Ashenden, Or: The British AgentAshenden: The British Agent is founded on Maugham's experiences in the English Intelligence Department during World War I, but rearranged for the purposes of fiction. This fascinating book contains the most expert stories of espionage ever written. For a period of time after it was first published the book became official required reading for persons entering the secret service. The plot follows the imaginary John Ashenden who during World War I is a spy for British Intelligence. He is sent first to Geneva and later to Russia. Instead of one story from start to finish, the chapters contain individual stories involving many different characters. All of the people whom Ashenden meets during his travels have their own reason for being involved in the spy game, and each are more complex than they first look. |
From inside the book
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Page 274
... Vladimir Semenovich was a little man with a large , long head that looked as though it had been pulled like a piece of liquorice , and he had a great shock of unruly Russian hair . He was a gentle , unobtrusive creature and it was hard ...
... Vladimir Semenovich was a little man with a large , long head that looked as though it had been pulled like a piece of liquorice , and he had a great shock of unruly Russian hair . He was a gentle , unobtrusive creature and it was hard ...
Page 275
... Vladimir Semenovich might well have I wished he had never been born . Ashenden could not help admitting that he was a poor thing , but he was so harmless that he conceived quite a liking for him , and when in due course he had disclosed ...
... Vladimir Semenovich might well have I wished he had never been born . Ashenden could not help admitting that he was a poor thing , but he was so harmless that he conceived quite a liking for him , and when in due course he had disclosed ...
Page 284
... Vladimir Semenovich had gone to Russia . It might be that they would be able to help him , in a way Vladi- mir Semenovich owed him his life , and he made up his mind to write to Anastasia Alexandrovna to ask if he might come to see her ...
... Vladimir Semenovich had gone to Russia . It might be that they would be able to help him , in a way Vladi- mir Semenovich owed him his life , and he made up his mind to write to Anastasia Alexandrovna to ask if he might come to see her ...
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agent Alix ambassador Anastasia Alexandrovna answer Ashen Ashenden felt Ashenden knew Ashenden looked Ashenden saw Ashenden thought asked Ashenden baroness bassador Bolsheviks Brindisi Byring Caypor chance Chandra Colonel course cried Delilah detective dine dinner door enden English everything eyes face Fafner feeling fellow fool France Fritzi gave Geneva German Giulia give glance Gustav Hairless Mexican hand Harrington head heart Herbert Witherspoon Holzminden hour humour lake laughed Lausanne Lazzari letter Lucerne married Mexican opened mind Miss King Monsieur morning neutral country never night notion O'Malley once opened Paris passport Petrograd play round Russian scrambled eggs seemed shoulders shrugged Sir Herbert sitting smile Somerville stood story Swiss Switzerland talk tell there's thing Thonon tion told took train turned Vladimir wait walked watched wife woman wondered word write