Frederick Forsyth RIP

[ElectroClaret]

Died aged 86, some great books by him, Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, etc.

[Jel]

Day of the Jackal, one of my favourite books. The original film is very good too.

[Bosscat]

Met FF a few years ago at a funeral ... RIP one of my favourite Authors in my teens and beyond.

"Odessa File" and "Day of the Jackal" fantastic, as was "The Fourth Protocol"

RIP

[Clarets4me]

I met him in 1985, when my then girlfriend and I turned up on our " allocated on arrival " accommodation on Gozo. We struck gold, a three bedroom brand new apartment, with a 20 foot balcony overlooking the Med. There were only 6 apartments and the only other one occupied, had a large Mercedes parked outside. We'd heard the " chatter " of what seemed to be a typewriter, and I bumped into the occupant one morning. A well spoken Englishman in his mid 40's, we exchanged pleasantries ( I was 21 ) and he asked if we'd like to join him for a drink before heading out for Dinner that night. I accepted, and about 6.30, we knocked and were invited in. We still had no idea who he was, but we eagerly accepted the Krug Champagne offered ...

He explained that he tended to rent somewhere quiet to finish last drafts of his work, and I naively asked what sort of books he wrote ... " Thrillers, Spy Stuff that sort of thing " ... When I asked if there was a book he'd recommend to a first timer, he just smiled " Well, people seemed to like " Day of the Jackel " .. " !! I was speechless because a tatty copy was upstairs still in my suitcase ... We thanked him and left after about half an hour, but when we returned from Dinner, there was an Iced Bucket with another bottle of Krug outside our door, with a note saying, " Lovely to meet you, & all best wishes for the future ! " Just a class act ...

NB: The young lady and I didn't last, and she took the note, I think ! It's probably in Auckland now ..

[Acting Claret]

His performance on Who Wants to be a Millionaire is outstanding.

[Nonayforever]

Oh dear, very sad news.
My favourite author by a country mile.
He is one person I would have liked to have met.

[Tricky Trevor]

RIP Frederick. Enjoyed all his early books and they turned into strong films. He has a book of short stories, No Comebacks, if you haven’t come across it try and get a copy. All different, all with a twist. Excellent read.

[Rileybobs]

Been working my way through his back catalogue for the past 9 months or so. Effortless writing style. The Day of the Jackal is superb, as is The Fist of God.

[Wile E Coyote]

I met him in 1985, when my then girlfriend and I turned up on our " allocated on arrival " accommodation on Gozo. We struck gold, a three bedroom brand new apartment, with a 20 foot balcony overlooking the Med. There were only 6 apartments and the only other one occupied, had a large Mercedes parked outside. We'd heard the " chatter " of what seemed to be a typewriter, and I bumped into the occupant one morning. A well spoken Englishman in his mid 40's, we exchanged pleasantries ( I was 21 ) and he asked if we'd like to join him for a drink before heading out for Dinner that night. I accepted, and about 6.30, we knocked and were invited in. We still had no idea who he was, but we eagerly accepted the Krug Champagne offered ...

He explained that he tended to rent somewhere quiet to finish last drafts of his work, and I naively asked what sort of books he wrote ... " Thrillers, Spy Stuff that sort of thing " ... When I asked if there was a book he'd recommend to a first timer, he just smiled " Well, people seemed to like " Day of the Jackel " .. " !! I was speechless because a tatty copy was upstairs still in my suitcase ... We thanked him and left after about half an hour, but when we returned from Dinner, there was an Iced Bucket with another bottle of Krug outside our door, with a note saying, " Lovely to meet you, & all best wishes for the future ! " Just a class act ...

NB: The young lady and I didn't last, and she took the note, I think ! It's probably in Auckland now ..

that's a great story, yours and his. it was a fantastic book, and has been mentioned the original film was too, unlike the dreadful bruce willis film some years later.

[dsr]

"The Shepherd" is one of the great Christmas stories. It's not a long book.

[beeholeclaret]

I met him in 1985, when my then girlfriend and I turned up on our " allocated on arrival " accommodation on Gozo. We struck gold, a three bedroom brand new apartment, with a 20 foot balcony overlooking the Med. There were only 6 apartments and the only other one occupied, had a large Mercedes parked outside. We'd heard the " chatter " of what seemed to be a typewriter, and I bumped into the occupant one morning. A well spoken Englishman in his mid 40's, we exchanged pleasantries ( I was 21 ) and he asked if we'd like to join him for a drink before heading out for Dinner that night. I accepted, and about 6.30, we knocked and were invited in. We still had no idea who he was, but we eagerly accepted the Krug Champagne offered ...

He explained that he tended to rent somewhere quiet to finish last drafts of his work, and I naively asked what sort of books he wrote ... " Thrillers, Spy Stuff that sort of thing " ... When I asked if there was a book he'd recommend to a first timer, he just smiled " Well, people seemed to like " Day of the Jackel " .. " !! I was speechless because a tatty copy was upstairs still in my suitcase ... We thanked him and left after about half an hour, but when we returned from Dinner, there was an Iced Bucket with another bottle of Krug outside our door, with a note saying, " Lovely to meet you, & all best wishes for the future ! " Just a class act ...

NB: The young lady and I didn't last, and she took the note, I think ! It's probably in Auckland now ..

Yet another amazing g tale from the ‘Clarets4me’ collection. I’d love to read a book of your own recollections and experiences.

[Quicknick]

Day of the Jackal, one of my favourite books. The original film is very good too.

Agreed on both counts. What is the remake of the film like?

[bobinho]

The Bruce Willis effort is poor in comparison.

The TV series wasn’t bad.

[Clarets4me]

Yet another amazing g tale from the ‘Clarets4me’ collection. I’d love to read a book of your own recollections and experiences.

You don't do so bad yourself, your Sunday League football memories alone would make a weighty tome ... perhaps entitled " My life, Tom Porter & other animals " ...