Frederick Forsyth, UK Author Known For Spy Novels, Dies At 86

London:
A pilot who turned to writing to clear his debts, British author Frederick Forsyth, who died 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."
- Dangerous research -
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.
- Real-life spy -
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.
- Flying dreams -
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 August 25, 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.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Hans India

3 hours ago

• Hans India

Police conduct cordon and search operations in Tolichowki

As a part of the community connect programme, a cordon and search operation was conducted in the early hours on Friday. Police teams conducted checks in over 300 houses during the operation. As many as 28 African nationals were taken to the police station for passport verification. According to police, the objective of the programme was to engage with the local community, understand their concerns, identify social issues, and take action against anti-social elements. The initiative also aimed to curb drug-related activities, public consumption of alcohol, and other unlawful behaviors. The city police carried out checks in the Paramount Colony area under the Tolichowki Police Station limits. The operation was conducted between 5 am and 8 am under the supervision of Hyderabad Commissioner of Police CV Anand. This initiative was part of a Community Contact Program aimed at addressing local security concerns and verifying documentation of residents. The operation involved 250 police personnel including officials South and West Zone DCP Chandramohan, Additional DCP Iqbal Siddiqui, ACPs Sudarshan, Syed Fayaz, Vijay Srinivas, Mohammed Munawar along with 15 inspectors, 22 sub-inspectors. Police teams conducted checks in over 300 houses during the operation. Police also seized 28 two-wheelers, 2 cars and an auto for lacking proper documentation. Moreover, illegally stored domestic gas cylinders were recovered from one of the residences. Furthermore, 28 African nationals were taken to the police station for passport verification. Authorities stated that these individuals were unable to produce valid documents during the checks and as many as 16 foreigners were staying illegally with expired visas. Police said that legal action will be initiated against those found possessing invalid or expired passports. Also, cases will be booked against individuals who fail to produce valid passport documents. The DCP said 'The details of the foreigners will be sent to the officials of the Ministry of External Affairs, who will take a decision in this regard.' Another cordon and search operation was conducted at CC Nagar, Bansilalpet in Gandhi Nagar police station limits on Thursday night. A total of 250 houses were checked during the operation, conducted by a police team comprising around 200 Police Personnel including B Anand, Addl. DCP, Central Zone, A Yadagiri, ACP Gandhi Nagar division. During the operation, police seized 32 bottles of beer from the belt shop, 150 Gutka packets. Also, the police seized 80 bikes, a car and an auto rickshaw. Moreover, 3 rowdies and 8 suspects were also checked.

Hindustan Times

3 hours ago

• Hindustan Times

Air India asked to fire 3 employees over ‘recent safety lapses'

Jun 21, 2025 12:18 PM IST India's aviation regulator has directed Air India to terminate three of its employees following recent safety lapses that raised serious concerns. The move comes just days after a crash in Ahmedabad that claimed 270 lives. Debris of Air India flight 171 is pictured after it crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad on June 13, 2025.(AFP) This is a developing story and more details are awaited.

First Post

4 hours ago

• First Post

Sri Lanka deports 85 Chinese nationals over bank cybercrime suspicions

The deported individuals were part of approximately 230 Chinese men and women arrested in October on cybercrime charges, with the others still facing legal proceedings read more In a major crackdown on cybercrime gangs, the South Asian nation of Sri Lanka on Friday (June 20) deported 85 Chinese nationals after they were accused of targeting the country's banks. The suspects were found guilty of violating the terms of their tourist visas and fined around $250 each. 'They were arrested by police in October over allegations that they were carrying out online scams targeting international banks,' a senior immigration official who asked for anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to media without permission, told AFP. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The official said the Chinese nationals, including 13 women, were flown on a chartered SriLankan Airlines flight to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. The group was accompanied by Sri Lankan police and Chinese security escorts. Sri Lankan police reported that a court in Kandy district ordered the electronic devices confiscated from the group to be transferred to Chinese authorities. The deported individuals were part of approximately 230 Chinese men and women arrested in October on cybercrime charges, with the others still facing legal proceedings. The Chinese embassy noted at the time that Beijing's intensified crackdown on cybercriminals domestically may have driven some to operate overseas. In the previous year, police detained around 200 suspects, mostly Indians, who were also accused of running online financial scams. Last year, the country's foreign minister, Vijitha Herath, had expressed concerns that the island nation was becoming a 'hub' for cybercrimes. 'We have to see if Sri Lanka is a cyber crimes hub,' Herath told reporters, 'and whether our financial system is being affected by this.' At that time, Sri Lankan Police Spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said one of the reasons for this could be the 'gullibility' of Sri Lankan nationals. 'It could be a sociological reason; many groups in Sri Lanka are easily enticed by messages, and are gullible.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'People in economic difficulties can be enticed into earning quick money.'