Len Deighton and the mundanity of spies For the spy novelist, espionage was not a thrilling solitary pursuit but an extension of the world we live in. I was sent to prevent the Bolshevik Revolution and to keep Russia in the war,” wrote Somerset Maugham in the preface to
Ashenden, or the British Agent (1928). “The reader will know,” he continued drily, “that my efforts did not meet with success.” In 1915-16, already a successful novelist and playwright, Maugham worked as a British spy in Geneva after being recruited by an intelligence officer he met at a dinner arranged by his future wife Syrie. Maugham found his work “as orderly and monotonous as a city clerk’s”, a drab routine punctuated by moments of danger. He recognised that his life could be at risk and carried a small revolver. This was certainly the case when, after being sent to the South Pacific to gather information about German activity in Samoa, he was despatched to Russia, arriving in Petrograd
Happy New Year 2021!
With 2020 finally over, we can start to make new plans for the coming year, which will hopefully be much better… Let’s look into a brighter tomorrow with 10 gems from our catalog.
Lev Shestov. Even when he was driven out of his native Russia, he firmly believed that you’re invincible when you really believe in yourself and nothing else.
George MacDonald goes deep beneath the surface and meditates on what Christ came to accomplish on Earth.
The teachings of Christ gave people the strength to embark on The Enterprise of the Mayflower.
Amice MacDonell took the narrative of the first American settlement and turned it into a play.
Silver Linings
Happy New Year 2021!
With 2020 finally over, we can start to make new plans for the coming year, which will hopefully be much better… Let’s look into a brighter tomorrow with 10 gems from our catalog.
Lev Shestov. Even when he was driven out of his native Russia, he firmly believed that you’re invincible when you really believe in yourself and nothing else.
George MacDonald goes deep beneath the surface and meditates on what Christ came to accomplish on Earth.
The teachings of Christ gave people the strength to embark on The Enterprise of the Mayflower.
Amice MacDonell took the narrative of the first American settlement and turned it into a play.