George MacDonald Fraser
George MacDonald Fraser
#### Full Name and Common Aliases
George MacDonald Fraser was born on April 2, 1922, in Anderson, Scotland. He is often referred to by his initials, GMF.
#### Birth and Death Dates
Fraser's birth date was April 2, 1922, and he passed away on January 9, 2008.
#### Nationality and Profession(s)
George MacDonald Fraser was a Scottish novelist, screenwriter, and journalist. He is best known for his Flashman series of historical novels.
#### Early Life and Background
Fraser grew up in a family with strong literary roots. His father, Thomas Fraser, was an engineer, and his mother, Elizabeth (née MacDonald), was a writer. From an early age, George showed a keen interest in writing and storytelling. He attended the High School of Glasgow and later studied at the University of Glasgow.
During World War II, Fraser served with the Scots Guards, where he saw action in North Africa and Italy. His experiences during the war would later influence his writing.
#### Major Accomplishments
George MacDonald Fraser's major accomplishments include:
Writing over 50 novels, including the Flashman series
Creating the iconic character of Harry Flashman, a fictional British Army officer who appears in many historical events throughout the 19th century
Contributing to the screenwriting team for several films, including the James Bond movie "Octopussy"
#### Notable Works or Actions
Fraser's notable works include:
Flashman (1969), the first novel in the series that introduces Harry Flashman as a fictional character based on real-life British Army officer Sir Harry Lumsden
Royal Flash (1970), which follows Flashman to 19th-century Germany and introduces him to King Ludwig of Bavaria
Flash for Freedom! (1971), where Flashman joins the abolitionist movement in the United States
Fraser's writing often blended humor, satire, and historical accuracy. His novels not only entertained readers but also provided an engaging perspective on history.
#### Impact and Legacy
George MacDonald Fraser's impact on literature is significant:
He revitalized interest in historical fiction by introducing a fictional character who interacts with real-life events
His satirical approach to history challenged traditional perspectives, making him a beloved author among both historians and readers alike
Fraser's writing has been translated into over 20 languages, reaching a global audience
Fraser received numerous awards for his contributions to literature, including the Gold Dagger Award from the Crime Writers' Association.
#### Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
George MacDonald Fraser is widely quoted and remembered due to:
His unique blend of humor, satire, and historical accuracy in his writing
The creation of the iconic character Harry Flashman, which has become a symbol of literary satire
His contributions to literature, including revitalizing interest in historical fiction and challenging traditional perspectives on history
Fraser's legacy continues to inspire writers, readers, and historians alike.
Quotes by George MacDonald Fraser
Some human faults are military virtues, like stupidity, and arrogance, and narrow-mindedness.
Looking back over sixty-odd years, life is like a piece of string with knots in it, the knots being those moments that live in the mind forever, and the intervals being hazy, half-recalled.
Now Malcolm was back again, but he came once too often, and was killed at Alnwick in 1093.
They scorched the earth, destroyed their own homes and fields, took to the hills and the wilderness with their beasts and all they could move, and carried on the struggle by onfall, ambush, cutting supply lines, and constant harrying.
And both were more fortunate than Hecky Noble who, within a few nights of Mrs Hetherington’s widowhood, was a victim of that gay desperado, Dickie Armstrong of Dryhope,49 and his 100 jolly followers. Apart from reiving a herd of 200 head, and destroying nine houses, the raiders also burned alive Hecky’s son John, and his daughter-in-law, who was pregnant.
Out of the historic tangle, there certainly emerged among English kings a belief that they had, traditionally, some kind of superiority over the Scottish king, and no doubt a feeling that for the sake of political security and unity – one might say almost of tidiness – it would be better if Scotland were under English control, or at best, added to England. This attitude can be charitably seen as politically realistic, or at the other extreme, as megalomaniac; it is all in the point of view.
People who have suffered every hardship and atrocity, and who have every reason to fear that they will suffer them again, may submit tamely, or they may fight for survival. The English and Scots of the frontier were not tame folk.
I’d have found it amusing enough, I dare say, if I hadn’t been irritated by the thought that these irresponsible Christian zealots were only making things harder for the Army and Company, who had important work to do. It was all so foolish and unnecessary – the heathen creeds, for all their nonsensical mumbo-jumbo, were as good as any for keeping the rabble in order, and what else is religion for? In.
On occasion they were cut down in cold blood or hanged on the spot; in the saying of the Border, which has passed into the language, they had been taken “red-hand”, which was “in the deede doinge”, and the law was not likely to call a trod-follower to account if his rage got the better of him and he despatched a reiver out of.
The advantage to being a wicked bastard is that everyone pesters the Lord on your behalf; if volume of prayers from my saintly enemies means anything, I’ll be saved when the Archbishop of Canterbury is damned. It’s a comforting thought.