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The Outsider

My Life in Intrigue

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The Outsider

By: Frederick Forsyth
Narrated by: Robert Powell
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Frederick Forsyth has seen it all. And lived to tell the tale.

We all make mistakes, but starting the Third World War would have been a rather large one. To this day I still maintain it was not entirely my fault. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

During the course of my life, I've barely escaped the wrath of an arms dealer in Hamburg, been strafed by a MiG during the Nigerian civil war, and landed during a bloody coup in Guinea-Bissau.

The Stasi arrested me, the Israelis regaled me, the IRA prompted a quick move from Ireland to England, and a certain attractive Czech secret police agent - well, her actions were a bit more intimate. And that's just for starters. All of that I saw from the inside. But all that time I was, nonetheless, an outsider.

Trained first as a pilot then as a journalist, Frederick Forsyth finally turned to fiction and became one of the most lauded thriller writers of our time.

As exciting as his novels, Forsyth's autobiography is a candid look at an extraordinary life lived to the full - a life whose unique experiences have provided rich inspiration for 13 internationally best-selling thrillers.

©2015 Frederick Forsyth (P)2015 Random House AudioBooks (UK) Art & Literature Authors Espionage Military & War True Crime War Military Fiction Middle East
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Would you be willing to try another book from Frederick Forsyth? Why or why not?

I am generally a fan of Frederick Forsyth He tells a good story. I am not particularly interested in his autobiography. It is an interesting story but there is not much intrigue a little bit but just really his general life story

Interesting but not much intrigue

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What made the experience of listening to The Outsider the most enjoyable?

Couldn't believe that this wasn't read by the author. We listened to this entire recording in belief that we were listening to Fredrick reading his latest novel.

What did you like best about this story?

What a story, the truth really does make the author seem like one of his best characters.

Which character – as performed by Robert Powell – was your favourite?

Robert Powell fantastically brought Mr Forsyth's to life

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

What a life too, it could only have happened to form Fredrick into the writer he is now, any later and he would have missed his chance.

Fantastic choice

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This is a fascinating collection of reminiscences from an eminent Englishman! Top read, thoroughly recommended.

Fascinating

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Having read quite a few Frederick Forsyth novels from my school years, onwards, I’ve enjoyed knowing that the facts presented were accurate. It has been extremely satisfying learning what was going on in Forsyth’s life when he was writing each novel and even learning new facts in world geopolitics. I’m sure to listen to Robert Powell’s delivery of this book again. It’s even inspired me to read one or two of the novels I’ve not yet read.

A favourite author’s story

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It is an absorbing narrative. Frederick Forsyth has been one of my favourite authors since I was in high school. Though I was shocked by the chapter, he mentioned his visit to Japan. Did it happen 150 years ago? Geisha (or Geiko) have taken different forms and shapes since their inception (~13th century) in Japan. They have been men, young women, prostitutes, high-class courtesans, professional dancers, singers, etc. However, in current Japan, they are just what it says on the tin -> "artists", usually females, who go through lengthy training to become masters of their craft (dancing, singing, politics talking, good conversational skills, etc). It is a recognised profession (no longer associated with prostitution), and whoever practises it today does it as an individual choice, like a man who chooses to train to become a mechanic. During the years of the Tokugawa Shogunate, they might have been young girls sold by impoverished parents to matrons who used them to make money, and they were forced to live life in a semi-slavery status. With the Meiji Restoration (1868), this practice was abolished and outlawed. I was recently in Kyoto, where tour guides tell ludicrous stories about Geisha to unsuspecting tourists just to increase their appeal and make them a sort of "object" of curiosity, pity, and complete untruths.

Interesting story, but Geisha!?

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