Authors and spies

Number24

We all know Ian Fleming worked in the secret service during WWII. But do we know of many other novelists who served in inteligence organizations?
I can think of four:
- Christopher Marlowe (an author who lived in the shadow of Shakespeare)
- Somerseth Maugham (served during WWI)
- Roald Dahl (served for a short period after his fighter plane was shot down)
- John le Carre (served during the cold war)

Maugham wrote "The secret agent", Dahl wrote the screenplay of YOLT and Le Carre has written a number of spy thrillers. As far as I know Marlowe never wrote about espionage in his plays.

Do you know more?

Number24

Actually I can elaborate:

Maugham was killed in a tavern brawl, but some speculate his death was staged and he lived on abroad.

Somerset Maugham wrote several short stories about the spy Ashenden. Fourteen of them were burned because Winston Churchill said they broke the Official Secrets Act. For simular reasons he didn`t publish the rest until 1928. Ashenden`s boss was named R. It is also worth mentioning that Maugham`s mistress during WWII was named Syrie Wellcome, a name Fleming could have invented.

Roald Dahl was sent to Washington in 1940 to keep an eye on the Americans. I know Dahl concluded that FDR had an affair with the crown princess of Norway.

Number24

Graham Greene wrote some of the best espionage novels ever, such as "Our man in Havana". He also worked in SIS. He was recruited by double agent Kim Philby and worked under him, and Green remained a life-long friend of Philby. We know Greene served in the SIS in Sierra Leone during WWII.

Le Samourai

Daniel Defoe: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/mar/08/fiction.danieldefoe

Thunderpussy

I also seem to remember reading that Marlowe used 007 as a mark on some his work.

Number24

Thunderpussy wrote:

I also seem to remember reading that Marlowe used 007 as a mark on some his work.

Christopher Marlowe died (officially at least) in 1593 .... ?:)

Thunderpussy

Simple, He used it First.

Thunderpussy

Now I could be wrong on this, I thought it was a pretty well known idea ( I only get to
hear stuff after everybody else ) But from memory this was how he'd sign messages to
the Queen.




Then again I might be mixing him up with another writer, Although that would be the first tme
that happened again. )