Forsyth, Frederick

(British, 1938– )

Forsyth is one of the most successful thriller writers of the modern era. His first novel, The Day of the Jackal (1971), about an attempt to assassinate President de Gaulle, was initially rejected by publishers but went on to be an international best-seller and has been filmed twice (the 1973 version directed by Fred Zinnemann being by far the more accomplished). Forsyth's tales of international politics and crime hook readers less by conventional story-telling than by their authentic backgrounds, created by meticulous research. The more recent Icon (1996) is set in the near future in Russia, where a right-wing fanatic is threatening the stability of the world.

John Buchan, Gerald Seymour. See SPY  NC