Cold War novels were basically spy novels. They started to be written after the Second World War and focused primarily on the American-Soviet conflict. Ian Fleming, who brought us James Bond, is a popular spy novelist, as are Kingsley Amis, Sebastian Faulks and William Boyd. John Le Carre is another well known Cold War author.
The Cold War was a conflict between the United States Of America and the USSR. It started in the late nineteen forties and lasted until 1991, when the USSR was formally broken up. It got it's name because the two enemies never actually engaged in direct military conflict. Both possessed nuclear weapons and so a military conflict would have resulted in mutual annihilation. Instead they fought proxy wars and engaged in psychological warfare.
Many spy writers at the time were creating heroic characters, James Bond is probably the most famous of these, with his suave manner and womanizing. Other writers though, decided to look at the ethical and moral conflicts that were a part of government espionage. Graham Greene was known for this, addressing the issue in books such as The Heart Of The Matter. Greene had worked for British intelligence services.
Kingsley Amis was associated with the James Bond character and went on to write The James Bond Dossier. In the book, Amis offers a comprehensive analysis of the Bond novels and concludes that they were substantial works of popular fiction. Amis accused those who denigrated the books of being pompous. It is thought that Amis wrote three books for the Bond franchise but the dossier is the only one to carry his name.
Le Carre had been a British government spy who went on to become a novel writer. He was most famous for his spy books. He is associated with creating anti-heroes like George Smiley. His characters were often conflicted about their work because of the immoral nature of some of it. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold made Le Carre's name. Later, it was turned into a film with Richard Burton in the main role.
George Smiley was a central character in several of Le Carre's books. He was seen as closer to real life than James Bond was. Smiley was not an heroic action character at all, his work was mostly done in the mind. Smiley is dedicated to his work even though he knows some of it is morally questionable.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is probably the most famous of Le Carre's works featuring Smiley. In it, Smiley investigates the possibility that a Soviet spy may have infiltrated British intelligence services. The book was turned into a popular TV show with Alec Guinness in the lead role. In 2011, a film version was released with Gary Oldman playing George Smiley.
Spy novels continued to be written after the Soviet-American conflict ended. They tended to focus on counter-terrorist operatives. Major terrorist attacks in the West reignited an interest in espionage work. Many spy older writers produced work during this era, even if they had been seen previously as a Cold War author.
The Cold War was a conflict between the United States Of America and the USSR. It started in the late nineteen forties and lasted until 1991, when the USSR was formally broken up. It got it's name because the two enemies never actually engaged in direct military conflict. Both possessed nuclear weapons and so a military conflict would have resulted in mutual annihilation. Instead they fought proxy wars and engaged in psychological warfare.
Many spy writers at the time were creating heroic characters, James Bond is probably the most famous of these, with his suave manner and womanizing. Other writers though, decided to look at the ethical and moral conflicts that were a part of government espionage. Graham Greene was known for this, addressing the issue in books such as The Heart Of The Matter. Greene had worked for British intelligence services.
Kingsley Amis was associated with the James Bond character and went on to write The James Bond Dossier. In the book, Amis offers a comprehensive analysis of the Bond novels and concludes that they were substantial works of popular fiction. Amis accused those who denigrated the books of being pompous. It is thought that Amis wrote three books for the Bond franchise but the dossier is the only one to carry his name.
Le Carre had been a British government spy who went on to become a novel writer. He was most famous for his spy books. He is associated with creating anti-heroes like George Smiley. His characters were often conflicted about their work because of the immoral nature of some of it. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold made Le Carre's name. Later, it was turned into a film with Richard Burton in the main role.
George Smiley was a central character in several of Le Carre's books. He was seen as closer to real life than James Bond was. Smiley was not an heroic action character at all, his work was mostly done in the mind. Smiley is dedicated to his work even though he knows some of it is morally questionable.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is probably the most famous of Le Carre's works featuring Smiley. In it, Smiley investigates the possibility that a Soviet spy may have infiltrated British intelligence services. The book was turned into a popular TV show with Alec Guinness in the lead role. In 2011, a film version was released with Gary Oldman playing George Smiley.
Spy novels continued to be written after the Soviet-American conflict ended. They tended to focus on counter-terrorist operatives. Major terrorist attacks in the West reignited an interest in espionage work. Many spy older writers produced work during this era, even if they had been seen previously as a Cold War author.
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