- Dick Francis
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For the science fiction illustrator, see Dick Francis (illustrator).
Dick Francis 
Born 31 October 1920
Tenby, Pembrokeshire, WalesDied 14 February 2010 (aged 89)
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, CaribbeanOccupation Jockey-turned-novelist Language English Nationality British Ethnicity Welsh Citizenship United Kingdom Period 1957–2010 Genres Crime fiction Spouse(s) Mary Margaret (née Brenchley; m. 1947-2000) Children Merrick, Felix
dickfrancis.comRichard Stanley "Dick" Francis CBE (31 October 1920 – 14 February 2010) was a British[1] jockey and crime writer, many of whose novels centre around horse racing.[2][3][4]
Contents
Personal life
Francis was born in Coedcanlas, Pembrokeshire, Wales.[5] Some sources report his birthplace as the inland town of Lawrenny, but at least two of his obituaries stated his birthplace as the coastal town of Tenby.[6][7] His autobiography says that he was born at his maternal grandparents' farm at Coedcanlas on the estuary of the River Cleddau,[8] roughly a mile north-west of Lawrenny. He was the son of a jockey and stable manager[9] and he grew up in Berkshire, England.[10] He left school at 15 without any qualifications,[11] with the intention of becoming a jockey and became a trainer in 1938.[12] During World War II, he served in the Royal Air Force, piloting fighter and bomber aircraft, including the Spitfire and Hurricane.[11] In October 1945, he met Mary Margaret Brenchley (17 June 1924 - 30 September 2000),[11] whom he married in June 1947 in London; they had two sons, Merrick and Felix[11] (born 1953).[13] In the 1980s, Francis and his wife moved to Florida; in 1992, they moved to the Cayman Islands, where Mary died of a heart attack. In 2006, Francis had a heart bypass operation; in 2007 his right leg was amputated.[14] He died of natural causes on 14 February 2010 at his Caribbean home in Grand Cayman,[15] survived by both sons.[16]
Horse racing career
After leaving the RAF in 1946, Francis became a celebrity in the world of British National Hunt racing.[9] He won over 350 races, becoming champion jockey in the 1953–54 season.[9]
From 1953 to 1957 he was jockey to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.[17] In 1957 he was forced to retire from racing as the result of a serious fall. His most famous moment as a jockey came while riding the Queen Mother's horse, Devon Loch, in the 1956 Grand National when the horse inexplicably fell when close to winning the race.[18][19]
Writing career
Francis wrote more than 40 international best-sellers. His first book was his autobiography The Sport of Queens (1957) which led to him becoming the racing correspondent for London's Sunday Express newspaper, remaining in the job for 16 years. In 1962 he published his first thriller Dead Cert, set in the world of racing. Subsequently he regularly produced a novel a year for the next 38 years, missing only 1998 (during which he published a short-story collection). Although all his books were set against a background of horse racing, his male heroes held a variety of jobs from artist (In the Frame and To the Hilt) to private investigator (Odds Against, Whip Hand, Come to Grief, Under Orders—all starring injured ex-jockey Sid Halley, one of only two heroes used more than once). All the novels are narrated by the hero, who in the course of the story discovers himself to be more resourceful, brave, tricky, than he had thought, and usually finds a certain salvation for himself as well as bestowing it on others. Details of other people's occupations fascinated Francis, and the reader finds him—or herself immersed in the mechanics of such things as photography, accountancy, the gemstone trade, restaurant service on transcontinental trains—but always in the interests of the plot. Dysfunctional families were a subject which he exploited particularly well (Reflex, a baleful grandmother, Hot Money, a multi-millionaire father and serial ex-husband, Decider, the related co-owners of a racecourse).
Francis is the only three-time recipient of the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award for Best Novel, winning for Forfeit in 1970, Whip Hand in 1981, and Come To Grief in 1996. Britain's Crime Writers Association awarded him its Gold Dagger Award for fiction in 1979 and the Cartier Diamond Dagger lifetime achievement award in 1989. In 1996 he was given the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award, the highest honour bestowed by the MWA. He was created an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in 1983 and promoted to Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2000.[20]
Many of Francis' books are featured in volumes of Reader's Digest Condensed Books.
Francis' manager (and co-author of his later books) was his son Felix Francis, who left his post as teacher of A-Level Physics at Bloxham School in Oxfordshire in order to work for his father and who was the inspiration behind a leading character in the novel Twice Shy. His other son Merrick, formerly a racehorse trainer, later ran his own horse transport business, which inspired the novel Driving Force.
He was elected in 1999 a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.[21]
Bibliography
Title Year ISBN of first edition Main character Notes The Sport of Queens 1957 autobiography Dead Cert 1962 Alan York, amateur jockey Basis of the movie Dead Cert (1974) Nerve 1964 Rob Finn, jockey Basis of the audio drama Breaking Point starring Michael Kitchen For Kicks 1965 Daniel Roke, Australian horse breeder temporarily turned UK investigator Odds Against 1965 ISBN 0-330-10597-3 Sid Halley, investigator Edgar Award nominee Flying Finish 1966 Henry Grey, groom/heir to earldom, pilot Edgar Award nominee Blood Sport 1967 Gene Hawkins, government security agent Edgar Award nominee Forfeit 1968 ISBN 0-425-20191-0 James Tyrone, reporter Edgar Award winner Enquiry 1969 Kelly Hughes, jockey Rat Race 1970 Matt Shore, former airline pilot now flying charter Bonecrack 1971 Neil Griffon, formerly antique dealer,then business consultant, acting as temporary trainer whilst his father is hospitalised Smokescreen 1972 Edward Lincoln, movie actor who does his own stunts Slay Ride 1973 ISBN 0-671-83271-9 David Cleveland, investigator Knockdown 1974 Jonah Dereham, bloodstock agent High Stakes 1975 Steven Scott, toy inventor In the Frame 1976 Charles Todd, painter Risk 1977 Roland Britten, accountant Trial Run 1978 Randall Drew, gentleman and ex-jockey Whip Hand 1979 ISBN 0-449-21274-2 Sid Halley, investigator Edgar Award winner, Gold Dagger winner Reflex 1980 Philip Nore, jockey and photographer Twice Shy 1981 Jonathan Derry, teacher, second part narrated by younger brother William Derry, jockey & later racing manager Banker 1982 Tim Ekaterin, merchant banker The Danger 1983 Andrew Douglas, anti-kidnapping consultant Proof 1984 Tony Beach, wine merchant Break In 1985 Kit Fielding, jockey Bolt 1986 Kit Fielding, jockey A Jockey's Life 1986 ISBN 0-399-13179-5 / 978-0-399-13179-0 (USA edition) Biography of Lester Piggott, later reissued as Lester Hot Money 1987 Ian Pembroke, former asst trainer, amateur jockey The Edge 1988 Tor Kelsey, investigator for the Jockey Club Straight 1989 Derek Franklin, jockey & later jewellery firm owner Longshot 1990 John Kendall, writer and survival expert Comeback 1991 Peter Darwin, diplomat Driving Force 1992 Freddie Croft, trucking company owner Decider 1993 Lee Morris, architect Wild Horses 1994 Thomas Lyon, film director Come to Grief 1995 ISBN 0-330-34777-2 Sid Halley, investigator Edgar Award winner To the Hilt 1996 Alexander Kinloch, painter 10 LB. Penalty 1997 ISBN 0-399-14302-5 Ben Juliard, jockey/politician's son Field of 13 1998 ISBN 0-515-12609-8 short stories: - 1. "Raid at Kingdom Hill" (first appeared in The Times of London, 1975)
- 2. "Dead on Red"
- 3. "Song for Mona"
- 4. "Bright White Star" (first appeared in Cheshire Life, Christmas 1979)
- 5. "Collision Course"
- 6. "Nightmare" (first appeared in The Times of London, 13 April 1974)
- 7. "Carrot for a Chestnut" (first appeared in Sports Illustrated, 1970)
- 8. "The Gift" (first appeared as "A Day of Wine and Roses" in Sports Illustrated, 1973)
- 9. "Spring Fever" (first appeared in Women's Own magazine, 1980)
- 10. "Blind Chance" (first appeared as "Twenty-one Good Men and True" in Verdict of Thirteen: A Detection Club Anthology, 1979)
- 11. "Corkscrew"
- 12. "The Day of the Losers" (first appeared in Horse and Hound, February 1977)
- 13. "Haig's Death"
Second Wind 1999 Perry Stuart, meteorologist Shattered 2000 ISBN 0-399-14660-1 Gerard Logan, glass blower Under Orders 2006 ISBN 978-0-330-44833-8 Sid Halley, investigator Dead Heat 2007 ISBN 978-0-399-15476-8 Max Moreton, chef with Felix Francis Silks 2008 ISBN 978-0-718-15457-8 Geoffrey Mason, barrister with Felix Francis Even Money 2009 ISBN 978-0-399-15591-8 Ned Talbot, bookmaker with Felix Francis Crossfire 2010 US ISBN 978-0-399-15681-6
UK ISBN 978-0-718-15663-3Captain Tom Forsyth, military officer with Felix Francis See also
References
- ^ Our favourite thriller writer Dick Francis is back in the saddle, entertainment.timesonline.co.uk
- ^ Dick Francis obituary, guardian.co.uk
- ^ Author Dick Francis dies aged 89, guardian.co.uk
- ^ Marilyn Stasio (February 15, 2010). "Dick Francis, Jockey and Writer, Dies at 89". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/15/books/15francis.html.
- ^ The Dick Francis Companion Swanson, Jean; Dean James (2003). The Dick Francis Companion. New York: Berkeley Prime Crime. ISBN 0-425-18187-1.
- ^ Obituary London Independent, February 16, 2010.
- ^ Keith Thursby (February 15, 2010). "Dick Francis dies at 89; champion jockey became best-selling British mystery writer". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-dick-francis15-2010feb15,0,6721531.story.
- ^ Dick Francis (1986) [First published 1957, updated 1982]. The Sport of Queens. New York: Penzler Books. p. 14. ISBN 0 445 40331 4. "We loved the farm. It was our mother's home, and I was born there."
- ^ a b c Francis, Dick (1999). The Sport of Queens. London: Joseph. ISBN 978-0330339025. OCLC 59457268.
- ^ Dick Francis interview for Even Money, telegraph.co.uk
- ^ a b c d "Obituary: Mary Francis". The Times. October 6, 2000. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article986938.ece. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
- ^ Cook, Bruce (March 21, 1989). "Novelist Dick Francis Still Rides The Wave Of Success In The Edge'". The Spokesman-Review (Spokane Chronicle). http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pyUSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1e8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6991,3915766&dq=dick+francis&hl=en. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
- ^ Dick Francis and Felix Francis
- ^ Queen's grief as former jockey and best-selling author Dick Francis dies at 89
- ^ Dick Francis, thriller writer and ex-jockey, dies
- ^ "Author Dick Francis dies aged 89". BBC News. 14 February 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8515165.stm. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
- ^ Nikkhah, Roya (1 September 2009). "Dick Francis interview". Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/authorinterviews/6121481/Dick-Francis-interview.html. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
- ^ Philip, Robert (5 April 2002). "Grand National: Devon Loch's place in history". Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horseracing/3025365/Grand-National-Devon-Lochs-place-in-history.html. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
- ^ T. Rees Shapiro (February 16, 2010). "Dick Francis, British jockey turned popular mystery author, dies at 89". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/15/AR2010021503558.html.
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 55879. p. 8. 19 June 2000. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
- ^ "Royal Society of Literature All Fellows". Royal Society of Literature. http://www.rslit.org/content/fellows. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
External links
- Obituary: Dick Francis BBC News, news.bbc.co.uk
- 2001 audio interview by Bill Thompson of Eye on Books, discussing the end of his writing, eyeonbooks.com
- Official Dick Francis Website, dickfrancis.com
- Dick Francis Reading Group, dickfrancisbooks.com
- Czech Dick Francis Website, dick-francis.cz
- Dick Francis - Daily Telegraph obituary, telegraph.co.uk
- Dick Francis at the Internet Movie Database
Categories:- 1920 births
- 2010 deaths
- 20th-century novelists
- 21st-century novelists
- Agatha Award winners
- British World War II pilots
- Cartier Diamond Dagger winners
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Edgar Award winners
- English crime fiction writers
- English expatriates
- English jockeys
- English writers
- Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature
- Members of the Detection Club
- Old Summerfieldians
- Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
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