The foreword of Lord Jeffrey Archer's final novel has been revealed shortly after the author died suddenly at his home this week. The 'master storyteller', aged 86, died on the eve of the publication of Adam & Eve, the novel he said would be his last.
Introducing the book to readers, Lord Archer wrote: 'After fifty years of storytelling, I have decided the time has come to write my final novel.'
A Career in His Own Words
The novelist, who also wrote Kane and Abel, detailed his new novel before seemingly addressing readers of his catalogue. 'I've spent many happy hours over the past fifty years since writing Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less in 1976 (3,000 copies sold in hardback), Kane and Abel in 1979 (now in its 132nd reprint), and more recently, from 2018, the William Warwick series.'
'However, Adam & Eve has now proved to be my most satisfying writing endeavour, and I can only hope you will feel the same way.'
Thanks to Readers Worldwide
Lord Archer added: 'Allow me to end by thanking all my readers from around the world, in 119 countries (translated into 51 languages) from Sydney to Toronto, from Buenos Aires to New York, from Mumbai to Tokyo, while not forgetting my homeland, which has allowed this simple storyteller the privilege of spending so many hours in your company.'
'I should have been Prime Minister, captain of the England cricket team or won an Olympic gold for the hundred metres, but then we can all dream. As Marcel Proust reminded us: 'We always end up doing the thing we're second best at.' 'I can only hope that you've discovered what you're second best at. Farewell, and thank you.'
From Politics to Bestsellers
The former Conservative deputy chairman had been in financial ruin before turning to writing, making millions out of his best-selling novels, most notably Kane and Abel. His political career came to an abrupt halt in 2001 when he was jailed for perjury, but Archer continued to churn out best-sellers even behind bars.
While serving his sentence, he documented his experiences in prison, turning it into his highly successful three-volume non-fiction series, A Prison Diary (published as Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven). He was released in 2003 and returned to the House of Lords until he retired in 2024.
In a statement, his publisher, HarperCollins, said the author died 'peacefully' on Monday. His final book, Adam and Eve, is released this week. Publisher HarperCollins described him as a 'master storyteller' whose readers 'meant everything to him'.
Lord Archer was due to be at the Cheltenham Festival on Saturday to discuss his final novel, Adam and Eve. He and his wife Mary had celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this year. They had two sons and five grandchildren.
