Legend of political thrillers: Frederick Forsyth dies at the age of 86

Legend of political thrillers: Frederick Forsyth dies at the age of 86

The British best-selling author and journalist Frederick Forsyth died on June 9, 2025 at the age of 86. The sad news was delivered by his agent Jonathan Lloyd. Forsyth died surrounded by his family after a short illness, and his death leaves a void in the world of literature.

Forsyth, born in 1938 in Ashford, England, achieved worldwide fame through his political thrillers, which deal with power games, intrigues and the machinations of governments and secret services. His best-known works include “The Jackal,” “The Odessa Files” and “The Dogs of War.” In particular, “The Jackal,” which deals with an assassination attempt on French President Charles de Gaulle, has been made into several films, including an action film with Bruce Willis in the 1990s that was loosely based on Forsyth's original. According to Merkur he is said to have written “The Jackal” in just 35 days.

A multifaceted career

Before Forsyth began writing, he worked as a foreign correspondent for over two decades, including for the BBC in Nigeria and the GDR. His journalistic experiences often flowed into his novels and give his stories authenticity and depth. In his memoirs published in 2015, Forsyth confessed that he had temporarily worked for the British secret service MI6, which immersed him in the world of secret services.

A remarkable moment in his life story occurred when he traveled to the GDR as a tourist. During this visit he received secret documents in a museum toilet in Dresden, which underlines his connection to the secret services. In an interview, Forsyth expressed that he has had a lot of luck in his life, both in his career and in his family.

A legacy in numbers

In total, Forsyth published over 20 novels that have sold over 70 million copies worldwide, demonstrating his popularity and influence on the political thriller genre. Analysts and readers appreciate his works for their exciting depiction of secret service operations and thus promise an insight into the dark side of power. Current bestsellers in the field of political thrillers reflect similar themes, such as the recent release “The Nile Hilton Affair”, which is available as video-on-demand and is currently very popular on Amazon.de in order to do justice to the trends in the genre, as documented on Books Wiki.

The loss of Frederick Forsyth is a bitter blow for all literary fans. His stories will continue to entertain and inspire generations of readers while memorializing their unforgettable heroes. A life that was a small part of our grand narrative has now come to an end.