Mr American – George MacDonald Fraser. Best known for the Flashman series, he also wrote the McAuslan series (inspired … This week Sue Lawley's castaway is the writer George MacDonald Fraser. George McDonald Fraser was an expert storyteller and master of the comic novel. George MacDonald Fraser is probably best known for the Flashman series of novels. He is best known for a series of works that featured the character Flashman. Refresh and try again. George MacDonald Fraser was born at Carlisle on April 2 1925. P.G. Reviews There are no reviews yet. George MacDonald Fraser was born in England and educated in Scotland. This book has humour and at parts reads abit like a script as he recalls some of the conversations he had between his mates. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. I loathe all political parties, which I regard as inventions of the devil. [14] A traditionalist, he was an Honorary Member of the British Weights and Measures Association, which opposes compulsory conversion to the metric system. He survived a heart attack in 1999. [6][7], There was a series of further Flashman novels, presented as packets of memoirs written by the nonagenarian Flashman looking back on his days as a hero of the British Army during the 19th century. They had three children, Simon, Caroline, and Nicholas. There are 12 books in the series: The "Dand MacNeill" or "McAuslan" stories is a series of semi-autobiographical short stories based on the author's experiences in the Gordon Highlanders, in North Africa and Scotland, soon after World War II. The series is notable for the accuracy of its historical settings and praise it received from critics. His father was a doctor, his mother a nurse. He is honest … He moved to the Isle of Man where he could pay less tax. His accomplishments were many and his affiliation with SFU and the department significantly valued. George MacDonald Fraser OBE FRSL (2 April 1925 – 2 January 2008) was an English author and screenwriter. George MacDonald Fraser was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1999. “There's a point, you know, where treachery is so complete and unashamed that it becomes statesmanship.”, “The advantage to being a wicked bastard is that everyone pesters the Lord on your behalf; if volume of prayers from my saintly enemies means anything, I'll be saved when the Archbishop of Canterbury is damned. He wrote a short novel about the Border Reivers of the 16th century, The Candlemass Road (1993), then Flashman and the Angel of the Lord (1994) and Black Ajax (1997), a novel about Tom Molineaux, which featured Flashman's father as a support character. Description Reviews (0) Description. This was published in 2015. It was his father who passed on to Fraser his love of reading, and a passion for his Scottish heritage. He is best known for a series of works that featured the character Flashman. The author of the famous 'Flashman Papers' and the 'Private McAuslan' stories, George MacDonald Fraser has worked on newspapers in Britain and Canada. What is overlooked is the astonishing amount of history Hollywood has got right... For better or worse, nothing has been more influential in shaping our visions of the past than the commercial cinema. Archaeology faculty and staff were saddened to hear of the recent passing of George MacDonald, a long-time colleague, friend and adjunct Professor in the Department. Following his death a novel was discovered amongst his papers, Captain in Calico. Flashman always comes out as a hero in these adventures … George MacDonald Fraser OBE FRSL (2 April 1925 - 2 January 2008) was a Scottish author who wrote historical novels, non-fiction books and several screenplays. This would be turned into two films, The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers, both popular at the box office, and it launched Fraser as a screenwriter. Read 1 039 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The book proved popular and sale of the film rights enabled Fraser to become a full-time writer. He is best known for a series of works that featured the character Flashman. He did some uncredited work on the film Ashanti and wrote an unused script for Tai Pan to star Steve McQueen. After his discharge, Fraser returned to the United Kingdom. Welcome back. He served in a Highland regiment in India, Africa, and the Middle East. Flashman and the Redskins (1982) was a traditional Flashman and The Pyrates (1983) was a comic novel about pirates. [2] This meant that he was unable to follow his father's wishes and study medicine.[4]. The writer's gives you his own opinions while describing what the Black Cat Division did during 1945. Building an impressive legacy he wrote a lot of books that are still revered to this very day, with many continuing to … Would you buy 'Book One' before a sequel has been published. The series begins with Flashman, and is notable for the accuracy of the historical settings and praise from critics. He served with them in the Middle East and North Africa immediately after the war, notably in Tripoli. History Past Cinema. The latter was directed by Guy Hamilton who arranged for Fraser to do some work on the script for Superman (1978). His most widely read books chronicle the adult exploits of Harry Flashman (the original cowardly school bully of "Tom Brown's Schooldays"). [citation needed], Fraser died on 2 January 2008 from cancer, aged 82.[1]. The novels are presented as "packets" of memoirs written by the nonagenarian Flashman, who looks back on his days as a hero of the British Army during the 19th century. Hello, Sign in. R 50.00. Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. It was published in 1970, the same year that Fraser published The General Danced at Dawn, a series of short stories which fictionalised his post-war military experience as the adventures of "Dand" MacNeill in a Scottish Highland regiment. George MacDonald Fraser (1926 - 2008) Father of Caro Fraser The author of the famous Flashman Papers and the Private McAuslan stories, George MacDonald Fraser has worked on newspapers in Britain and Canada. The climactic sequence of Flashman in the Great Game (1975) was also excerpted there. George MacDonald Fraser OBE FRSL (2 April 1925 – 2 January 2008) was a Scottish author who wrote historical novels, non-fiction books and several screenplays. These are a collection of books that place the hero (lightly speaking) at almost every historical point from the British disaster in Afghanistan in the 1840s to the Charge of the Light Brigade to Custer’s Last Stand and beyond. The Flashman series constitute Fraser's major works. Richard Fleischer arranged for him to do work on the script for Red Sonja (1985). A traditionalist, he was an Honorary Member of the British Weights and Measures Association, which opposes compulsory conversion to the metric system. In 1966, Fraser got the idea to turn Flashman, a fictional coward and bully originally created by Thomas Hughes in Tom Brown's School Days (1857), into a hero, and he wrote a novel around the character's exploits. Trust Own Act. Some of the stories were originally bylined "by Dand MacNeill", a play on the regimental motto BYDAND,[16] meaning standfast: Fraser wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for: Fraser also wrote the following scripts which were never filmed:[19], Fraser adapted The Candlemass Road, Flash For Freedom and Flashman At The Charge for BBC radio plays. Flashman and the Tiger (1999) consisted of three different Flashman stories. George MacDonald Fraser (2 April 1925 – 2 January 2008) was a British writer, and screenwriter, known for his Historical Fiction and his historical non-fiction. He was a Scot through and through, "Jock" to his beloved old comrades of the Border Regiment. George MacDonald Fraser is reminiscing about his own personal experiences and he brings back to life the men who served alongside him. Mr American - George MacDonald Fraser quantity. It's a comforting thought.”, “If anything she was a shade too plump, but she knew the ninety-seven ways of making love that the Hindus are supposed to set much store by―though mind you, it is all nonsense, for the seventy-fourth position turns out to be the same as the seventy-third, but with your fingers crossed.”, He is best known for his Flashman series of historical novels, purportedly written by Harry Flashman, a fictional coward and bully originally created by Thomas Hughes in Tom Brown's School Days. THE COMPLETE FLASHMAN PAPERS is the entire collection of Flashman’s perilous missions across the world. Through his father he got a job as a trainee reporter on the Carlisle Journal and married another journalist, Kathleen Hetherington. See if your friends have read any of George MacDonald Fraser's books. He is best known for a series of works that featured the character Flashman.. See … The film rights to Flashman were bought by Richard Lester, who was unable to get the film funded but hired Fraser to write the screenplay for The Three Musketeers in Christmas 1972. Pan Books, paprback edition 1982, 573 pages. He was hired to rewrite Crossed Swords (1977) and Force 10 from Navarone (1978). Only logged in customers … Error rating book. He is best known for a series of works that featured the character Flashman. George McDonald Fraser was an expert storyteller and master of the comic novel. George MacDonald Fraser, OBE FRSL was a Scottish author who wrote historical novels, non-fiction books and several screenplays. With a career so distinguished, it is impossible to describe with justice the achievements of this truly great … Those of … Flashman book. He also worked as a screenwriter, writing or co-writing … The following year Fraser published a third Flashman, Flash for Freedom!, as well as a non-fiction work, The Steel Bonnets (1971), a history of the Border Reivers of the Anglo-Scottish Border. Cart Wodehouse said of Flashman, “If ever there was a time when I felt that ‘watcher-of-the-skies-when-a-new-planet’ stuff, it was when I read the first Flashman.”, Flashman at the Charge (Flashman Papers, #4), Flash for Freedom (The Flashman Papers #3), Flashman in the Great Game (The Flashman Papers, #5), Flashman's Lady (The Flashman Papers, #6), Flashman and the Mountain of Light (The Flashman Papers, #9), Flashman and the Redskins (The Flashman Papers, #7), Flashman and the Dragon (The Flashman Papers, #8), Flashman and the Angel of the Lord (The Flashman Papers, #10), George MacDonald Fraser’s Followers (568), See all George MacDonald Fraser's quotes », One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd, The 100 Best English-Language Novels since 1900. [15], Fraser married Kathleen Hetherington in 1949. In addition to his books, he has written screenplays, including The Three Musketeers, The Four Musketeers, and … george macdonald Director Emeritus, Bill Reid Centre for NWC Art Studies at Simon Fraser University Ottawa, Canada Area 210 connections Add to cart. George Macdonald Fraser, who has died aged 82, was the creator of Harry Flashman, one of the bright gems of the English comic novel. His most widely read books chronicle the adult exploits of Harry Flashman (the original cowardly school bully of "Tom Brown's Schooldays"). George MacDonald Fraser (1925-), George MacDonald Fraser (1925-2008), Tom Molyneux (1784-1818), Edward VII King of Great Britain (1841-1910), Franz Joseph I Emperor of Austria (1830-1916), Harry Flashman, John Brown (1800 … Starting in 1953, Fraser worked for many years as a journalist at the Glasgow Herald newspaper,[5] where he was deputy editor from 1964 until 1969. [5] They travelled to Canada, working on newspapers there, before returning to Scotland. When that film book came out he was reportedly working on a science fiction film Colossus and adapting Conan Doyle's The Lost World for TV but neither project was filmed.[12]. Fraser tried a more serious historical novel with Mr American (1980), although Flashman still appeared in it. George MacDonald Frasier (1925-2008) was a British author of historical fiction. In addition to his novels he has also written numerous films, most notably 'The Three Musketeers', 'The Four Musketeers', and the James Bond film, 'Octopussy'. George MacDonald Fraser, inventor of Flashman, died on January 2nd, aged 82 Obituary Jan 12th 2008 edition HARRY FLASHMAN never knew George MacDonald Fraser. [1] His father was a doctor and his mother a nurse. Fraser was born to Scottish parents in Carlisle, England, on 2 April 1925. About George MacDonald Fraser. Related . Account & Lists Account Returns & Orders. He briefly held the title of acting editor. He served in a Highland regiment in India, Africa, and the Middle East. George MacDonald Fraser (1925 - 2008) was a British writer known for his humorous historical fiction. In 1947, Fraser decided against remaining with the army and took up his demobilisation. He is best known for a series of works that featured the character Flashman. [24][25][26] Fraser was also a staunch critic of political correctness and enlarged upon his views on this matter (and others) on the BBC radio show, "Desert Island Discs. He was one of several writers who worked on the James Bond film Octopussy (1983). George MacDonald Fraser OBE FRSL (2 April 1925 – 2 January 2008) was a Scottish author who wrote historical novels, non-fiction books and several screenplays. George MacDonald Fraser was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1999. In addition to his books, he has written screenplays, including The Three Musketeers, The Four Musketeers, and the… More about George MacDonald Fraser After Flashman and the Dragon (1985) he was reunited with Lester on The Return of the Musketeers (1988) then released a final volume of McAusland stories, The Sheikh and the Dustbin (1988) and did another history, The Hollywood History of the World (1988). "[27][28], Fraser's Flashman at the Charge (1973) was serialized in the April and June 1973 issues of Playboy. Following Flashman and the Mountain of Light (1990), Fraser wrote a version of The Lone Ranger for John Landis which ended up not being filmed. After completing his Officer Cadet Training Unit (OCTU) course, Fraser was granted a commission into the Gordon Highlanders. It was not a success at the box office. He is best known for a series of works that featured the character Flashman. Find great deals on eBay for george macdonald fraser. Creator, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_MacDonald_Fraser&oldid=1002279099, Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature, Officers of the Order of the British Empire, People educated at Carlisle Grammar School, 20th-century British dramatists and playwrights, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2021, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 23 January 2021, at 17:55. George MacDonald Fraser. Read 1 039 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. SKU: 0330265806 Categories: Fiction, Used, Rare & Affordable Books. He is best known for his Flashman Papers series as well as his McAuslan stories. [10], There was another collection of Dand McNeill stories, McAuslan in the Rough (1974), then Flashman in the Great Game (1975) and Flashman's Lady (1977). George MacDonald Fraser. For example, P. G. Wodehouse said of Flashman, "If ever there was a time when I felt that 'watcher-of-the-skies-when-a-new-planet' stuff, it was when I read the first Flashman."[8]. George MacDonald Fraser, who has died aged 82, was the creator of Harry Flashman, one of the gems of the English comic novel. [13] He did his memoirs of his experiences during World War II, Quartered Safe Out Here (1992). The author of the famous 'Flashman Papers' and the 'Private McAuslan' stories, George MacDonald Fraser has worked on newspapers in Britain and Canada. George MacDonald Fraser, (born April 2, 1925, Carlisle, Eng.—died Jan. 2, 2008, Strang, Isle of Man), British writer best known for his series of historical novels about the exploits of Harry Flashman, a hard-drinking, womanizing, and vain character depicted as playing a leading role in many major events of the 19th century. Best known for the Flashman series, he also wrote the McAuslan series (inspired by his military service in the 1940s, which also resulted in the non-fiction memoir Quartered Safe Out Here) and several stand-alone novels. The first Flashman sequel was Royal Flash. [2], Fraser was educated at Carlisle Grammar School and Glasgow Academy;[3] he later described himself as a poor student due to "sheer laziness". Coward scoundrel lover and cheat but there is no better man to go i… My favourite … He was born in England to Scottish parents and was very proud of his Scottish heritage. George MacDonald Fraser was born in England and educated in Scotland. Condition: Good. Flashman book. Add to Wishlist. [9], Following Flashman at the Charge (1973), Fraser wrote the screenplay for the movie Royal Flash (1975), also directed by Richard Lester. The latter could also be found in Flashman on the March (2005), the final Flashman, and The Reavers (2007), a comic novel about the Border Reivers in the style of The Pyrates. [29], Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Toby Clements, "Flashman flies the Jolly Roger: George MacDonald Fraser's lost pirate novel", "Farewell to Flashman; The singular creation of George MacDonald Fraser, 1925–2008", "Saturday Night Theatre: The Candlemass Road", Hail the Cowardly Hero And His Bravely Un-P.C. Shop with confidence. He also wrote a biopic of General Stilwell for Martin Ritt which was not filmed.[11]. George MacDonald Fraser OBE FRSL (2 April 1925 – 2 January 2008) was an English author and screenwriter. He has written semi-autobiographical stories and anecdotes of his time with the Gordon Highlanders in the "McAuslan" series. But George MacDonald Fraser was as remarkable in person as in print. George MacDonald Fraser’s uproarious bestselling Flashman series, now available in one complete ebook for the first time. The Light's on at Signpost (2002) was a second volume of memoirs, focusing on Fraser's adventures in Hollywood and his criticisms of modern-day Britain. George MacDonald Fraser OBE FRSL (2 April 1925 – 2 January 2008) was a Scottish author who wrote historical novels, non-fiction books and several screenplays. He had eight grandchildren. Born on the 2nd of April in 1925 and living till the 2nd of January, 2008, the author George MacDonald Fraser lived a long and eventful life. George MacDonald Fraser's hilarious stories of the most disastrous soldier in the British Army - collected together for the first time in one volume.Private McAuslan, J., the Dirtiest Soldier in the Word (alias the Tartan Caliban, or the Highland Division's… In 1943, during World War II, Fraser enlisted in the Border Regiment and served in the Burma Campaign, as recounted in his memoir Quartered Safe Out Here (1993).