Jeffrey Archer, the literary and political showman, died aged 86 on Monday, the day before his final novel was published, ensuring his passing and his newly posthumous book maximum publicity. His sudden death, occurring between writing sessions, provided the ultimate twist in the tale for an author who left critics cold yet sold more than 300 million copies of 32 novels in 119 countries and 49 languages.
A Remarkable Career in Numbers
Archer spent 14 years and five months on the Sunday Times bestseller lists and five-and-a-half years on the New York Times charts. His career saw him move between Westminster's corridors of power and Belmarsh Prison, remaining one of the most Marmite characters in modern public life – adored by friends for his energy and generosity, derided as a scoundrel by enemies.
Queen Camilla expressed her sadness, describing him as “not without flaw” but an “irrepressible life force through all the many differing chapters of his life”. Three political careers as MP, Tory deputy chairman and prospective Mayor of London ended in calamity, but he always carried on.
Final Works and Tributes
His final book, Adam and Eve, published yesterday, marked his 50th anniversary as a writer. It shares a premise with his 1979 work Kane and Abel, which has reportedly sold more than 34 million copies worldwide. Both feature two children born within hours of each other who enter a world divided by everything except their date of birth.
In September 2023, his boyish enthusiasm was on display as he toured the Tower of London with the Daily Express on the eve of publication of Traitors Gate, the sixth volume in his eight-book William Warwick police series. In 2019, he admitted: "I'm not a believer, though I do have a tendency to ask, 'Can I do another book, please?'"
From Humble Beginnings to Fame
Born in 1940 in London, Archer grew up in Weston-Super-Mare in straightened circumstances. In 1951, aged 11, he won a scholarship to Wellington School near Taunton. After leaving school in 1958, he spent time at Sandhurst Military Academy, had short-lived careers as a police constable and PE teacher, then studied at Oxford for a diploma in education. At Oxford he met his future wife Mary Weeden; they married in 1966 and celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this year.
His first novel, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, appeared in 1976 after several rejections and became a huge hit, today having sold some 30 million copies worldwide. In 2001, he was convicted of perjury and perverting the course of justice and jailed for four years, during which he wrote three bestselling prison memoirs.
In January, he revealed Adam and Eve would be his last novel, even while admitting: “I can't quite imagine putting my pen down for good.” But as it turned out, it was his last.
