Colin Forbes (novelist)
Encyclopedia
Raymond Harold Sawkins was a British
novelist, who mainly published under the pseudonym Colin Forbes, but also as Richard Raine, Jay Bernard and Harold English. He only published three of his first books under his own name.
Sawkins wrote over 40 books, mostly as Colin Forbes. He was most famous for his long-running series of thriller novels in which the principal character is Tweed, Deputy Director of the Secret Intelligence Service
.
in Harrow, London
. At the age of 16 he started work as a sub-editor with a magazine and book publishing company. He served with the British Army
in North Africa
and the Middle East
during World War II
. Before his demobilisation he was attached to the Army Newspaper Unit in Rome
. On his return to civilian life he joined a publishing and printing company, commuting to London for 20 years, until he became successful enough to be a full-time novelist.
Sawkins was married to a Scots-Canadian, Jane Robertson (born 31 March 1925, died 1993). Together they had one daughter, Janet.
Sawkins died of a heart attack
on August 23, 2006.
Sawkins later distanced himself from his early books, choosing to refer to Tramp in Armour as his first novel.
Sawkins was often quoted as personally visiting every location he features in his books to aid the authenticity of the writing. As a result, there is detailed description of the places where the action in his books takes place.
A common thread in his later work was the incorporation of climatic conditions, especially fog. His works are also notable for his frequent inclusion of a prologue and epilogue.
One of his manuscripts, The Heavens Above Us, was only published in German
, under the German title In letzter Minute. The two first releases, in 1979 and 1981, was under the pseudonym Harold English, but in 2002 it was re-released under the Colin Forbes name.
Fury (1995) was inspired by the courage of his wife before she died, and he set it apart from his other novels “because of the strong emotion and sense of loss that runs through it”.
Just one of Forbes' novels was made into a film: Avalanche Express
, directed by Mark Robson
and starring Lee Marvin
and Robert Shaw
, which was released in 1979 to generally poor reviews.
His last book, The Savage Gorge, was published posthumously in November 2006.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
novelist, who mainly published under the pseudonym Colin Forbes, but also as Richard Raine, Jay Bernard and Harold English. He only published three of his first books under his own name.
Sawkins wrote over 40 books, mostly as Colin Forbes. He was most famous for his long-running series of thriller novels in which the principal character is Tweed, Deputy Director of the Secret Intelligence Service
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
.
Life
Sawkins attended The Lower School of John LyonJohn Lyon School
The John Lyon School is an academically selective independent boys' school in Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex. The school was founded in 1876 by the Governors of Harrow School for the education of local boys, in belated keeping with the wishes of that school's founder, from whom the school takes its...
in Harrow, London
Harrow, London
Harrow is an area in the London Borough of Harrow, northwest London, United Kingdom. It is a suburban area and is situated 12.2 miles northwest of Charing Cross...
. At the age of 16 he started work as a sub-editor with a magazine and book publishing company. He served with the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Before his demobilisation he was attached to the Army Newspaper Unit in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. On his return to civilian life he joined a publishing and printing company, commuting to London for 20 years, until he became successful enough to be a full-time novelist.
Sawkins was married to a Scots-Canadian, Jane Robertson (born 31 March 1925, died 1993). Together they had one daughter, Janet.
Sawkins died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on August 23, 2006.
Work
His first book, Snow on High Ground, was written under his own name in 1966. Two more books in the Snow series were also published under his own name. Over the next few years Sawkins experimented with books under three pseudonyms: Richard Raine, Colin Forbes, and Jay Bernard (though the latter is not to be confused with the UK poet). Tramp in Armour was the first book published as Colin Forbes, in 1969. All subsequent books, apart from The Burning Fuse and The Heavens Above Us (only published in German, as In letzter Minute), he wrote as Forbes.Sawkins later distanced himself from his early books, choosing to refer to Tramp in Armour as his first novel.
Sawkins was often quoted as personally visiting every location he features in his books to aid the authenticity of the writing. As a result, there is detailed description of the places where the action in his books takes place.
A common thread in his later work was the incorporation of climatic conditions, especially fog. His works are also notable for his frequent inclusion of a prologue and epilogue.
One of his manuscripts, The Heavens Above Us, was only published in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, under the German title In letzter Minute. The two first releases, in 1979 and 1981, was under the pseudonym Harold English, but in 2002 it was re-released under the Colin Forbes name.
Fury (1995) was inspired by the courage of his wife before she died, and he set it apart from his other novels “because of the strong emotion and sense of loss that runs through it”.
Just one of Forbes' novels was made into a film: Avalanche Express
Avalanche Express
Avalanche Express is a cold war adventure thriller about a defecting Russian general, released in 1979. It starred Lee Marvin, Robert Shaw , Maximilian Schell, and Linda Evans, and was directed by Mark Robson and Monte Hellman...
, directed by Mark Robson
Mark Robson
Mark Robson was a Canadian-born film editor, film director and producer in Hollywood.-Career:Born in Montreal, Quebec, he moved to the United States at a young age. He studied at the University of California, Los Angeles then found work in the prop department at 20th Century Fox studios...
and starring Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
and Robert Shaw
Robert Shaw (actor)
Robert Archibald Shaw was an English actor and novelist, remembered for his performances in The Sting , From Russia with Love , A Man for All Seasons , the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three , Black Sunday , The Deep and Jaws , where he played the shark hunter Quint.-Early life...
, which was released in 1979 to generally poor reviews.
His last book, The Savage Gorge, was published posthumously in November 2006.
as Raymond Sawkins
- Snow on High Ground (1966)
- Snow in Paradise (1967)
- Snow Along The Border (1968)
as Richard Raine
- A Wreath for America (1967) (published in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as The Corder Index) - Night of the Hawk (1968)
- Bombshell (1969)
as Colin Forbes
- Tramp In Armour (1969)
- The Heights of Zervos (1970)
- The Palermo Ambush (1972)
- Target 5 (1973)
- The Year of the Golden Ape (1974)
- The Stone Leopard (1975)
- Avalanche Express (1976)
- The Stockholm Syndicate (1981)
- Double Jeopardy (1982)
- The Leader and the Damned (1983)
- Terminal (1984)
- Cover Story (1985)
- The Janus ManThe Janus ManThe Janus Man is a 1987 thriller novel by British novelist Raymond Harold Sawkins, written under the pseudonym of Colin Forbes. The book is set in the period it was written, and concerns Soviet infiltration into the Secret Intelligence Service during the Cold War. The book is the fourth of...
(1987) - Deadlock (1988)
- The Greek Key (1989)
- Shockwave (1990)
- Whirlpool (1991)
- Cross of Fire (1992)
- By Stealth (1992)
- The Power (1994)
- Fury (1995)
- Precipice (1995)
- The Cauldron (1997)
- The Sisterhood (1997)
- This United State (1998)
- Sinister Tide (1999)
- Rhinoceros (2000)
- The Vorpal Blade (2001)
- The Cell (2002)
- No Mercy (2003)
- Blood Storm (2004)
- The Main Chance (2005)
- The Savage Gorge (2006)
as Harold English
- In letzter Minute (English script title: The Heavens Above Us) (1979)
External links
- Colin Forbes at the Internet Book List http://www.iblist.com
- The Times obituary, 2006-11-24, retrieved 2010-08-29