RNZ14 hours ago·3 min read·medium

UK author and politician Jeffrey Archer dies aged 86

RNZ | Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

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Bestselling British novelist and former Conservative politician Jeffrey Archer has died at the age of 86. Archer was widely known for his prolific literary career and his high-profile legal battles, including a perjury conviction that led to a prison sentence.

Why it matters

Archer was a significant figure in both British literature and politics, representing a complex intersection of public success and personal scandal.

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Jeffrey Archer, the bestselling British novelist and former politician who was jailed for lying in a high-profile libel case, has died aged 86, his publisher HarperCollins said.

Archer sold over 300 million copies worldwide and was known for pacy thrillers like his 1976 debut Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less and 1979's Kane & Abel . His final novel, Adam and Eve , is due to be published on Tuesday (UK time).

Kate Elton, HarperCollins' UK CEO and Archer's editor, said in a statement: "We're all devastated to have lost a writer who has brought joy to generations of readers - and a true friend."

Archer was also a prominent Conservative politician, who briefly served as a lawmaker before becoming a senior party official under then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the mid-1980s.

But he was as well-known for his very public downfall.

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