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Ashenden: The British Agent Paperback – November 1, 1977

by W. Somerset Maugham (Author)

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A collection of stories featuring Ashenden--a writer drawn into the war through undercover intelligence--reflects the author's experiences in the Intelligence Department during World War I. (General Fiction).--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

Paperback: 239 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books (November 17, 1977)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0140044930
ISBN-13: 978-0140044935
Product Dimensions: 7 x 1 x 5 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,402,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #98606 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary
- #121553 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary

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Customer Reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars

5 star		50%
4 star		26%
3 star		18%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful

ATMOSPHERIC

By DAVID BRYSON VINE VOICE on July 27, 2003

Format: Hardcover

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.

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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

The Father of Modern Spies

By A. Ross HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on June 13, 2000

Format: Hardcover

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.

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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

A Master of Characterization

By Ted Smith on February 5, 2005

Format: Hardcover

"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.

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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful

The Precursor to Greene, Ian Flemming, Eric Ambler,LeCarre`

By jimcmaui@buddhist.com Jim Campbell on April 19, 1999

Format: Hardcover

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.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

I read this book at a reading club consisted of ...

I read this book at a reading club consisted of three members,whose nationality are Saudi-Arabia and Japan. We are doing the reading once a week using Skype. Read more

Published 2 months ago by aky45

Old fashion spy stories

Very well written, Somerset Maugham knows the stories behind the British spies stories, what went on in his time behind close doors, as he himself worked for the secret service. Read more

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Wonderful read

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AVOID

I found the numerous mispellings distracting.

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