Frederick Forsyth, master of the spy novel and father of 'The Jackal', dies

British writer Frederick Forsyth , master of the spy novel and author of "The Day of the Jackal," among others , died Monday at the age of 86, his literary agent confirmed.

"We mourn the passing of one of the world's finest thriller writers," Jonathan Lloyd of the Curtis Brown agency said in a statement. Forsyth, who was also a Royal Air Force pilot, reporter, and secret agent, wrote some 20 novels that have sold more than 70 million copies worldwide.

Forsyth wrote 'The Day of the Jackal' in 1971 when he was barely earning a living as a journalist. "I never intended to be a writer," he wrote in his memoir, *The Outsider - My Life in Intrigue *. "After all, writers are strange creatures, and if they try to make a living at it, even more so."

The book, written in just 35 days , was rejected by a long list of publishers. So influential was the novel that the Venezuelan revolutionary militant Ilich Ramírez Sánchez was nicknamed Carlos the Jackal .

Forsyth presented himself as a cross between Ernest Hemingway and John le Carré —both man of action and Cold War spy—but he had fun turning around the insult that he was a minor author. "I'm light, but popular. My books sell," he once said.

His books are made up of fantastic plots that almost celebrated the cynicism of the underworld of spies , criminals, hackers and assassins.

Behind the bold bravado, however, there were hints of sadness . He later spoke of how, as a lonely only child during and after World War II, he took refuge in his imagination.

The reclusive Forsyth discovered a talent for languages : he claimed to speak French as a native by age 12 and German as a native by age 16, largely thanks to cultural exchanges.

She attended Tonbridge School, one of England's oldest private schools, and learned Russian from two Georgian princesses who had emigrated to Paris. She added Spanish at the age of 18.

He also learned to fly and performed compulsory military service in the Royal Air Force , where he piloted fighter jets.

Works such as 'The Odessa File', 'The Dogs of War' , 'The Negotiator' and 'The Black Manifesto' are part of his literary collection.