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Jack Reacher author Lee Child to become Irish because of Brexit
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British author Lee Child (real name Jim Grant), author of the Jack Reacher novel series, poses upon arrival for the European premiere of the film 'Jack Reacher: Never Go Back' in central London on October 20, 2016. (AFP/Justin Tallis)
O
ne of the world's best-selling detective novelists, Jack Reacher creator Lee Child, has said he is becoming Irish so he can continue to travel within the European Union after Brexit.
The British author, whose real name is James Grant, said he was in the process of applying for a passport as his father was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
"I haven't got the passport yet but I will do very soon, it feels like I'm cheating to be honest as I will get in the back door," he was quoted as saying in the Irish Times on Monday.
"I am not a huge fan of Britain even though I was born there," he added. "It's a silly and frustrating country, which is why I moved to America."
Child, who was born in Coventry, central England, was speaking in Berlin on a four-city European tour with three other British writers -- Kate Mosse, Jojo Moyes and Ken Follett.
They are speaking out against Britain's departure from the EU, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants before January 31 -- if he wins a majority at a general election next month.
Read also: Brexit, climate, racism: The Frankfurt book fair in quotes
The author said Johnson, who went to the prestigious Eton College and Oxford University, was the product of privilege and an elitist system.
"If he had gone to my school, he would not now be prime minister," he added.
Child was asked what would happen if his protagonist -- an ex-US military turned crime investigator -- was locked with Johnson in an isolated farmhouse for a weekend.
"Only one of them would come out of it alive, and it wouldn't be Boris," he said.
The British literature heavyweight, who sells one of his crime books every 13 seconds, was honored by Queen Elizabeth II in June.
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