British thriller writer Frederick Forsyth, known for ‘The day of The Jackal', dies at 86

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

Prolific British thriller writer Frederick Forsyth, who rose to global fame when his book 'The Day of the Jackal' was published in 1971, died on Monday at the age of 86 after a brief illness, AFP reported, citing his literary agent, Curtis Brown.
Forsyth wrote his most famous work — a fictional account of an assassination attempt on French President Charles de Gaulle by right-wing extremists — in just 35 days, during a period of personal hardship.
According to Curtis Brown, Forsyth passed away at home, surrounded by his family, following a brief illness.
He is survived by two sons from his first marriage. His second wife, Sandy, passed away last year.
"We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers," his agent Jonathan Lloyd said.
"Only a few weeks ago, I sat with him as we watched a new and moving documentary of his life ... and was reminded of an extraordinary life, well lived," said Lloyd.
Reflecting on Forsyth's varied career, Lloyd added, "After serving as one of the youngest ever RAF pilots, he turned to journalism, using his gift for languages in German, French and Russian to become a foreign correspondent in Biafra (in Nigeria)."
Conservative MP David Davis paid tribute to his friend, describing him as a "fabulous wordsmith." He told Sky News that Forsyth "was a great believer in the old values — he believed in honour and patriotism and courage and directness and straightforwardness, and a big defender of our armed forces."
Royal Air Force pilot turned foreign correspondent
Born in Kent, southern England, in 1938, Frederick Forsyth served as a Royal Air Force pilot before becoming a foreign correspondent. In 1962, he covered the attempted assassination of French President Charles de Gaulle — an event that later inspired The Day of the Jackal, the political thriller that launched his global literary career.
Published in 1971, The Day of the Jackal became a worldwide bestseller. The book was adapted into a 1973 film starring Edward Fox, and more recently into a Netflix series featuring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch.
In a 2015 interview with the BBC, Forsyth revealed that he had worked for the British intelligence agency MI6 during his reporting years, beginning when he covered the Nigerian civil war in the 1960s. "The zeitgeist was different," he told the BBC. "The Cold War was very much on." Forsyth added that although he performed various tasks for MI6, "it was hard to say no," and he was not paid for his services.
Over his career, Forsyth wrote more than 25 books — including The Afghan, The Kill List, The Dogs of War, and The Fist of God — selling over 75 million copies worldwide.
"Appalled at what he saw and using his experience during a stint as a secret service agent, he wrote his first and perhaps most famous novel, The Day of the Jackal," said his agent, Jonathan Lloyd.
Forsyth's publisher, Bill Scott-Kerr, announced that Revenge of Odessa — a sequel to his 1974 novel The Odessa File, co-authored with thriller writer Tony Kent — will be published in August.
"Still read by millions across the world, Freddie's thrillers define the genre and are still the benchmark to which contemporary writers aspire," Scott-Kerr said.
He added, "His journalistic background brought a rigour and a metronomic efficiency to his working practice and his nose for and understanding of a great story kept his novels both thrillingly contemporary and fresh."
Forsyth often credited luck for his success and survival. He once recalled how a bullet narrowly missed him while covering the bloody Biafran civil war. "I have had the most spectacular luck all through my life," he told The Times last November. "Right place, right time, right person, right contact, right promotion — and even just turning my head away when that bullet went past."
Asked why he had once decided to give up writing, though he later returned to it, Forsyth told AFP in 2016, "I've run out of things to say." He added, "I can't just sit at home and do a nice little romance from within my study. I have to go out and check out places like Mogadishu, Guinea Bissau — both hellholes in different ways."
(With inputs from Associated Press, AFP)