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Ashenden: Or the British Agent

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Worth a read for historical reasons as it is one of (if not the) first modern spy novels. That said, it is very far away from the intricately woven page-turners featuring brainy CIA types bedding winsome females that we tend to think of as being sp novels today. Maugham served in the British intelligence corps in WWI and drew heavily upon his own experiences in writing this book, indeed the epynonymous hero is a well-known writer by profession. Each chapter is almost its own vignette, illustrating some experience or aspect of the intelligent agent's life. The theme is that the agent's life is marked by dullness and inability to know the "big picture." Ashenden is based in Switzerland and undertakes his assignments (none of which involve gunplay or physical prowess) dutifully, yet the reader feels, with a certain ambivalence. There is one especially haunting scene where, for once, Ashenden witnesses firsthand, the repercussions of his actions.

Ashenden was particularly admired by Raymond Chandler, and that is what first interested me in it. It is the story, based on Maugham's own experience, of a British spy in the first world war. The 'story' is more a series of separate episodes, and I can easily imagine why it appealed to Chandler -- as well as the laconic detachment of the writing, there is almost a feel of Hammett here and there, notably the episode of the Hairless Mexican. Much of the action centres round Geneva, a city I personally like, and there is a peculiar fascination in the voyage of the lake-steamer going in and out of the war-zone as it alternates between Switzerland and France. This kind of spy did not have much in common with the heroes of Len Deighton or John Le Carre -- the job reminds me more of how J K Galbraith described the life of an ambassador, ninety percent boredom and ten percent panic, like being an airline pilot. It has its grim side too as you would expect. One of the most memorable pieces is the story of the traitor Grantley Caypor. Some years ago Ashenden was serialised on the BBC, with Caypor superbly played by Alan Bennett. What that production did not even try to reproduce was what happened at the moment of Caypor's execution, unforgettable in Maugham's cold prose.

Considered by many afficionados of the Spy Novel genre` as the first of it's kind. Written in 1928, the book is a series of stories loosly connected to reveal the sometimes tedious, sometimes adventureous events in the work of a spy in MI5 during the latter stages of World War I. Maugham is given credit by Graham Greene and Eric Ambler as being their inspiration and Ian Flemming borrowed much from the book, including M who was "R" in Maugham's book. Maugham was given the impossible task to squelch the Bolshivic revolution with 56,000 pounds given to him by the government of Lloyd George and he fictionalizes this in the story "Mr. Harrington's Washington." The story "The Hairless Mexican" inspired Hitchcock to write and direct the movie "The Secret Agent" with John Guilgud and Peter Lorrie. This book to my thinking is one of the hidden classics in literature, written by a writer highly underrated because of his popularity and some of his later works that he did purely for money. A must for lovers of the Edwardian period and those who ever wondered where the Burbury Trench Coat came from.

"Ashenden" by Somerset Maugham is one of the grandfathers of the spy fiction genre. In reality, it's not really a novel, but eight short stories featuring Ashenden, a novelist-secret agent during WWI. Each story is unique, some focusing on the violence and duplicity of the secret world (e.g., "The Hairless Mexican," "Guilia Lazzari," and "The Traitor"). Others are less about espionage than quiet character studies (for example, the final story, "The Sanatorium," has nothing whatever to do with spying, but is set in a tuberculosis sanatorium and--though a it's a bit sentimental--is a brilliant character study of the patients and, in particular, of those who find love in the midst of adversity). I found it deeply touching.

I must admit this the first I've read of Maugham and was impressed with his ability in a single paragraph to get to the very essence of a character (perhaps the best example being his vivid characterization of the funny, but tragic Mr. Harrington in "Mr. Harrington's Washing"). Each of Maugham's characters are distinct and finely drawn.

Maugham at one time analyzed himself as in the first rank of the second rate writers. He may not be Dostoevsky or Cervantes, but he was a fine writer who deserves to be read-I think it's more accurate to say he's in the second row of the first rate writers.

I only found out about "Ashenden" from one of the terrific essays of Michael Dirda (the reviewer for the Washington Post) in which he constantly brings to light lost classics.

"Ashenden" is readable, convincing, and (despite its WWI setting) relevant to the events of today. The secret and desperate world of war and espionage will be with us forever it seems; Maugham's themes are timeless and his writing is a model of clarity.

This is a lost classic that should be read.

This book is based on Somerset Maugham's experiences as a British secret agent during the Great War. The facts were changed to make interesting fiction. The `Preface' does not tell that the British government tried to ban this book. It was adapted for a stage play, then was filmed in the 1930s by Alfred Hitchcock. The book is much better than the movie, but the movie ("The Secret Agent") is worth viewing. The stories seem real enough to originate from true events. You can also catch hints as to Maugham's character in these stories. The first chapter tells how Ashenden ("black chamber"?) was recruited as an agent.

Ashenden's first job seems to be as a Paymaster, giving funds to agents for their work. [This separates divides up the work so no one sees the big picture and can tell little.] Then he takes part in an operation to capture an Indian who sought independence for his country. ["A spy who falls in love is worthless" from the 1932 film `Mata Hari'.] Ashenden investigated the agent "Gustav" in Basle who provided reports of exceptional quality. Then Ashenden visited Lucerne on another mission; he helped an Englishman return to England. Days later his dog began to howl. Ashenden hears a long story about passion and vanity from "His Excellency". "The Flip of a Coin" tells how a secret service will not approve of certain undercover actions.

Ashenden was sent across the Atlantic to New York, across the country to San Francisco, then across the Pacific to Yokohama. Another boat sailed to Vladivostok, then a long train ride to Petrograd. His companion was John Quincy Harrington, a unique character. In "Love and Russian Literature" Ashenden learned about a person at breakfast. The last chapter tells something about life and death in 1917 Petrograd. Then the book just ends, as if some chapters were censored.

How did Colonel "R." recruit Ashenden, who was familiar with Europe? He probably suggested the alternative was to be drafted into the army and sent to the front. This book does not have the fictional action of a book by Ian Fleming, who had a similar background as a traveling newspaper reporter. "Things are not always what they seem."

Worth a read for historical reasons as it is one of (if not the) first modern spy novels. That said, it is very far away from the intricately woven page-turners featuring brainy CIA types bedding winsome females that we tend to think of as being spy novels today. Maugham served in the British intelligence corps in WWI and drew heavily upon his own experiences in writing this book, indeed the epynonymous hero is a well-known writer by profession. Each chapter is almost its own vignette, illustrating some experience or aspect of the intelligent agent's life. The theme is that the agent's life is marked by dullness and inability to know the "big picture." Ashenden is based in Switzerland and undertakes his assignments (none of which involve gunplay or physical prowess) dutifully, yet the reader feels, with a certain ambivalence. There is one especially haunting scene where, for once, Ashenden witnesses first hand, the repercussions of his actions.

W. Somerset Maugham

Ashenden: or the British Agent

Vintage Classics, Paperback, 2000.
8vo. x, 326 pp. Preface [v-x] for The Collected Edition, 1934.

First published by Heinemann in 1928.
First published in The Collected Edition with a new 6pp. preface by the author in 1934.

Table of contents:

Preface
1. R.
2. A Domiciliary Visit
3. Miss King
4. The Hairless Mexican
5. The Dark Woman
6. The Greek
7. A Trip to Paris
8. Giulia Lazzari
9. Gustav
10. The Traitor
11. Behind the Scenes
12. His Excellency
13. The Flip of a Coin
14. A Chance Acquaintance
15. Love and Russian Literature
16. Mr. Harrington's Washing

-------------------------------------------------'

There has been a certain amount of confusion about this book of William Somerset Maugham which needs to be clarified. What follows is history, for detailed review of the contents see Third volume of Maugham's ''Collected Short Stories'' in four volumes.

First of all, it must be pointed out that this book is not a novel as some people believe. It is a collection of short stories sharing one main character - Ashenden - but skilfully separated into 16 chapters as to look like a novel. In the Heinemann edition from 1951, ''The Complete Short Stories of W. Somerset Maugham'' 15 of these were combined and published as six short stories. In later complete editions of Maugham's short stories, titled ''Collected Short Stories'' and in four volumes, these six stories occupy the whole third volume having for company ''Sanatorium'' - the only other short story, to the best of my belief, with Ashenden as main character; and the only one which was originally written as one-piece short story and published thus, in Maugham's last collection ''Creatures of Circumstance'' (1947). The six aforementioned short stories and their multiple precursors are as follows:

Chapters 1 to 3 later merged into ''Miss King''
Chapters 4 to 6 later merged into ''The Hairless Mexican''
Chapters 7 and 8 later merged into ''Giulia Lazzari''
Chapters 9 and 10 later merged into ''The Traitor''
Chapters 11 and 12 later merged in ''His Excellency''
Chapters 14 to 16 later merged into ''Mr. Harrington's Washing''

The preface to the new Vintage edition from 2000 is a reprint of the preface written in 1934 when Ashenden appeared in The Collected edition of Maugham's works. As all of his prefaces, this one makes a fascinating read of which only the very essence appears in the preface to volume 2/3 (it depends which edition you're reading) of his complete/collected short stories. In the 1934 piece Maugham explores the significant difference between fact and fiction and touches how the former is arranged, or dramatized, into the latter. Hence, as he points out, these stories differ a great deal to what the French call reportage and should not be taken by the readers as faithful representation of the espionage, rather dull and tedious business in reality.

I surmise the volume would be of little interest to the great fans of spy stories, because the espionage stuff is merely a convenient vehicle for Maugham to investigate further his most beloved subject - human nature, with its fascinating complexity and amazing unpredictability. So those who admire the works of the great British writer must definitely read this book. Unless of course they have already done so reading his volumes of short stories; there is virtually no difference between the two versions except that the short stories, being actually merged chapters, are rather longer and that one little chapter from the original is missing. Spy literature afficionados had better steer clear of the book.

In my hardback copy of ASHENDEN (1927), Maugham's "Preface" (1941) provides autobiographical background and discusses how life and art differ in his fiction, with some snide remarks about other modern novelists; his comments on plot seem to be largely derived from Aristotle's Poetics. (Ironically, THIS book does not have any sort of A-to-Z plot that holds it together.) All in all, ASHENDEN is very loosely organized, almost never suspenseful, and suffers from a major quality-control problem: although a few passages are really excellent, many parts are very long-winded and seem out of place in an espionage book; many others (including several whole chapters) seem like padding.

SPOILER ALERT: TO DEMONSTRATE THIS POINT, I'M WRITING A SUMMARY OF THE BOOK:

Chapter 1 ("R."): Ashenden, a writer, meets the head of the British Secret Service and is recruited. Chapter 2 ("A Domiciliary Visit"): Returning from a mission to his hotel in Geneva, Ashenden finds Swiss police in his room; he easily thwarts them but wonders who has informed against him; similar to his "Preface," fiction and life and beginnings, middles, and ends are mentioned, with sniping at some writers of modern fiction. Chapter 3 ("Miss King"): Ashenden is called at 3 a.m. to the bedside of Miss King, the dying English governess of two Egyptian princesses, but she has had a stroke, and he is unable to get any message from her before she dies; if it is read alone, this chapter amounts to an Unsolvable Puzzle. Within the total book, either this episode must become relevant later, or Maugham is doing exactly what he has criticized other writers of doing. (Rather than give my own answer, I will let other readers of ASHENDEN think about this and decide which it is).

Chapters 4, 5, and 6 form a unit. Chapter 4 ("The Hairless Mexican"): R. sends Ashenden to Italy on a new mission with General Carmona (aka the Hairless Mexican, a flamboyant and peculiar spy who is the type that Ian Fleming and others would later imitate in their works); their mission is to get papers that a Greek is going to pass along to the Germans. Chapter 5 ("The Dark Woman"): During their journey to Italy, the Hairless Mexican tells Ashenden about a woman he deeply loved but whose throat he cut, believing her to be a spy working for the Mexican government; then they discuss the conventions of Detective Fiction. Chapter 6 ("The Greek"): The Hairless Mexican murders the only Greek on the ship, and he and Ashenden search for the papers but find none; Ashenden finds a telegram waiting for him, and they go out to eat (Maugham has a good scene in which the Hairless Mexican dances with women, Zorba-like); Ashenden decodes his telegram at the railroad station and learns, ironically, that the Greek spy was delayed by illness and that the wrong Greek has been killed; thus far, this is the best chapter.

Chapters 7 and 8 form a unit. Chapter 7 ("A Trip to Paris"): Ashenden gets a new mission: take the lover of an Indian freedom fighter to the border of Switzerland as bait to kill this man; Ashenden admires the opponent greatly, but R. calls the man a "greasy little [N-word]"; Ashenden surmises that R. reads "shilling shocker" detective fiction, speculates on R.'s apparent discomfort in high-class settings, and notes that some woman has given R. some roses for his office. Chapter 8 ("Guilia Lazzari"): After several exchanges of letters with Guilia Lazzari, the Indian freedom fighter falls into the trap but commits suicide with poison; Guilia Lazzari asks for her dead lover's watch, a gift which had cost her 12 pounds; this is a very good chapter.

Chapters 9 and 10 form a loose unit. Chapter 9 ("Gustav"): Gustav is a Swiss businessman who was writing model reports for the British--only they were totally worthless, since he never left home to get information; Ashenden gives him a small assignment: get information about a Brit living in Switzerland who is working for the Germans. Chapter 10 ("The Traitor"): Ashenden, claiming to be an ill member of the Censorship Department, makes the acquaintance of the Brit who is a traitor (and his German wife and ugly little dog); the German spymaster falls for the bait and sends the traitor back to England to work in that department; instead, the traitor is executed (I wondered why, instead, he was not given false information to feed to the German spymaster); this is a long and well-written chapter, showing some of the complexity of a few people and closing with a sad scene of the traitor's wife realizing that her husband is dead, when the man's dog howls as she leaves the post office with no letter from him.

Chapters 11, 12, and 13 form a loose unit. Chapter 11 ("Behind the Scenes"): Ashenden is sent to a country herein called "X" to stay in touch with people who might start a revolution; while there he learns that the American ambassador is miffed that the British ambassador has not sat down with him over a drink to discuss matters; Ashenden passes this tip to the British ambassador, who is grateful and asks Ashenden to come dine with him; this is a very short chapter; in what seems a subordinate manner, a Galician Pole who helps Ashenden is mentioned (this man will be a central figure in chapt. 13). Chapter 12 ("His Excellency"): In a long chapter, the British ambassador tells Ashenden about his love affair with a coarse, ignorant female acrobat (whom he sometimes beat up) before his marriage, and his life-long regret that he broke it off and married a woman he did not love; some of these details are as vivid as those of Philip's infatuation with Mildred in Maugham's novel OF HUMAN BONDAGE, but what place does this tangential material have in a book about espionage during WW I? Chapter 13 ("The Flip of a Coin"): Ashenden, walking to meet the Galician Pole mentioned in chapter 11 about a mission to blow up a German munitions factory and its many Polish civilian workers, looks up at the "frosty stars"; when he meets the man, he cannot think clearly enough to make a decision and, after pondering the cosmic futility of men's lives--his own and the British ambassador's included--he abdicates responsibility and tosses a coin to "decide" whether the mission goes ahead or not; we are not told which way the coin landed: in one sense, an Unsolvable Puzzle is created by this chapter's ending; however, this chapter probably is an instance of "Didactic Fiction" about the nature and purpose of "Life."

Chapters 14, 15, and 16 form a final loose unit. Chapter 14 ("A Chance Acquaintance"): Ashenden, on a new mission in Russia, travels with an American businessman who talks constantly during their 11-day train ride across Russia; this seems to have little direct connection with the plot pertaining to espionage. Chapter 15 ("Love and Russian Literature"): The narrator makes self-conconscious reference to "these stories" and the characterization thus far of Ashenden, indicating that Ashenden has a "tender" side that has not yet been represented; Ashenden's brief love affair with a married Russian woman (5 years before the Russian Revolution) is recounted in a silly satiric manner; they went to Paris to test whether they would be compatible, and she, who ate scrambled eggs every morning, told him yes, but he, who detested those eggs, escaped to New York instead; the structural point of this long digression is solely to introduce this woman. Chapter 16 ("Mr. Harrington's Washing"): Ashenden's mission fails when the Bolsheviks take control; the talkative American, Mr. Harrington, insists on getting his washing before leaving the city and is found lying dead on a street by the Russian woman and Ashenden, still clutching his laundry; this ending seems to be an attempt to create a feeling of pathos in readers, but for me it does not succeed.

As I remarked above, this book is very loosely organized, almost never suspenseful, and suffers from a major quality-control problem: although a few passages are really excellent, many parts are very long-winded and seem out of place in an espionage book; many others (including several whole chapters) seem like padding. However, Maugham DOES have a good vocabulary, and most readers would do well to keep a large dictionary nearby.

In my hardback copy of ASHENDEN (1927), Maugham's "Preface" (1941) provides autobiographical background and discusses how life and art differ in his fiction, with some snide remarks about other modern novelists; his comments on plot seem to be largely derived from Aristotle's Poetics. (Ironically, THIS book does not have any sort of A-to-Z plot that holds it together.) All in all, ASHENDEN is VERY LOOSELY ORGANIZED, ALMOST NEVER SUSPENSEFUL, AND SUFFERS FROM A MAJOR QUALITY-CONTROL PROBLEM: although a few passages are really excellent, many parts are very long-winded and seem out of place in an espionage book; many others (including several whole chapters) seem like padding.

SPOILER ALERT: TO DEMONSTRATE THIS POINT, I'M WRITING A SUMMARY OF THE BOOK:

Chapter 1 ("R."): Ashenden, a writer, meets the head of the British Secret Service and is recruited. Chapter 2 ("A Domiciliary Visit"): Returning from a mission to his hotel in Geneva, Ashenden finds Swiss police in his room; he easily thwarts them but wonders who has informed against him; similar to his "Preface," fiction and life and beginnings, middles, and ends are mentioned, with sniping at some writers of modern fiction. Chapter 3 ("Miss King"): Ashenden is called at 3 a.m. to the bedside of Miss King, the dying English governess of two Egyptian princesses, but she has had a stroke, and he is unable to get any message from her before she dies; if it is read alone, this chapter amounts to an Unsolvable Puzzle. Within the total book, either this episode must become relevant later, or Maugham is doing exactly what he has criticized other writers of doing. (Rather than give my own answer, I will let other readers of ASHENDEN think about this and decide which it is).

Chapters 4, 5, and 6 form a unit. Chapter 4 ("The Hairless Mexican"): R. sends Ashenden to Italy on a new mission with General Carmona (aka the Hairless Mexican, a flamboyant and peculiar spy who is the type that Ian Fleming and others would later imitate in their works); their mission is to get papers that a Greek is going to pass along to the Germans. Chapter 5 ("The Dark Woman"): During their journey to Italy, the Hairless Mexican tells Ashenden about a woman he deeply loved but whose throat he cut, believing her to be a spy working for the Mexican government; then they discuss the conventions of Detective Fiction. Chapter 6 ("The Greek"): The Hairless Mexican murders the only Greek on the ship, and he and Ashenden search for the papers but find none; Ashenden finds a telegram waiting for him, and they go out to eat (Maugham has a good scene in which the Hairless Mexican dances with women, Zorba-like); Ashenden decodes his telegram at the railroad station and learns, ironically, that the Greek spy was delayed by illness and that the wrong Greek has been killed; thus far, this is the best chapter.

Chapters 7 and 8 form a unit. Chapter 7 ("A Trip to Paris"): Ashenden gets a new mission: take the lover of an Indian freedom fighter to the border of Switzerland as bait to kill this man; Ashenden admires the opponent greatly, but R. calls the man a "greasy little [N-word]"; Ashenden surmises that R. reads "shilling shocker" detective fiction, speculates on R.'s apparent discomfort in high-class settings, and notes that some woman has given R. some roses for his office. Chapter 8 ("Guilia Lazzari"): After several exchanges of letters with Guilia Lazzari, the Indian freedom fighter falls into the trap but commits suicide with poison; Guilia Lazzari asks for her dead lover's watch, a gift which had cost her 12 pounds; this is a very good chapter.

Chapters 9 and 10 form a loose unit. Chapter 9 ("Gustav"): Gustav is a Swiss businessman who was writing model reports for the British--only they were totally worthless, since he never left home to get information; Ashenden gives him a small assignment: get information about a Brit living in Switzerland who is working for the Germans. Chapter 10 ("The Traitor"): Ashenden, claiming to be an ill member of the Censorship Department, makes the acquaintance of the Brit who is a traitor (and his German wife and ugly little dog); the German spymaster falls for the bait and sends the traitor back to England to work in that department; instead, the traitor is executed (I wondered why, instead, he was not given false information to feed to the German spymaster); this is a long and well-written chapter, showing some of the complexity of a few people and closing with a sad scene of the traitor's wife realizing that her husband is dead, when the man's dog howls as she leaves the post office with no letter from him.

Chapters 11, 12, and 13 form a loose unit. Chapter 11 ("Behind the Scenes"): Ashenden is sent to a country herein called "X" to stay in touch with people who might start a revolution; while there he learns that the American ambassador is miffed that the British ambassador has not sat down with him over a drink to discuss matters; Ashenden passes this tip to the British ambassador, who is grateful and asks Ashenden to come dine with him; this is a very short chapter; in what seems a subordinate manner, a Galician Pole who helps Ashenden is mentioned (this man will be a central figure in chapt. 13). Chapter 12 ("His Excellency"): In a long chapter, the British ambassador tells Ashenden about his love affair with a coarse, ignorant female acrobat (whom he sometimes beat up) before his marriage, and his life-long regret that he broke it off and married a woman he did not love; some of these details are as vivid as those of Philip's infatuation with Mildred in Maugham's novel OF HUMAN BONDAGE, but what place does this tangential material have in a book about espionage during WW I? Chapter 13 ("The Flip of a Coin"): Ashenden, walking to meet the Galician Pole mentioned in chapter 11 about a mission to blow up a German munitions factory and its many Polish civilian workers, looks up at the "frosty stars"; when he meets the man, he cannot think clearly enough to make a decision and, after pondering the cosmic futility of men's lives--his own and the British ambassador's included--he abdicates responsibility and tosses a coin to "decide" whether the mission goes ahead or not; we are not told which way the coin landed: in one sense, an Unsolvable Puzzle is created by this chapter's ending; however, this chapter probably is an instance of "Didactic Fiction" about the nature and purpose of "Life."

Chapters 14, 15, and 16 form a final loose unit. Chapter 14 ("A Chance Acquaintance"): Ashenden, on a new mission in Russia, travels with an American businessman who talks constantly during their 11-day train ride across Russia; this seems to have little direct connection with the plot pertaining to espionage. Chapter 15 ("Love and Russian Literature"): The narrator makes self-conconscious reference to "these stories" and the characterization thus far of Ashenden, indicating that Ashenden has a "tender" side that has not yet been represented; Ashenden's brief love affair with a married Russian woman (5 years before the Russian Revolution) is recounted in a silly satiric manner; they went to Paris to test whether they would be compatible, and she, who ate scrambled eggs every morning, told him yes, but he, who detested those eggs, escaped to New York instead; the structural point of this long digression is solely to introduce this woman. Chapter 16 ("Mr. Harrington's Washing"): Ashenden's mission fails when the Bolsheviks take control; the talkative American, Mr. Harrington, insists on getting his washing before leaving the city and is found lying dead on a street by the Russian woman and Ashenden, still clutching his laundry; this ending seems to be an attempt to create a feeling of pathos in readers, but for me it does not succeed.

As I remarked above, this book is very loosely organized, almost never suspenseful, and suffers from a major quality-control problem: although a few passages are really excellent, many parts are very long-winded and seem out of place in an espionage book; many others (including several whole chapters) seem like padding. However, Maugham DOES have a good vocabulary, and most readers would do well to keep a large dictionary nearby.

Very wonderful writing and not that I know anything about the reality but it does seem realistic.