Biography George MacDonald Fraser

1 biography

1.1 war service
1.2 journalism
1.3 novelist
1.4 screenwriter

biography

fraser born scottish parents in carlisle, england on 2 april 1925. father doctor , mother nurse. father passed on fraser love of reading, , passion scottish heritage.

fraser educated @ carlisle grammar school , glasgow academy; later described himself poor student due sheer laziness . meant unable follow father s wishes , study medicine.

war service

in 1943, during world war ii, fraser enlisted in border regiment , served in burma campaign, recounted in memoir quartered safe out here (1993). after completing octu (officer cadet training unit) course, fraser granted commission gordon highlanders. served them in middle east , north africa after war, notably in tripoli. in 1947, fraser decided against remaining army , took demobilisation. has written semi-autobiographical stories , anecdotes of time gordon highlanders in mcauslan series.

journalism

after discharge, fraser returned united kingdom. through father got job trainee reporter on carlisle journal , married journalist, kathleen hetherington. travelled canada, working on newspapers there, before returning scotland. starting in 1953, fraser worked many years journalist @ glasgow herald newspaper, deputy editor 1964 until 1969. briefly held title of acting editor.

novelist

in 1966, fraser got idea turn flashman, fictional coward , bully created thomas hughes in tom brown s school days (1857), hero, , wrote novel around character s exploits. book proved popular , sale of film rights enabled fraser become full-time writer. moved isle of man pay less tax. covers flashman novels illustrated arthur barbosa.

there series of further flashman novels, presented packets of memoirs written nonagenarian flashman looking on days hero of british army during 19th century. series notable accuracy of historical settings , praise received critics. example, p.g. wodehouse said of flashman, if ever there time when felt watcher-of-the-skies-when-a-new-planet stuff, when read first flashman.

the first flashman sequel royal flash. published in 1970, same year fraser published general danced @ dawn, series of short stories fictionalised post-war military experience adventures of rather unassuming dand macneill in scottish highland regiment. series of short stories noted strong , strange characters surrounding mcneill, including aged , prototypical colonel, perfect-soldier regimental sergeant-major, wodehousian adjutant, active , dedicated pipe sergeant, die-hard algerian revolutionary, various blackguards , spivs, and, memorably, private john mcauslan, dirtiest soldier in world. featuring games of golf, scrapes, , run-ins police both military , civil, transfer of die-hard french, , mcauslan s various disasters, these works form picture of british army in period after world war ii.

the following year fraser published third flashman, flash freedom!, non fiction work, steel bonnets (1971), history of border reivers of anglo-scottish border.

screenwriter

the film rights flashman bought richard lester, unable film funded hired fraser write screenplay 3 musketeers in christmas 1972. turned 2 films, 3 musketeers , 4 musketeers, both popular @ box office, , launched fraser screenwriter. next 20 years, fraser alternated between writing novels , film scripts; worked script doctor.

following flashman @ charge (1973), fraser wrote screenplay movie royal flash (1975), directed richard lester. not success @ box office.

there collection of dand mcneill stories, mcauslan in rough (1974), flashman in great game (1975) , flashman s lady (1977). hired rewrite crossed swords (1977) , force 10 navarone (1978). latter directed guy hamilton arranged fraser work on script superman (1978). did uncredited work on film ashanti , wrote unused script tai pan star steve mcqueen. wrote biopic of general stilwell martin ritt not filmed.

fraser tried more serious historical novel mr american (1980), although flashman still appeared in it. flashman , redskins (1982) traditional flashman , pyrates (1983) comic novel pirates. 1 of several writers worked on james bond film octopussy (1983). richard fleischer arranged him work on script red sonja (1985).

after flashman , dragon (1985) reunited lester on return of musketeers (1988) released final volume of mcausland stories, sheikh , dustbin (1988) , did history, hollywood history of world (1988). when film book came out reportedly working on science fiction film colossus , adapting conan doyle s lost world tv neither project filmed.

following flashman , mountain of light (1990), fraser wrote version of lone ranger john landis ended not being filmed. did memoirs of experiences during world war two, quartered safe out here (1992).

he wrote short novel border reivers of 16th century, candlemass road (1993), flashman , angel of lord (1994) , black ajax (1997), novel tom molineaux, featured flashman s father support character.

flashman , tiger (1999) consisted of 3 different flashman stories. light s on @ signpost (2002) second volume of memoirs, focusing on fraser s adventures in hollywood , criticisms of modern-day britain. latter found in flashman on march (2005), final flashman, , reavers (2007), comic novel border reivers in style of pyrates.

following death novel discovered amongst papers, captain in calico. published in 2015.