier's name is suppressed and so is the foreign country at the centre of the espionage case. RNZ is opposing these orders and a suppression hearing is set to take place on Monday morning, before the court martial begins. Courts martial are in many ways similar to jury trials in civilian courts. Jimmy Ellingham reports.
