Editing Alan Furst

{{Short description|American historical spy novelist (born 1941)}}
{{BLP sources|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox writer
| name =  Alan Furst
| image =
| imagesize =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1941|2|20|DF=y}}
| birth_place = [[New York City]], U.S.
| death_date =  
| death_place =  
| occupation = Author
| nationality =  
| education = [[Oberlin College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Pennsylvania State University]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]])
| notableworks = The ''Night Soldiers'' novels
| spouse = 
| children =
| relatives =
| awards = Helmerich Award
| signature =
| website = {{url|alanfurst.net}}
| portaldisp =
}}

'''Alan Furst''' ({{IPAc-en|f|ɜr|s|t}}; born 1941) is an American author of historical [[spy novel]]s. Furst has been called "an heir to the tradition of [[Eric Ambler]] and [[Graham Greene]]," whom he cites along with [[Joseph Roth]] and [[Arthur Koestler]] as important influences. Most of his novels since 1988 have been set just prior to or during the [[Second World War]] and he is noted for his successful evocations of [[Eastern Europe]]an peoples and places during the period from 1933 to 1944.

==Biography==
Furst was born in [[New York City]], and raised on the [[Upper West Side, Manhattan|Upper West Side]] of [[Manhattan]]. His family has ancestors in [[Poland]], [[Latvia]], and [[Russia]]. His great-grandfather was drafted into the Russian army, and, as a Jew, was required to  serve 20 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/33661-alan-furst-spying-on-the-past.html|title=Alan Furst: Spying on The Past|first=Genie Chipps|last=Henderson |website=PublishersWeekly.com}}</ref>

He attended the [[Horace Mann School]], received a B.A. from [[Oberlin College]] in 1962, and an M.A. from [[Penn State]] in 1967.

While attending general studies courses at [[Columbia University]], he became acquainted with [[Margaret Mead]], for whom he later worked. Before becoming a full-time novelist, Furst worked in advertising and wrote magazine articles, most notably for ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'', and as a columnist for the ''[[International Herald Tribune]]''.

==Early writings==
Furst's papers were obtained by the [[Harry Ransom Center]] at The [[University of Texas at Austin]]. They include a 1963 letter from his grandfather, Max Stockman, which urged Furst to become a teacher and 'write as a sideline' in his spare time. The collection also includes early articles on a wide variety of topics, published in many magazines for which no common denominator can be found, including ''[[Architectural Digest]]'', ''[[ELLE|Elle]]'', ''Esquire'', ''[[50 Plus]]'', ''International Herald Tribune'', ''Islands'', ''New Choices'', ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'', ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''Pursuits'', ''[[Salon.com|Salon]]'', and ''[[Seattle Weekly]]''.

The Ransom collection remarks: "Of note is the April 1984 ''Esquire'' article, 'The Danube Blues,' which sparked Furst's interest in writing espionage novels. Numerous slides of his 1983 Danube trip are also available. Unproduced [[screenplay]]s include 'Heroes of the Last War' (1984), and 'Warsaw' (1992)."

His early novels (1976–1983) achieved limited success. One item, held in the Ransom collection, includes the manuscript for "One Smart Cookie" (with [[Debbi Fields]], 1987), a commissioned biography of the owner of the [[Mrs. Fields|Mrs. Fields Cookies]] company.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/14/books/14furs.html?pagewanted=1%22Alan%20Furst&sq&st=cse%22&scp=5|title= Shadowy World of Spies, Created in a Secluded Studio|author= Charles McGrath|date= 14 June 2008
|newspaper= The New York Times|accessdate=12 April 2012}}</ref>

The year 1988 saw publication of ''Night Soldiers''—inspired by his 1984 trip to [[Eastern Europe]] on assignment for ''Esquire''—which invigorated his career and led to a succession of related titles. His output since 1988 includes a dozen works. He is especially noted for his successful evocations of [[Eastern Europe]]an peoples and places during the period from 1933 to 1944. While all his historical espionage novels are loosely connected (protagonists in one book might appear as minor characters in another), only ''The World at Night'' and ''Red Gold'' share a common plot.

Writing in ''The New York Times'', the novelist Justin Cartwright says that Furst, who lives in [[Sag Harbor]], [[Long Island]], "has adopted a European sensibility."<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/books/review/Cartwright-t.html|title= Cloak and Swagger|author= Justin Cartwright|date= 26 April 2010
|work= The New York Times|accessdate=12 April 2012}}</ref> Awarded a [[Fulbright Program|Fulbright teaching fellowship]] in 1969, Furst moved to [[Sommières]], France, outside of [[Montpellier]], and taught at the [[University of Montpellier]]. He later lived for many years in [[Paris]], a city that he calls "the heart of civilisation" which figures significantly in all his novels.

In 2011, the [[Tulsa City-County Library|Tulsa Library Trust]] in [[Tulsa, Oklahoma|Tulsa]], [[Oklahoma]] selected Furst to receive its [[Helmerich Award]], a [[literary prize]] given annually to honor a distinguished author's body of work.<ref name="Furst">David Harper, [http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110306_11_A11_ULNSbh276607 "Spy novelist Alan Furst chosen for 2011 Helmerich Award"], ''[[Tulsa World]]'', March 6, 2011.</ref>

In 2012, he appeared in a documentary about the life and work of author [[W. Somerset Maugham]], ''Revealing Mr. Maugham''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Guillen |first1=Michael |title=The Evening Class: FRAMELINE36: REVEALING MR. MAUGHAM (2012)—The Evening Class Interview With Michael House |url=https://theeveningclass.blogspot.com/2012/06/frameline36-revealing-mr-maugham-2012.html |website=The Evening Class |accessdate=21 July 2019 |date=22 June 2012}}</ref>

==Works ==

=== Stand-alone novel ===
*''Shadow Trade'' (1983)

===Roger Levin===
#''Your Day in the Barrel'' (1976)
#''The Paris Drop'' (1980)
#''The Caribbean Account'' (1981)

=== ''Night Soldiers'' novels ===
#''Night Soldiers'' (1988)
#''Dark Star'' (1991)
#''[[The Polish Officer]]'' (1995)
#''[[The World at Night]]'' (1996)
#''Red Gold'' (1999)
#''[[Kingdom of Shadows]]'' (2000)
#''Blood of Victory'' (2003)
#''Dark Voyage'' (2004)
#''The Foreign Correspondent'' (2006)
#''[[The Spies of Warsaw]]'' (2008)
#''Spies of the Balkans'' (2010)
#''Mission to Paris'' (2012)
#''[[Midnight in Europe]]'' (2014)
#''A Hero of France'' (2016)
#''Under Occupation'' (2019)

==Crossovers==
Secondary characters who appear in more than one Furst novel include:
* Ilya Goldman, NKVD (''Night Soldiers'', ''Dark Star'', ''Kingdom of Shadows'', ''The Foreign Correspondent'')
* Sascha Vonets, NKVD (''Night Soldiers'', mentioned in ''Dark Star'')
* Ivan Ivanovich Agayants, NKVD ''(Night Soldiers, Dark Star'')
* Colonel Vassily Antipin (''Night Soldiers'', ''Red Gold'')
* General Bloch, GRU (''Night Soldiers'', ''Dark Star'')
* Renate Braun, Comintern foreign specialist (''Night Soldiers'', ''Dark Star'')
* Maltsaev, NKVD (''Night Soldiers'', ''Dark Star'')
* Voyschinkowsky, The Lion of the Bourse (''Night Soldiers'', ''Dark Star'', ''The Polish Officer'', ''Kingdom of Shadows, The Foreign Correspondent'')
* Colonel Anton Vyborg, Polish military intelligence (''Dark Star'', ''The Polish Officer'', ''The Spies of Warsaw'')
* Captain Degrave (''The World At Night'', ''Red Gold'')
* Count Janos Polanyi (''Kingdom of Shadows'', ''Blood of Victory'', ''The Foreign Correspondent'', ''Mission To Paris'', ''Midnight in Europe'')
* S. Kolb, British agent (''Dark Voyage'', ''The Foreign Correspondent'', ''Spies of the Balkans'', briefly in ''Midnight in Europe'', ''A Hero of France'')
* Max de Lyon, spy and owner of Le Cygne night club (''Midnight in Europe'', ''A Hero of France'')
* Stavros, spy and friend of Max de Lyon (''Midnight in Europe'', ''A Hero of France'')
* Dr. Lapp, Abwehr (''Kingdom of Shadows'', ''The Spies of Warsaw''; mentioned in ''Blood of Victory'')
* Boris Balki, Russian emigre bartender in Paris (''Kingdom of Shadows'', mentioned in ''Blood of Victory'')
* Mark Shublin, Polish painter (''Kingdom of Shadows'', ''The Spies of Warsaw'')
* Louis Fischfang, screenwriter (''The Foreign Correspondent, The World at Night''; is mentioned a few times, but does not appear, in ''Red Gold'') 
* Lady Marensohn, American/British agent (''Night Soldiers'', ''The World at Night'')
* Jean Casson, a film producer and protagonist of ''The World At Night'' and ''Red Gold'', is mentioned, but does not appear, in ''Mission To Paris'')
* Ivanic, NKVD assassin (''The World At Night'', ''Red Gold'')
* Cara Dionello, Nicholas Morath's Argentine girlfriend (''Kingdom Of Shadows'', ''The Foreign Correspondent'')
* British intelligence operatives in Europe (mainly Paris), such as
** Lady Angela Hope (appears in ''Night Soldiers'' and ''Dark Star''; mentioned in ''Red Gold'', ''The Foreign Correspondent'', ''Kingdom of Shadows'', ''Blood of Victory'')
** Roddy Fitzware (''Night Soldiers'', ''Dark Star'')
** Mr. Brown (''Night Soldiers'', ''Blood of Victory'', ''Dark Voyage'', ''The Foreign Correspondent'')
* Momo Tsipler & his Wienerwald Companions, a night-club act  (''Dark Star'', ''Blood of Victory'' and ''The Foreign Correspondent'')
* Brasserie Heininger, Paris restaurant (every book; inspired by the real-life Bistro Bofinger<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://magazine.fourseasons.com/travel-food-style/things-to-do/personalities-perspectives/alan_fursts_paris/4|title=McLaughlin, John. ''Personal Tour: Alan Furst's Paris''}}</ref>)
* ''Nicea'', a tramp freighter (''Dark Star'', ''The Polish Officer'')

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.alanfurst.net/ Alan Furst.net]
* [http://www.nysun.com/pf.php?id=2389 Our Best Thriller Writer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050907174725/http://www.nysun.com/pf.php?id=2389 |date=2005-09-07 }}
* [http://research.hrc.utexas.edu:8080/hrcxtf/view?docId=ead/00393.xml&query=furst&query-join=and Inventory of Alan Furst Papers 1961-2005] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210223447/http://research.hrc.utexas.edu:8080/hrcxtf/view?docId=ead/00393.xml&query=furst&query-join=and |date=2012-02-10 }} at the [[Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center]] at the [[University of Texas at Austin]].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090511000655/http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/reflect/2008/furst/ Writers Reflect] with Alan Furst at the [[Harry Ransom Center]]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Furst, Alan}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:20th-century American male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]
[[Category:21st-century American male writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American novelists]]
[[Category:American historical novelists]]
[[Category:American male novelists]]
[[Category:American spy fiction writers]]
[[Category:Horace Mann School alumni]]
[[Category:Jewish American novelists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Novelists from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Oberlin College alumni]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania State University alumni]]
[[Category:People from Sag Harbor, New York]]
[[Category:People from the Upper West Side]]
[[Category:Writers from Manhattan]]
[[Category:Alan Furst]]