Nicolas Freeling

Nicolas Freeling’s road to the writer’s desk was a winding one. Though born in England on March 3, 1927, he grudgingly moved with his parents from place to place during his childhood. He grew up speaking French in Brittany, then moved to Southampton, and finally Ireland. After serving in the Royal Air Force for two years, Freeling attended the University of Dublin. Not one to stay in one place for very long, he dropped out following his sophomore year and moved to France. It was during his time there that Freeling discovered an interest in cooking, working in the kitchens of several hotels in France, England, and the Netherlands, until he was convicted of stealing food and thrown into jail. The Dutch detective who interrogated Freeling fascinated him so much that he felt compelled to turn him into a character for a detective story written, legend has it, on sheets of paper saved from his prison job wrapping soap. Following his release from prison, he published his first novel and, seeing its wide success, chose to be a full-time writer, his most successful profession. In 1967 Freeling won an Edgar Award for The King of the Rainy Country. His Van der Valk series was the model for two popular television programs. In 1954 Freeling married Cornelia Termes and the two had five children. They moved to Grandfontaine, France, which was Freeling’s home until he died of cancer on July 20, 2003.