Alan Furst is an acclaimed American author, well-known for his historical spy fiction novels. He was born in New York on February 20, 1941, to a Jewish family and spent a significant portion of his life in France, particularly in Paris. Currently, he resides on Long Island. Furst is widely regarded as the current master of the historical spy novel, with a focus on Eastern Europe before and during World War II.
Drawing inspiration from authors such as Eric Ambler, Graham Greene, Joseph Roth, and Arthur Koestler, Furst has penned a series of novels known as the "Night Soldiers" series. This series includes "Night Soldiers" (1988), "Dark Star" (1991), "The Polish Officer" (1995), "The World at Night" (1996), "Red Gold" (1999), "Kingdom of Shadows" (2000), "Blood of Victory" (2003), "Dark Voyage" (2004), "The Foreign Correspondent" (2006), "The Spies of Warsaw" (2008), "Spies of the Balkans" (2010), "Mission to Paris" (2012), "Midnight in Europe" (2013), and "Under Occupation" (2019). In addition to the Night Soldiers series, Furst has also written several stand-alone novels, including "Your day in the barrel" (1976), "The Paris drop" (1980), "The Caribbean Account" (1981), and "Shadow Trade" (1983).
Furst's extensive travels as a journalist in Eastern Europe and Russia, as well as his time spent living in France, have greatly influenced his writing. He has contributed to numerous publications, including Esquire and the International Herald Tribune. His ability to capture the essence of Eastern Europe during World War II has earned him recognition as a master of historical spy fiction.