C.S. Forester Books

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C.S. Forester was a renowned English novelist that died in 1966 at the age of 66. He was known primarily for his work on the Horatio Hornblower series. Forester was born in 1899 in Cairo to Sarah Medhurst Troughton and George Foster Smith.

Forester was the youngest of five children. George, his father, taught at a school that was designed to introduce the English Education system to the sons of upper-class Egyptians.

When his parents’ marriage dissolved, Forester went to London with his mother and siblings. As a child, the author read voraciously. He was also fascinated by naval battles.

Forester was just one boy among many that attended the Officers’ Training Corps. But any hopes he had of doing his part to protect his country during the First World War went down the drain when a heart condition prevented him from joining the army.

While his friends fought and died in the war, Forester took a month-long camping trip during which he finally accepted his rejection. A former student at Alleyn’s School and Dulwich College, the author tried to pursue a career in medicine.

But his time at Guy’s Hospital showed him that he did not have the talent for the field. He never got his degree. The author spent the Second World War writing propaganda for the British Ministry of Information.

Officially, his writing career began in 1921 when he adopted Cecil Scott Forester as a pen name. It only took him two weeks to complete his first novel. His fervor for writing was such that he was churning out six thousand words every single day.

But the author’s manuscript was soundly rejected. Rather than giving up, he wrote a second novel. This time around, he tried to improve the quality of his work by cutting his production rate. But Forester admitted, later on, that his second novel was just as bad as the first. Though, the manuscript eventually became the third book he published.

The first book he published was the third manuscript he wrote. While he waited for the book to come out, the publisher paid Forester to write a Napoleon biography.

He agreed because the 25 pounds they gave him as an advance was the first money he had ever earned from his words. He wrote another biography later on but it did not make him quite as much money as he would have liked.

In the years that followed, he survived by writing novels, articles, and biographies. The Hornblower books were his most successful series. When he first introduced Horatio Hornblower to his readers, the character had a relatively high rank. To satisfy the craving that his audience had for more Hornblower stories, the author spent several sequels explaining Horatio’s past and the events that had allowed him to climb through the ranks.

C.S. Forester Awards

Forester received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize (1938).

C.S. Forester Books into Movies

‘The African Queen’ became a 1951 film called ‘The African Queen’. It starred Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn.

‘The Pride and the Passion’, a 1957 war film starring Sophia Loren and Cary Grant was based on ‘The Gun’.

‘Sink the Bismarck’ is a 1958 British War Film starring Dana Wynter and Kenneth Moore. It was based on ‘The Last Nine Days of the Bismarck’.

‘Greyhound’ is a 2020 War Film starring Tom Hanks. It was based on ‘The Good Shepherd’.

ITV aired a historical fiction war series based on the Hornblower books. It started in 1998 and ended in 2003.

Best C.S. Forester Books

The author knew Roald Dahl. He encouraged Dahl to incorporate his RAF experiences into his books. Forester’s best books include:

Mr. Midshipman Hornblower: Before he became a famed midshipman, Horatio Hornblower was just a 17-year-old boy that had to fight in a duel he would have preferred to avoid. This book chronicles his adventures, the lives he saved, and the galleys he fought against as he slowly became a man that soldiers would gladly follow into battle.

Lieutenant Hornblower: Napoleon and Spain were still at war. For all his triumphs at sea, Horatio’s journey was far from over. He fought many battles against internal and external enemies to distinguish himself. But now, he must carry the responsibilities that his first independent command will bring.

When Does The Next C.S. Forester book come out?

C.S. Forester doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is U 97 and was released on July, 2nd 2020. It is the newest book in the C.S. Forester Plays.

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