George MacDonald Fraser facts for kids

Quick facts for kids George MacDonald Fraser OBE FRSL
Born	2 April 1925 Carlisle, Cumberland, England
Died	2 January 2008(2008-01-02) (aged 82) Douglas, Isle of Man
Occupation	Author
Known for	The Flashman Papers series of novels; McAuslan short stories; screenplay for Octopussy
Spouse(s)	Kathleen Hetherington ​ (m. 1949)​
Children	3, including Caro Fraser

George MacDonald Fraser (born April 2, 1925 – died January 2, 2008) was a Scottish writer and movie scriptwriter. He is most famous for his books about a character named Flashman. Over his career, he wrote many novels, short stories, and non-fiction books. He also wrote movie scripts for popular films like the James Bond movie Octopussy and The Three Musketeers (and its sequels). He even adapted his own novel Royal Flash for the big screen.

About George MacDonald Fraser

George MacDonald Fraser was born in Carlisle, England, on April 2, 1925. His father, William Fraser, was a doctor, and his mother, Annie Struth, was a nurse. Both of his parents were from Scotland. His father helped him love reading and feel proud of his Scottish background.

Fraser went to Carlisle Grammar School and Glasgow Academy. He later said he wasn't a very good student because he was "lazy." This meant he couldn't follow his father's dream for him to study medicine.

Serving in the Military

In 1943, during World War II, Fraser joined the Border Regiment. He fought in the Burma campaign, which he wrote about in his book Quartered Safe Out Here (1993). After training, he became an officer in the Gordon Highlanders. He served with them in the Middle East and North Africa right after the war. In 1947, Fraser decided to leave the army. He later wrote funny, true-to-life stories about his time with the Gordon Highlanders in his "McAuslan" series.

Working as a Journalist

After leaving the army, Fraser returned to the United Kingdom. His father helped him get a job as a trainee reporter at the Carlisle Journal. He married Kathleen Hetherington, who was also a journalist. They moved to Canada for a while, working at newspapers there, before coming back to Scotland. From 1953, Fraser worked for many years at The Glasgow Herald newspaper. He was the deputy editor from 1964 to 1969 and even briefly acted as the main editor.

Becoming a Novelist and Screenwriter

In 1966, Fraser had an interesting idea. He decided to take a character named Flashman, who was a coward and a bully in an old book called Tom Brown's School Days (1857), and make him a "hero." He wrote a novel about Flashman's adventures. The book became very popular. Selling the rights to make it into a movie allowed Fraser to become a full-time writer. He moved to the Isle of Man to pay less tax.

He wrote many more Flashman novels. These books were presented as old memories written by Flashman himself, looking back at his time as a British Army hero in the 1800s. The series is known for being very accurate with its historical details. Famous writer P. G. Wodehouse even praised the first Flashman book.

The first Flashman sequel was Royal Flash, published in 1970. That same year, Fraser also published The General Danced at Dawn, a collection of short stories. These stories were based on his own experiences in the army after the war, featuring a character named "Dand" MacNeill. The next year, he released another Flashman book, Flash for Freedom!, and a history book called The Steel Bonnets (1971), which was about the Border Reivers.

Richard Lester bought the movie rights to Flashman, but the film didn't get made. However, Lester hired Fraser to write the script for The Three Musketeers in 1972. This script was so long it was made into two movies: The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers. Both movies were very successful, and this helped Fraser become a well-known screenwriter.

After Flashman at the Charge (1973), Fraser wrote the script for the movie Royal Flash (1975), which was also directed by Richard Lester. This movie wasn't as successful.

He wrote another collection of Dand McNeill stories, McAuslan in the Rough (1974). Then came Flashman in the Great Game (1975) and Flashman's Lady (1977). He also helped rewrite scripts for movies like Crossed Swords (1977) and Force 10 from Navarone (1978). He even did some uncredited work on the script for Superman (1978).

Fraser tried writing a more serious historical novel called Mr American (1980), though Flashman still appeared in it. Flashman and the Redskins (1982) was a classic Flashman adventure. The Pyrates (1983) was a funny novel about pirates. He was one of several writers who worked on the James Bond film Octopussy (1983).

After Flashman and the Dragon (1985), he worked with Richard Lester again on The Return of the Musketeers (1988). He then released his final collection of McAuslan stories, The Sheikh and the Dustbin (1988), and another history book, The Hollywood History of the World (1988).

Following Flashman and the Mountain of Light (1990), Fraser wrote his memories of his experiences during World War II in Quartered Safe Out Here (1992).

He wrote a short novel about the Border Reivers from the 1500s, The Candlemass Road (1993). Then came Flashman and the Angel of the Lord (1994) and Black Ajax (1997), a novel about a boxer named Tom Molineaux.

Flashman and the Tiger (1999) contained three different Flashman stories. The Light's on at Signpost (2002) was a second book of his memories, talking about his time in Hollywood. Flashman on the March (2005) was the final Flashman novel. The Reavers (2007) was a funny novel about the Border Reivers, similar to The Pyrates.

After he passed away, a novel called Captain in Calico was found among his papers and published in 2015.

Awards and Family

Fraser was given the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award in 1999 for his contributions to literature (writing). He was also an Honorary Member of the British Weights and Measures Association, which was against changing to the metric system.

Fraser married Kathleen Hetherington in 1949. They had three children: Simon, Caroline, and Nicholas. He also had eight grandchildren. He was a fan of the Glasgow football team Partick Thistle.

George MacDonald Fraser died in Douglas on January 2, 2008, from cancer. He was 82 years old.

His Major Works

Flashman Novels

The Flashman series is Fraser's most famous work. There are 12 books in this series:

• Flashman (1969)
• Royal Flash (1970)
• Flash for Freedom! (1971)
• Flashman at the Charge (1973)
• Flashman in the Great Game (1975)
• Flashman's Lady (1977)
• Flashman and the Redskins (1982)
• Flashman and the Dragon (1985)
• Flashman and the Mountain of Light (1990)
• Flashman and the Angel of the Lord (1994)
• Flashman and the Tiger (1999)
• Flashman on the March (2005)

Short Story Collections

The "Dand MacNeill" or "McAuslan" stories are a series of short stories. They are based on Fraser's own experiences in the Gordon Highlanders army regiment after World War II.

• The General Danced at Dawn (1970)
• McAuslan in the Rough (1974)
• The Sheikh and the Dustbin (1988)
• The Complete McAuslan (2000) (This book collects all the stories from the three volumes.)

History Books

• The Steel Bonnets (1971): A history of the Border Reivers, who were groups of raiders along the border between England and Scotland.
• The Hollywood History of the World: From One Million Years B.C. to Apocalypse Now (1988, revised 1996): This book looks at how Hollywood movies show history. It suggests that movies often do a better job with historical accuracy than people might think.

Memoir Books

• Quartered Safe Out Here (1992): This book is Fraser's personal story of his time as a soldier in the Border Regiment during the Burma campaign in World War II.
• The Light's on at Signpost (2002): Another book of his memories, focusing on his experiences writing in Hollywood.

Other Novels

• Mr American (1980): A novel about a mysterious American visitor in England.
• The Pyrates (1983): A funny novel that combines many different pirate movie plots into one story.
• Black Ajax (1997): A novel about Tom Molineaux, a black prizefighter in England in the 1800s.
• The Candlemass Road (1993): A short novel about the Border Reivers in the 1500s.
• The Reavers (2007): A funny novel about the Border Reivers, similar to The Pyrates.
• Captain in Calico (2015): A novel published after his death.

Movie Screenplays

Fraser wrote or helped write the scripts for these movies:

• The Three Musketeers (1973)
• The Four Musketeers (1974)
• Royal Flash (1975, based on his own novel)
• The Prince and the Pauper (1977)
• Force 10 from Navarone (uncredited, 1978)
• Octopussy (1983)
• Red Sonja (1985)
• The Return of the Musketeers (1989)
• He also did some uncredited work on the scripts for Ashanti (1979) and Superman II (1980).

Radio Work

Fraser adapted his novels The Candlemass Road, Flash for Freedom, and Flashman at the Charge into plays for BBC radio.

See also

In Spanish: George MacDonald Fraser para niños