Frederick Forsyth (1938-2025) rewrote the art of spy writing

Despite the evident wisdom of the adage “never judge a book by its cover,” the snappiness of a title can make the difference between a book being picked of the rack or passed over. There is little doubt that Frederick Forsyth’s formidable reputation as a spy-thriller author was the primary reason his books flew off the shelf. But the appeal of his titles did no harm, embedding them in popular memory. A film series he wrote and introduced for ITV in 1989-90 exemplifies the enduring recall of his work. Each episode of “Frederick Forsyth Presents” was synonymous with Forsyth, the character of intelligence officer Sam McCready he created and the turmoil that marked the end of the Cold War.

The collapse of the Soviet Union was traumatic – for very different reasons — for its citizens and socialist leaders all over the world. But it also placed writers of spy novels in a quandary. The end of the “evil empire,” as Ronald Reagan evocatively labelled the Soviet Union, spelt the end of a productive plot line. Some like Forsyth did not despair and grasped the new probabilities quickly. In “Just another secret,” aired in 1989, the Soviet old guard conspire with like-minded communist holdouts in East Germany to kidnap and assassinate Mikhail Gorbachev and plan to pin the blame on American agents. The objective? To end Gorbachev’s heretical “Glasnost” and restore the communist party to its lost glory.

Changing with the times

Outlandish as the plot may seem at first glance, the script and television presentation are riveting viewing. In “A Casualty of War,” the action moves to Libya and tangled personal relations provide a poignant meaning to the title. “Pride and Extreme Prejudice” is about an agent who loses his bearings and must be eliminated, “A Little Piece of Sunshine” is a heady mix of drug cartels and a colony in transition, “Death Has A Bad Reputation” features the return of the international assassin Jackal and “Price Of The Bride” is about a Soviet defector accused of being a double agent and a mole determined to expose the imposter. Along with Forsyth’s crackling narrative, the cynical and sharp McCready, played by English actor Alan Howard who successfully essayed Shakespearean roles on stage, lends an unforgettable flavour to the taut plots.

An avid reader as a young boy, Forsyth’s experiences as a war time pilot, a reporter in Africa and France, a facility with languages and a career as an informal informant for the British spy agency MI 6, wonderfully equipped him to write. It is surprising he did not write much more than some 25-odd books given the rich vein of imagination. But the consistent high quality of writing and incorporation of plots that ranged from locations like Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan, including the rather different “The Phantom of Manhattan” is testimony to a versatile genius.

If Forsyth had done nothing more than write his first three novels – “The Day of The Jackal,” “The Odessa File” and “Dogs of War” (1971-74) – his place in the hall of fame of thriller writers would be assured. The books are simply unputdownable. Their masterly examination of the themes of revenge and retribution make them larger than a particular genre.

In “Odessa File,” the diary of Holocaust survivor Simon Tauber, burdened by the shame of having been an inmate guard at a concentration camp, and who commits suicide when he sees the camp commander alive and thriving, makes for riveting reading. The personal connection a young reporter who reads the diary discovers lights an inner fire. The authenticity of the attempted coup in “Dogs of War” is evidence of Forsyth’s own experiences and his power of observation.

Tradecraft of writing

British author Jim Grant (pen name Lee Child), creator of the Jack Reacher series, says in an interview to the BBC that writers like Alistair MacLean, Desmond Bagley, Hammond Innes and Nevil Shute framed their books around a “Yes or No” question. That is, will a bomb go off or not, will an imminent disaster be averted or not. Forsyth did much more by mapping the minutiae of a process. How was a false passport procured? What was the shopping list for mercenaries? The tradecraft was just as important as the plot moving from one high to another.

“It had a wholly new approach. It was talking about how things were done, rather than would something succeed,” Grant told BBC. The analysis may be a touch uncharitable. MacLean’s mastery in writing pages and pages of descriptive prose and the dark endings of some of his books defy binaries. Shute’s skill in mapping the human condition in very different circumstances is not easy to anticipate. But Forsyth did elevate thriller writing and set the bar very high. He himself did not rest on his early laurels and continued to research vigorously. This might have something to with his training as a journalist and he seems to have understood the joy and reward of an authentic rendering.

Telling a good story

At a time when wages of political correctness often dictate writing, characterisation and plot lines, and conformity trumps talent, Forsyth stands out for his ability to tell a good story. Rather than infusing his work with socially curated themes, he delivered a feast of engrossing and imaginative writing. It would be wrong to say his writing was limited. He skilfully tapped the emotions of loyalty, betrayal, empathy, love and lust to explore a world of intrigue and deceit. Millions of readers found it impossible to stop turning the pages of a Forsyth book. There is no greater tribute to a writer.

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