He is especially noted for his successful evocations of Eastern European peoples and places during the period from 1933 to 1944. His output since 1988 includes a dozen works. 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. 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. His early novels (1976–1983) achieved limited success. Unproduced screenplays include 'Heroes of the Last War' (1984), and 'Warsaw' (1992).'

Numerous slides of his 1983 Danube trip are also available. The Ransom collection remarks: 'Of note is the April 1984 Esquire article, 'The Danube Blues,' which sparked Furst's interest in writing espionage novels. 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, Esquire, 50 Plus, International Herald Tribune, Islands, New Choices, New York, The New York Times, Pursuits, Salon, and Seattle Weekly.

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. Before becoming a full-time novelist, Furst worked in advertising and wrote magazine articles, most notably for Esquire, and as a columnist for the International Herald Tribune.įurst's papers were obtained by the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin. While attending general studies courses at Columbia University, he became acquainted with Margaret Mead, for whom he later worked. from Oberlin College in 1962, and an M.A. He attended the Horace Mann School, received a B.A. His great-grandfather was drafted into the Russian army, and, as a Jew, was required to serve 20 years. His family has ancestors in Poland, Latvia, and Russia. 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 European peoples and places during the period from 1933 to 1944.įurst was born in New York City, and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. 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. Alan Furst ( / f ɜːr s t/ born 1941) is an American author of historical spy novels.

Kingdom of shadows by alan furst