born Aug. 27, 1899, Cairo, Egypt
died April 2, 1966, Fullerton, Calif., U.S.
British novelist and journalist.
Forester abandoned medicine for writing and achieved success with his first novel, Payment Deferred (1926). He is best known as the creator of the naval officer Horatio Hornblower, whose rise from midshipman to admiral and peer during the Napoleonic Wars is told in 12 novels published 1937–67. Many of his novels were adapted into movies, including The African Queen (1935; film, 1951).