His most famous character, Harry Paget Flashman, will live on but author George MacDonald Fraser, best known for resurrecting his literary anti-hero from a Victorian novel and chronicling his years of cowardice and vice, passed away January 2 of this new year at age 82. Fraser never sold movie rights and the dozen existing Flashman books may well be all we'll ever know.
Fraser's stories of Flashman's service in the British army are a politically incorrect survey of the late 19th century's hot spots. Based on "The Flashman Papers," the series was done so well that literally dozens of scholars have reviewed one book or another as factual - to the subsequent detriment of their reputations. It's one of the few times that a fictional liar, cheat and womanizer has been the center of so much attention, and Flashman's completely undeserved reputation for heroism means that his penchant for dereliction of duty is usually misinterpreted in his favor.
If you think you might enjoy a dose of tongue in cheek historical fiction and are unfamiliar with old Flashy, pick up a copy of Flashman at the Charge (1973), put on some music and sit down in your favorite chair with a glass of single malt. You'll be a while.
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4 comments:
http://www.thesharkbook.com/blog/2008/01/eyes-well-damned-george-macdonald.html
Kudos on recognizing this great man and his work...here's something you might be interested in...
Lovely post, Will. I was very sorry to hear about GMF's passing. Very sad. I have been a fan of his Flashman books for many years. The first volume is a favourite and it occupies a priviliged place in my collection of English (British) imperial adventure fiction, right next to Buchan, Henty, Haggard, Fleming, Conan Doyle, Kipling, et al. In these oppressively politically correct times, the Flashman character remains an inspiration. I also recommend Light's On At Signpost, GMF's memoirs of his time in Hollywood. He had some very sound insights into the character of modern Britain. A brilliant original.
A couple of the better written obituaries:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=505956&in_page_id=1770
http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?autono=309970&leftnm=5&subLeft=0&chkFlg=
And then there is this, Fraser's last, parting shot:
How Britain has destroyed itself
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=506219&in_page_id=1770
GMF's second book was actually filmed in the 1970s. (I have it on DVD but haven't watched it yet so I can't comment on its quality.)
Those who find the Flashman series a tonic to today's "political correctness" should reflect that Flashy was an anti-hero and not the sort of person any of us would want to be around (he was capable of betraying anybody, except Elspeth, and I'd wonder at that too...it never became necessary).
But good books, which rarely disappoint, and the best descriptions of action I've ever read.
Tony V.
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