Ben Macintyre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ben Macintyre
Macintyre at the 2024 Chiswick Book Festival
Born	Benedict Richard Pierce MacIntyre 25 December 1963 (1963-12-25) (age 61) Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
Occupation	Columnist, author
Spouse	Kate Muir (div.)
Children	3

Ben Macintyre (born December 25, 1963) is a British writer. He is famous for his exciting books about spies, secret missions, and true historical events. He also writes for The Times newspaper. There, he shares his thoughts on history and current topics.

Early Life and Education

Ben Macintyre was born in Oxford, England. This happened on December 25, 1963. His father was a history professor.

Ben went to Abingdon School when he was younger. Later, he studied history at St John's College, Cambridge. He finished his studies in 1985.

Ben Macintyre's Books and Career

Ben Macintyre writes many popular non-fiction books. These books are often about real-life spies, wars, and historical mysteries.

True Crime and Adventure Stories

• His book The Napoleon of Crime is about a clever "gentleman criminal" named Adam Worth.
• The Man Who Would Be King tells the true story of Josiah Harlan. He was the first American to travel to Afghanistan. This book was also called Josiah the Great.

World War II Spy Stories

• Agent Zigzag is about Eddie Chapman. He was a real-life double agent during World War II. He worked for both Germany and Britain!
• In 2008, Ben wrote a book about Ian Fleming. Ian Fleming created the famous spy, James Bond. This book went along with an exhibition in London.
• Agent Sonya: Moscow's Most Daring Wartime Spy is about Ursula Kuczynski. She was a brave Soviet spy. This book was even featured on BBC Radio 4.
• Colditz: Prisoners of the Castle came out in 2022. It tells the history of a German prison during World War II. Many British prisoners of war (POWs) were held there.

Recent Works and Adaptations

• In 2024, Ben released The Siege. This book is about the Iranian Embassy siege in London in 1980. This exciting story will also be made into a TV show.

Personal Life

Ben Macintyre has three children. He is divorced from writer and documentary maker Kate Muir.

Documentaries Based on His Books

Many of Ben Macintyre's books have been turned into documentaries. The BBC has made five of them:

• Operation Mincemeat (2010)
• Double Agent: The Eddie Chapman Story (2011)
• Double Cross – The True Story of the D Day Spies (2012)
• Kim Philby: His Most Intimate Betrayal (2014)
• SAS: Rogue Warriors (2017)

Film and TV Adaptations

Several of Ben Macintyre's books have also been made into movies and TV shows:

• The movie Operation Mincemeat came out in 2022. It was based on his book about a clever spy plan from World War II.
• Rogue Heroes was adapted into a TV series called SAS: Rogue Heroes in 2022. This show tells the story of the SAS, a secret British special forces unit.
• A six-part TV series called A Spy Among Friends premiered in 2022. It was based on his book about the spy Kim Philby.
• The actor Tom Hanks bought the rights to Ben's book Agent Zigzag. This means a movie based on that book might be made in the future!

Awards and Honours

Ben Macintyre's books have won many awards and been nominated for others:

• 1998 Edgar Award shortlist for The Napoleon of Crime
• 1998 Macavity Award shortlist for The Napoleon of Crime
• 2007 Costa Book Awards, biography, shortlist for Agent Zigzag
• 2008 Galaxy British Book Awards, biography, shortlist for Agent Zigzag
• 2010 Galaxy British Book Awards, Popular Non-fiction, shortlist for Operation Mincemeat
• 2011 Duke of Westminster's Medal for Military Literature, shortlist for Operation Mincemeat
• 2012 Agatha Award, Non-fiction, shortlist for A Spy Among Friends
• 2013 Edgar Award shortlist for Double Cross
• 2014 Spear's Book Award, winner for A Spy Among Friends
• 2018 Baillie Gifford Prize, shortlist for The Spy and the Traitor

Works

Here is a list of some of Ben Macintyre's books:

• Forgotten Fatherland: The Search for Elisabeth Nietzsche. New York 1992. ISBN: 978-0-374-15759-3
• The Napoleon of Crime: The Life and Times of Adam Worth, Master Thief. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997. ISBN: 978-0-374-21899-7.
• A Foreign Field: A True Story of Love and Betrayal in the Great War. HarperCollins, 2001. ISBN: 978-0-00-257122-7. (American edition: The Englishman's Daughter: A True Story of Love and Betrayal in World War One. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002. ISBN: 978-0-374-12985-9.)
• The Man Who Would Be King: The First American in Afghanistan (Josiah Harlan). New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004. ISBN: 978-0-374-20178-4.
• Agent Zigzag: The True Wartime Story of Eddie Chapman: Lover, Traitor, Hero, Spy. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-7475-8794-1.
• For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2008.
• The Last Word: Tales from the Tip of the Mother Tongue. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-4088-0333-2.
• Operation Mincemeat: The True Spy Story that Changed the Course of World War II. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2010. ISBN: 978-0-7475-9868-8.
• Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012. ISBN: 978-1-4088-1990-6.
• A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014. ISBN: 978-1408851722.
• Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britain's Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War; McClelland & Stewart; 2017; 400pp; ISBN: 978-0771060328
• The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War (Oleg Gordievsky); Viking, 2018, 352pp; ISBN: 978-0241186657
• Agent Sonya: Lover, Mother, Soldier, Spy; Viking, 2020, 384pp; ISBN: 978-0241408506
• Colditz: Prisoners of the Castle; Viking, 2022, 384pp; ISBN: 978-0241408520
• The Siege: The Remarkable Story of the Greatest SAS Hostage Drama; Viking, 2024, 384pp; ISBN: 978-0241675670

See also

In Spanish: Ben Macintyre para niños

• List of Old Abingdonians
• SAS: Rogue Heroes
• A Spy Among Friends