C. S. Forester

Date of Birth: August 27, 1899

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Date of Death: April 2, 1966

Biography

C. S. Forester, born Cecil Louis Troughton Smith, was a renowned British novelist and screenwriter best known for his series of novels featuring the character Horatio Hornblower. Forester was born on August 27, 1899, in Cairo, Egypt. He was educated at Dulwich College in London and later studied medicine at Guy’s Hospital, though he eventually abandoned this path to pursue a career in writing. Forester’s most famous work, the “Horatio Hornblower” series, chronicles the adventures of a Royal Navy officer during the Napoleonic Wars. These novels gained widespread acclaim and established Forester as a master of naval fiction. He also authored “The African Queen,” which was adapted into a successful film in 1951. During World War II, Forester worked for the British Ministry of Information and wrote propaganda to support the war effort. After the war, he continued to write prolifically until his health began to decline. Forester spent his later years in the United States, where he passed away on April 2, 1966, in Fullerton, California.

5 Interesting Facts about C. S. Forester

1. Forester’s real name was Cecil Louis Troughton Smith.

2. He abandoned a medical career to become a writer.

3. He wrote propaganda for the British government during World War II.

4. His novel “The African Queen” was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn.

5. Forester was a close friend of Roald Dahl, and they collaborated on several projects.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from C. S. Forester

1. “A whim, a sudden fancy, made me want to write.”

2. “I must be true to my nature and follow my own bent.”

3. “A man who writes for a living does not need to be told the importance of the first paragraph.”

4. “He who commands the sea has command of everything.”

5. “The most important thing in life is to stop saying ‘I wish’ and start saying ‘I will.’ Consider nothing impossible, then treat possibilities as probabilities.”