Frederick Forsyth: A Matter of Protocol the Authorized Biography

by Craig Cabell

Frederick Forsyth's life reads like one of his thrillers. Skipping school to take flying lessons, he became the youngest pilot in the RAF. By his early 20s he was a foreign correspondent for Reuters in Paris, where he witnessed the OAS's assassination attempts on Charles de Gaulle. His move to Berlin, coincided with his discovery of the Odessa, an organisation that protected Nazi war criminals.
These experiences would become the backbone of Forsyth's first two novels The Day of the Jackal and The Odessa File, powerful international thrillers that formed a whole new genre - the faction novel.
Frederick Forsyth - A Matter of Protocol is an exploration of the life and works of this most popular writer. Detailing Forsyth's life up to the release of The Day of the Jackal and beyond, this biography reveals the man behind some of the most memorable novels of a generation.

202 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Stanley Goldyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps I'm biased because Frederick Forsyth is, and has been for decades, one of my favourite authors, but Craig Cabell's authorised biography was succinct, edifying and easy reading. So, all things considered, it was an indulgent 5 star judgement.
It will be interesting to read and compare Forsyth's own account - The Outsider, My Life In Intrigue".