Appearance: Traditional, conservative, Euro-sceptic with a penchant for outdoor pursuits such as fox-hunting.
Status: Traditional, conservative, Euro-sceptic and a lifelong supporter of fox-hunting.
Anything else that distinguishes him from the riff-raff? Oh yes. He writes novels.
Thought so. What is the word on the jackal these days? It's been all quiet in recent years. The master of the international thriller hung up his typewriter in 1997 after publishing his last novel, Icon.
Any particular reason? "The excitement and challenge have gone," says Forsyth. "I've done assassins, done terrorists. Done mercenaries, done revolutionaries. Done communists, done spies ... "
Well, that is a lot, yes. " ... done fighter-pilots, done infiltration agents. I've done SAS, arms trafficking, espionage, international crime . . .
Thank you. I think we've got the idea. "... People say, 'Why don't you do the IRA?' Bor-ring! The pleasure and excitement have gone."
Oh dear. So, what is the solution to his writer's blues? He's going to publish a book on the internet.
What! That beastly new-fangled thing that tarnishes our youth with uncensored pornography and destroys the delights of the handwritten word? Actually, Forsyth likes it. "I believe the advent of e-books is one of the most exciting developments in my experience as a professional writer," he says. His own e-book, Quintet, will be a series of five short stories, published one at a time, starting next month.
How inventive. It's just like The Day of the Jackal: the challenge for the Englishman is to stay one step ahead of the competition. Well, not exactly. Stephen King has already been there. In July he became the first novelist to publish a book on the internet.
Do say: "The E-dessa File."
Don't say: "No Comebacks."
