Novels about the Cold War are part of the spy novel genre. They first appeared in the late nineteen forties and concentrated on the conflict between the Americans and the Soviets. Ian Fleming, who created James Bond, is a well known spy writer, as are Kingsley Amis, William Boyd and John Le Carre. William Boyd is known as a Cold War author too.
The Cold War was a rivalry between the USA and the Soviet Union. It began in 1947 and ended in 1991 after the USSR fell. The conflict received it's name because there was never any physical military combat. Both sides had access to nuclear arms which meant each side was scared of being wiped out by the other. As a result, they fought psychological battles and proxy wars.
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 connected with the James Bond character when he wrote The James Bond Dossier. In it, Amis analyses the Bond novels and actually finds them to be substantial fictional works. Amis said that those who criticized the books were merely being pretentious. It is believed that Amis later wrote three more Bond books although he used a pseudonym.
Le Carre was a former British spy who later took to writing novels, especially spy novels. He often created anti-heroes such as George Smiley. His characters tended to suffer internal conflicts about their work because they were aware of it's moral ambiguity. Le Carre's third novel, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, became a bestseller. It was later turned into a movie starring Richard Burton.
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 the most well known of Le Carre's books. The story involves Smiley trying to find the find a spy who has infiltrated Britain's intelligence operations. The novel was adapted into a television show with Alec Guinness playing Smiley. Then in 2011, a film of the book was released and Gary Oldman played the lead character.
Spy books were still written even after USSR collapsed and the conflict with the Americans ended. These new spy books looked at counter-terrorist operations. Serious terrorist attacks in western countries has renewed the public interest in the world of secret agents. Plenty of older writers wrote novels on the subject, even though they may have been better known as a Cold War author.
The Cold War was a rivalry between the USA and the Soviet Union. It began in 1947 and ended in 1991 after the USSR fell. The conflict received it's name because there was never any physical military combat. Both sides had access to nuclear arms which meant each side was scared of being wiped out by the other. As a result, they fought psychological battles and proxy wars.
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 connected with the James Bond character when he wrote The James Bond Dossier. In it, Amis analyses the Bond novels and actually finds them to be substantial fictional works. Amis said that those who criticized the books were merely being pretentious. It is believed that Amis later wrote three more Bond books although he used a pseudonym.
Le Carre was a former British spy who later took to writing novels, especially spy novels. He often created anti-heroes such as George Smiley. His characters tended to suffer internal conflicts about their work because they were aware of it's moral ambiguity. Le Carre's third novel, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, became a bestseller. It was later turned into a movie starring Richard Burton.
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 the most well known of Le Carre's books. The story involves Smiley trying to find the find a spy who has infiltrated Britain's intelligence operations. The novel was adapted into a television show with Alec Guinness playing Smiley. Then in 2011, a film of the book was released and Gary Oldman played the lead character.
Spy books were still written even after USSR collapsed and the conflict with the Americans ended. These new spy books looked at counter-terrorist operations. Serious terrorist attacks in western countries has renewed the public interest in the world of secret agents. Plenty of older writers wrote novels on the subject, even though they may have been better known as a Cold War author.
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