Jackal

Jackal
John Follain

I think Ilich Ramirez Sanchez (a.k.a. Carlos or the Jackal) has to be considered one of the odder figures of our time. The contradictions abound: a “professional revolutionary” in the Marxist mould (and hence an atheist), he adopted Islam in prison and lived the life of a bon vivant, enjoying wine, women, and celebrity while on the run. You could probably spend a lot of time trying to figure this out, and I think it’s to John Follain’s credit that he doesn’t even try, opting for a fact-based account of Carlos’s criminal career. Of course in the current security-obsessed climate that career would be unimaginable. Just thirty years ago now seems like the Wild West.