Archer in the crosshairs

With Be Careful What You Wish For out now, the bestselling author shares what lies ahead on his path of glory.

Jeffrey Archer knows how to cut a long story short, but his ambitions know no bounds. Having sold 350 million copies, been a member of parliament and served in prison, the 74-year-old bestselling author says he would like to captain the English cricket team.

“I can’t positively bat, bowl or field, but I consider that to be a minor failing,” he quips, perhaps unhappy with his team’s recent performance.

In a short chat over the telephone, the storyteller of Kane and Abel fame explains why his quiver is not out of arrows yet. Archer says he is mentally booked till 2020. He is working on the fifth book of the Clifton Chronicle series, after which there will be two more. He is also working on another major novel and has a couple of adaptations for television and film in the pipeline.

Snubbing claims of an Indian adaptation of First Among Equals for television being in the works, Archer says he met the people concerned and they have not acquired the rights of the book for TV. When asked if it is ever to see the light of day, Archer makes it clear “it will not.”

“We do not work with people we haven’t even met. These are just claims. There is no truth [in it].”

Fortunately, there are other plans to transform his words to actions on screen. Columbia Pictures is working on an adaptation of Archer’s historic novel Paths of Glory which is five years into its production. Tight-lipped about when it will actually be released for all to see, Archer just says, “We have a director, script and actor. Tom Hardy is in it and it is being directed by Doug Liman. That is all I can say at the moment.”

A television series based on Clifton Chronicles is also in production.

Archer is clearly showing no signs of slowing down, let alone stopping on the motorway. Living life to the fullest is why recent news of the demise of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Maya Angelou did not particularly upset him. “No doubt their body of work was great,” he says, but alludes to an author who committed suicide (not Hemingway) and how he felt the writer had four or five more novels in him.



Archer’s stories of deception, revenge and corruption are ample proof of his ability to spin tales, but how different would his work be had he just started out his literary career. “The world moves on. There weren’t as many play things earlier. Now, you have these phones and ipads,” he says. But Archer is frank about not venturing too far. “The joy is to find a story that people would want to read; a story with relatable characters and their trials and tribulations. For me, to write a fantasy or sci-fi novel would be like [me] trying to become a ballet dancer.”

He says he never thinks about who he is writing for and hence, he was surprised to find out that of the people who read his work, 60% are women and 40% men. He, however, knew that Kane and Abel would be special even before it was first published in 1980. It went on to be No.1 on the New York Times bestseller list and was later adapted for a television miniseries. His latest book Be Careful What You Wish For, which is part of the Clifton Chronicles series, came out in April this year and is already the No.1 bestseller in 15 countries. “It has surpassed expectations,” Archer says. It is a modest statement, but even over the phone, the pride is tangible.



Prison time

Having run a successful campaign for Mayor of London for two-and-a-half years, from 1997, Jeffrey Archer was selected as the official Conservative Party Candidate for London’s Mayor in October 1999 by an overwhelming majority. In November that same year, he withdrew his candidacy, having been charged with perjury and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. He was sentenced to four years imprisonment, and was released in July 2003, having served two years.  During his imprisonment, Archer was visited by a number of high-profile friends, including the actor Donald Sinden and the performer Barry Humphries. Archer was allowed to keep his peerage as it is a life peerage rather than an honour under the Crown. An Act of Parliament would be required to enable such a change. As he is no longer under the whip of the Conservative Party, Archer currently sits as a non-affiliated member in the House of Lords.

BEST SELLING LIST HERE



Excerpts and Quotes 

I learnt a lot about myself, I learnt a lot about other people and the problems they have. If I was lucky enough to live to a hundred, how I will feel about two per cent of my life being that way, I don’t know.

“Making a million legally has always been difficult. Making a million illegally has always been a little easier. Keeping a million when you have made it is perhaps the most difficult of all.” — Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less

“The worst moment of any campaign is waiting for the sun to rise on the morning of the battle” —  Only Time Will Tell

I wrote a million words in the first year, and I could never have done that outside of prison.

Whenever you analyse anyone who has had any success and they’re in the headlines, you will find they are human and make mistakes. I’m certainly that and I’ve made a lot of mistakes.



I was allowed to ring the bell for five minutes until everyone was in assembly. It was the beginning of power.

I spent my first three weeks there on a wing with 21 murderers. I met some very evil people there but also some men who’d had no upbringing, no chance in life.

When I was three, I wanted to be four. When I was four, I wanted to be prime minister.

A strong man who has known power all his life may lose respect for that power. But a weak man knows the value of strength.

It’s one of the ironies of mountaineering,’ said Young, ‘that grown men are happy to spend months preparing for a climb, weeks rehearsing and honing their skills, and at least a day attempting to reach the summit. And then, having achieved their goal, they spend just a few moments enjoying the experience, along with one or two equally certifiable companions who have little in common other than wanting to do it all again, but a little higher.” — Paths of Glory

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2014.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.