C.S. Forester (27 August, 1899 – 2 April, 1966) was a British historical novelist known mainly for his novels featuring Horatio Hornblower, a Royal Navy officer during the Napoleonic wars.
Fun Facts about C.S. Forester:
- The author was born as Cecil Louis Troughton Smith in Cairo, Egypt to George Foster Smith and Sarah Medhurst Troughton. He had four older siblings.
- When he was three years old, the author’s parents divorced. The siblings moved back to England with their mother.
- At first C. S. Forester attempted to study medicine, but did not apply himself and stopped in 1921. This is when he started to seriously write under his nom de plumb, finding success in 1926 with his third published novel Payment Deferred.
- The author failed his Army physical and spent World War II writing propaganda to encourage the US to join the Allies.
- According to the biography of Roald Dahl, Mr. Forester encouraged him to write about his experiences in the Royal Air Force. Dahl went on to write his first story A Piece of Cake.
- After the war, C.S. Forester relocated to Berkeley, CA where he lived the remainder of his days.
- Forester wrote many novels, several were made into films such as The African Queen. He’s even credited as story writer for movies not based on novels he wrote.
- Forester adapted three of the Hornblower novels for a film starring Gregory Peck.
- The TV show You Bet Your Life, hosted by Groucho Marx, hosted Mr. Forester as a contestant (watch the episode).
- John Forester, the author’s son, wrote a biography of his father.
Zohar – Man of la Book
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Fun Facts Friday: C.S. Forester
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C.S. Forester (27 August, 1899 – 2 April, 1966) was a British historical novelist known mainly for his novels featuring Horatio Hornblower, a Royal Navy officer during the Napoleonic wars.
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Man of la Book
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Man of la Book - A Bookish Blog
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