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.
Some spy novelists at the time created heroic characters. James Bond was arguably the most well known of these, with his womanizing and combat skills. Other writers however, wanted to look at the moral and ethical aspects of government espionage. Graham Greene was one such writer who did this, in novels like The Heart Of The Matter. He had worked as a spy in the past.
Kingsley Amis came to be associated with the James Bond franchise. He wrote The James Bond Dossier, in which he offers a thorough analysis of the Bond books. He says that they are high quality novels and not just cheap fiction. He said that the critics who complained about the literary merit of the Bond novels were just being snobs.
Le Carre had worked as an intelligence agent before he started writing. He was known for creating anti-heroes like George Smiley. His characters often battle with inner demons because they knew that their work was sometimes immoral. The Spy Who Cam In From The Cold, Le Carre's third book, made him into major novelist. It was adapted for the big screen with Richard Burton playing the main protagonist.
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.
Some spy novelists at the time created heroic characters. James Bond was arguably the most well known of these, with his womanizing and combat skills. Other writers however, wanted to look at the moral and ethical aspects of government espionage. Graham Greene was one such writer who did this, in novels like The Heart Of The Matter. He had worked as a spy in the past.
Kingsley Amis came to be associated with the James Bond franchise. He wrote The James Bond Dossier, in which he offers a thorough analysis of the Bond books. He says that they are high quality novels and not just cheap fiction. He said that the critics who complained about the literary merit of the Bond novels were just being snobs.
Le Carre had worked as an intelligence agent before he started writing. He was known for creating anti-heroes like George Smiley. His characters often battle with inner demons because they knew that their work was sometimes immoral. The Spy Who Cam In From The Cold, Le Carre's third book, made him into major novelist. It was adapted for the big screen with Richard Burton playing the main protagonist.
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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