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 78
... heart ; love like that is no pleasure , it is pain , pain , but the exquisite pain that transcends all pleasure . It is that heavenly anguish that the saints speak of when they are seized with a divine ecstasy . I knew that she must not ...
... heart ; love like that is no pleasure , it is pain , pain , but the exquisite pain that transcends all pleasure . It is that heavenly anguish that the saints speak of when they are seized with a divine ecstasy . I knew that she must not ...
Page 82
... heart pleasant recollections . The Strada di Chiaia was as noisy as ever . He stood at corners and looked up the narrow alleys that climbed the hill precipitously , those alleys of high houses with the washing set out to dry on lines ...
... heart pleasant recollections . The Strada di Chiaia was as noisy as ever . He stood at corners and looked up the narrow alleys that climbed the hill precipitously , those alleys of high houses with the washing set out to dry on lines ...
Page 130
... heart , it had really a certain passion . " Now add : The man who is bringing this is Swiss , you can trust him absolutely . I didn't want the censor to see it . " She hesitated an instant , but then wrote as he di- rected . " How do ...
... heart , it had really a certain passion . " Now add : The man who is bringing this is Swiss , you can trust him absolutely . I didn't want the censor to see it . " She hesitated an instant , but then wrote as he di- rected . " How do ...
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Common terms and phrases
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