Frederick Forsyth is an English author, best known for his thriller and crime fiction novels. He was born on August 25, 1938, in the small town of Ashford, Kent, and spent his childhood there with fond memories. His father, a furrier, sent him to live in Germany and France as a young boy to learn modern languages, which later influenced his writing.
Forsyth's career as a writer is preceded by his experiences as a pilot, journalist, and political commentator. He served as a pilot in the Royal Air Force at the age of 19 and later became a journalist, joining Reuters in 1961 and the BBC in 1965. He served as an assistant diplomatic correspondent for the BBC and covered the Nigerian Civil War between Biafra and Nigeria from July to September 1967. After leaving the BBC in 1968 due to controversy over his alleged bias towards the Biafran cause, Forsyth returned to Biafra as a freelance reporter and wrote his first book, "The Biafra Story" in 1969.
Forsyth's debut as a novelist came with "The Day of the Jackal" in 1971, which became an international bestseller and earned him the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel. The book was later made into a film of the same name. He has since written several bestselling novels, including "The Odessa File," "The Dogs of War," "The Devil's Alternative," "The Fourth Protocol," "The Fist of God," "Icon," "The Veteran," "Avenger," "The Afghan," "The Cobra," and "The Kill List." Forsyth is known to use similar research techniques in his writing as those used in journalism. He currently resides in Hertfordshire, England.