Frederick Forsyth was a New York Times bestselling author whose novels included “The Day of the Jackal” and “The Odessa File”. He passed away in June 2025 at the age of 86. Born on August 25, 1938, Forsyth was born and raised in the county of Kent, England. Military conscription existed at that time, and he served his National Service as a pilot in the Royal Air Force (RAF), and flew a de Havilland Vampire. Following his service, he worked as a journalist for Reuters and later for the BBC.
In 1967, Forsyth found himself in Africa covering the Nigerian Civil War (Biafran War) for the BBC. When he was recalled after six months, he asked to stay, and when denied, he quit and stayed as a freelance reporter. Many years later, Forsyth confirmed that he also worked as an unpaid “asset” for MI6 during this time. He wrote his first nonfiction book, “The Biafra Story”, in 1969.
Forsyth contended that he turned to writing novels because he was broke. In addition to his novels, Forsyth also wrote short stories and some nonfiction. Many of his novels were turned into movies, and “The Day of the Jackal”, was remade as a TV series in 2024, starring Eddie Redmayne. Check out this DVD from the library. We also have the film version of “The Odessa File” and “The Day of the Jackal” on DVD.
Forsyth published his autobiography, “The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue” in 2015, and reviews say that it reads like one of his thrillers. He received a Diamond Dagger Award for lifetime achievement from the Crime Writers’ Association, and he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1997 for service to literature. According to The Guardian, his books have sold over 75 million copies. Titles and short descriptions of some of of his novels are listed below.
-Blog post by Senior Collection Development Librarian Beth Wood. This article was originally published as part of her weekly column, Check It Out, in The Columbian.
New at the Library
This is just a small sampling of the many new titles added each week to the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District collection. Visit the district’s 15 locations, our website at www.fvrl.org, or call (360) 906-5000 to reserve titles or find additional listings.
FICTION
“Whispers at Painswick Court” by Julie Klassen
“What We Leave Behind” by Sue Halpern
“Murder at Donwell Abbey” by Vanessa Kelly
NONFICTION
“Beyond Korean: Easy Recipes for Korean, Japanese and Chinese Favorites” by Aaron Huh
“Like a Wave We Break” by Jane Chen
“Super Body” by William Davis
CHILDREN
“We Always Had Wings” by Jess X. Snow
“The World of Dreams” by Sara Beltrame
“The Treasure of Ocean Parkway” by Sarvenaz Tash
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