Dick Francis

Dick Francis CBE (* 31 October 1920 in Lawrenny , Wales as Richard Stanley Francis ; † 14. February 2010 in Grand Cayman ) was a British crime -author and Jockey .

Life

In his career as a jockey, Francis won over 350 horse races . From 1953 to 1957 he started for the stable of the " Queen Mum " . After a serious fall in 1957, he had to give up racing. His most famous jockey moment came when he rode Queen Mum's horse, Devon Loch , at the 1956 Grand National and inexplicably fell while in the leadership position just before the finish line.

His first book was his autobiography , The Sport of Queens (1957), which recommended him as racing correspondent for the London Sunday Express , a position he held for sixteen years. In 1962 he published his first thriller, Dead Cert (German: Todsicher ), set in the world of horse racing and in 1974 by Tony Richardson , entitled A surefire thing was filmed. Since then he has written more than 30 books. Although all of his novels are set against the backdrop of racing, his heroes work in very different professions; from the artist in To the Hilt (German: Verrechnet ) to a wine merchant in Proof (German: Weinprobe ) to the private investigator in Odds Against (German: Nervensache ).

An unauthorized biography, Dick Francis: A Racing Life , fueled the allegation that Francis books were in fact written by his wife Mary. Dick Francis himself states that his wife made significant contributions and, after her death in September 2000, referred to her as "the driving force behind his writing". He doubted if he would ever write another book on his own. Francis did not publish a new book for several years; only since autumn 2006 novels appeared again. With Dead Heat , Francis involved his younger son Felix as a co-author for the first time in 2007. He is said to have already done research for many of his father's novels . Dick Francis' work is published in German by Diogenes Verlag .

Dick Francis died on February 14, 2010 at the age of 89 on Grand Cayman . In an official press release, Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen would mourn.

Stylistic elements

The novels are set against the backdrop of equestrian sports (especially obstacle races ). Active and former jockeys in particular play the role of first-person narrators, as well as accountants, bankers, diplomats, meteorologists, physics teachers, freight forwarders and many others. Your personal situation is shaped by internal conflicts and / or human loneliness. The involvement in criminal events mostly arises by chance. Due to careful research, Francis knows how to smoothly weave remarkable detailed knowledge from the full-time field of activity of the first-person narrator into the plot. His specialty are unexpected twists and turns in the plot, which often hit the reader with the same force as the blows of fate that hit the main character out of the blue.

Francis largely resisted the temptation to create recurring detective characters . As a result, the areas of crime that the main character has to deal with are very diverse. While the best-known stories with Sherlock Holmes , Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple , for example, revolve around the investigation of more or less tricky methods of murder, Francis fakes art, deceit , property speculation, extortion, smuggling nuclear weapons-grade material, insurance fraud, doping, betting fraud and other offenses as romance themes.

Only two main characters appear in several novels: The ex-jockey and private detective Sid Halley ( Odds Against (Nervensache), Whip Hand (Handicap), Come To Grief (Favorite) and Under Orders (Gambling)), and the Jockey Kit Fielding ( Break In and Bolt ). However, it is precisely the re-appearances of Sid Halley that give him a special human depth and mature character. In this respect, Halley can be described as Francis' most important character in a novel.

Awards

• 1970 Edgar Allan Poe Award ( Best Novel category) for Forfeit (German helpless Diogenes, Zurich 1994)
• 1996 Edgar Allan Poe Award ( Best Novel category) for Come to Grief (German Favorite . Diogenes, Zurich 1997)
• 1979 CWA Gold Dagger for Whip Hand . (German handicap . Diogenes, Zurich 1981; new translation 1991)
• 1981 Edgar Allan Poe Award ( Best Novel category) for dto.
• 1989 Cartier Diamond Dagger Lifetime Achievement Award , the highest award from the British Crime Writers' Association (CWA) for outstanding achievement by authors during their literary life to date for the English language detective novel
• 1996 Grand Master Award , the most important and most prestigious award of the American Mystery Writers of America (MWA), which is given to authors who have achieved special achievements in the crime genre in their previous literary lives and who are characterized by consistently high writing quality.
• 2000 Commander of the Order of the British Empire
• 2001 Malice Domestic Award for Lifetime Achievement , the Agatha Awards honorary award in recognition of the life's work of an author from the mystery genre

Works

biography

• The Sport of Queens. An autobiography . 4th ed. Joseph Books, London 1988, ISBN 0-7181-3041-3 .

stories

• Tricks. Thirteen stories ("Field of Thirteen"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2000, ISBN 3-257-06236-2 (Contents: "Bomb alarm in Kingdom Hill", "Red, red, dead", "A song for Mona", "A shining white star", "On a collision course" , "Nightmare", "A Carrot for the Fox", "A Gift from Heaven", "Spring Fever", "Blindly", "Tricks", "The Day of Losers" and "The Death of Christopher Haig").

Novels

• Dead certain. Roman ("Dead Cert"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1993, ISBN 3-257-22539-3 (former title “Aufs unten Pferd”).
• Character assassination. Roman ("Nerve"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2007, ISBN 978-3-257-22988-2 (former title “Angst”, 1993 or “Die last Hurdle” 1964).
• Doping. Roman ("For Kicks"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2000, ISBN 3-257-23254-3 (former title “The trick that nobody knew”).
• A matter of nerves. Roman ("Odds Against"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1993, ISBN 3-257-22540-7 (former title “The odds are bad”).
• Flight blind. Roman ("Flying Finish"). 7th edition. Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1993, ISBN 3-257-22541-5 (former title "Mord inkl").
• Snapshot. Roman ("Blood Sport"). 4th edition Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2003, ISBN 3-257-22987-9 (former title “Grand Prix für Mord”).
• Helpless. Roman ("Forfeit"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1994, ISBN 3-257-22655-1 (former title “Any bet on murder”).
• Whip. Roman ("Inquiry"). 5th edition. Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2004, ISBN 3-257-22755-8 (former title “Milord loves the whip”).
• Rat Race. Roman ("Rat Race"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1998, ISBN 3-257-22989-5 (former title “Air-Taxi into the Beyond”).
• Broken bone. Roman ("Bonecrack"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1998, ISBN 3-257-22836-8 (former title “Tod am Turf”).
• Filmed. Roman ("Smokescreen"). 6th edition. Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2008, ISBN 978-3-257-22656-0 (former title “With fetters in the final”).
• Sleigh ride. Roman ("Slay-ride"). 5th edition. Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2004, ISBN 3-257-22866-X (former title “Schlachtritt” or “A Jockey on a Diving Station”).
• Surcharge. Roman ("Knockdown"). 4th edition Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2007, ISBN 978-3-257-23095-6 (former title “Voll Blut”).
• Hiding place. Roman ("High Stakes"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2001, ISBN 3-257-23094-X (former title “Roßtausch”).
• Fake. Roman ("In the Frame"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2001, ISBN 3-257-23309-4 (former title “The whole range of death”).
• Risk. Roman ("Risk"). 4th edition. Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2005, ISBN 3-257-23117-2 (former title “Ein Goldcup zur Entführung”).
• Gallop. Roman ("Trial Run"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1991, ISBN 3-257-21983-0 (former title “Im Galopp in diefallen”).
• Handicap. Roman ("Whip Hand"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1991, ISBN 3-257-21984-9 .
• Reflex. Novel ("reflex"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1991, ISBN 3-257-21982-2 .
• False start. Roman ("Twice Shy"). Ullstein, Frankfurt / M. 1983, ISBN 3-548-10204-2 .
• Banker. Roman ("Banker"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1993, ISBN 3-257-22601-2 (former title “Galopp in Hazard”).
• Danger. Roman ("The Danger"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2007, ISBN 978-3-257-22600-3 (former title “The Danger”).
• Wine tasting. Roman ("Proof"). 12th edition Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2005, ISBN 3-257-22754-X .
• Cut out. Roman ("Break In"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1995, ISBN 3-257-22837-6 (former title “Tame and Broken”).
• Nailed down. Roman ("Bolt"). 6th edition Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2006, ISBN 978-3-257-22838-0 .
• Mammon. Roman ("Hot Money"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2000, ISBN 3-257-23160-1 (former title “Totes Rennen”).
• Return. Roman ("The Edge"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1992, ISBN 3-257-01917-3 .
• Incorruptible. Roman ("Straight"). 9th edition Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2005, ISBN 3-257-22483-4 .
• Outsider. Roman ("Longshot"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1992, ISBN 3-257-01902-5 .
• Comeback. Roman ("Comeback"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1995, ISBN 3-257-22753-1 .
• Spurs. Roman ("Driving Force"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1995, ISBN 3-257-22795-7 .
• Fuse. Roman ("Decider"). 6th edition Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2007, ISBN 978-3-257-22934-9 .
• Unbridled ("Wild Horses"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1996, ISBN 3-257-06101-3 .
• Favourite. A Sid Halley novel ("Come to Grief"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1997, ISBN 3-257-06132-3 .
• Charged. roman ("To the Hilt"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 1998, ISBN 3-257-23138-5 .
• Rivals. Roman ("10 Lb. Penalty"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2001, ISBN 3-257-23253-5 .
• Hurricane. Roman ("Second wind"). 3rd edition Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2006, ISBN 978-3-257-23338-4 .
• Shards. Roman ("Shattered"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2002, ISBN 3-257-06310-5 .
• Gambling. A Sid Halley novel ("Under Orders"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2007, ISBN 978-3-257-06604-3 .
• Boiled. Roman ("Dead Heat"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2009, ISBN 978-3-257-24036-8 (together with Felix Francis ).
• Harassment. Roman ("Silks"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2010, ISBN 978-3-257-06744-6 (together with Felix Francis).
• Bets. Roman ("Even Moneys"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2011, ISBN 978-3-257-06775-0 (together with Felix Francis).
• Crossfire. Roman ("Crossfire"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2012, ISBN 978-3-257-06812-2 (together with Felix Francis).

Audio books

• Outsider. Audio book ("Longshot"). Abridged version. Lübbe Audio, Bergisch Gladbach 2003, ISBN 3-7857-1321-5 (3 CDs, read by Detlef Bierstedt ).
• Favourite. A Sid Halley audio book ("Come to grief"). Lübbe Audio, Bergisch Gladbach 2002, ISBN 3-7857-1219-7 (3 CDs, read by Detlef Bierstedt).
• Nailed down. Detective radio play ("Bolt"). Der Audio-Verlag, Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-89813-178-5 (1 CD).
• Gambling. A Sid Halley audio book ("Under orders"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2007, ISBN 978-3-257-80154-5 (6 CDs, read by Jochen Striebeck ).
• Fuse. Audiobook ("Decider"). Lübbe Audio, Bergisch Gladbach 2003, ISBN 3-7857-1273-1 (3 Cds, read by Detlef Bierstedt).
• Rivals. Audiobook ("10 lb. penalty"). Lübbe Audio, Bergisch Gladbach 2002, ISBN 3-7857-1182-4 (2 MCs, read by Detlef Bierstedt).
• Character assassination. Kriminalhörspiel ( "Nerve"). Der Audio-Verlag, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89813-134-3 (1 CD).
• Charged. Kriminalhörspiel ( "To the hilt"). Der Audio-Verlag, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-89813-388-5 (1 CD).
• Tricks. The death of Christopher Haig. Two stories ("Field of Thirteen"). Diogenes Verlag, Zurich 2007, ISBN 978-3-257-80176-7 (2 CDs, read by Jochen Striebeck).
• Rampant . Detective radio play. ("Wild horses"). Der Audio-Verlag, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-89813-266-8 (1 CD).

literature

• Melvin Barnes: Dick Francis . Ungar, New York 1986, ISBN 0-8044-2011-4 .
• Graham, Lord: Dick Francis. A racing life . Warner, London 2000, ISBN 0-7515-2988-5 .
• David J. Madison: Dick Francis . Twayne, Boston, Mass. 1989, ISBN 0-8057-6970-6 (Twayne's English author's series; 464).
• Stephen Sugden: A Dick Francis Companion. Characters, horses, plots, settings and themes . McFarland, Jefferson, NC 2008, ISBN 978-0-7864-2944-8 .

Film adaptations

• Deirdre Fiel (Director): Twice shy . USA 1989 (based on the novel False Start ).
• Tony Richardson (Director): A surefire thing . 1974 (based on the novel Dead cert ).
• Harvey Hart (Director): Kidnapped, no ransom . USA 1989 (based on the novel Blood Sport ).
• Wigbert Wicker (Director): Original or fake . GB 1989 (based on the novel In the Frame ).
• The racing game . GB 1979/80 (TV series in six parts)

Web links

• Literature by and about Dick Francis in the catalog of the German National Library
• Dick Francis in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Official website of Dick and Felix Francis (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} APA: "Crime writer and ex-jockey Dick Francis dead" . In: Relevant.at of February 15, 2010.
2. ^ "Real-life mystery over Dick Francis" . In: BBC Online, October 22, 1999. (Accessed July 10, 2009.)
3. ↑ Doreen Carvajal: "Mary Francis, 76, Quiet Force Behind Dick Francis's Novels" . In: New York Times, October 9, 2000.