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Spy Stories:
Art Imitates Life:
The best spies, like the best writers, are keen observers of human behavior. So it's not surprising that famous authors have doubled as secret agents, while masterful spies have penned memorable literature. This tradition, which goes back to Christopher Marlowe and includes Daniel Defoe, Richard Burton, and Edgar Allan Poe, continues to the present day.
W. Somerset Maugham is sometimes credited as the inventor of the modern spy story. He based Ashenden: Or the British Agent on his experiences in the British secret service. Other great modern writer-spies include Ian Fleming and Graham Greene. |