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Ashenden Or: The British Agent
Ashenden Or: The British Agent | W. Somerset Maugham
6 posts | 4 read
Fact is a poor story-teller as Maugham reminds us. Fact starts a story at random, rambles on inconsequently and tails off , leaving loose ends, without a conclusion. It works up to an interesting situation, has no sense of climax and whittles away its dramatic effects in irrelevance. While some novelists believe this is a proper model for fiction, Maugham believes that fiction should not seek to copy life, but instead choose from life what is curious, telling, and dramatic, but keep to it closely enough not to shock the reader into disbelief. In short, fiction should excite, interest, and absorb the reader. Ashenden: 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 meet during his travels have their own reason for being involved in the spy game, and each are more complex than they first look.
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psalva
Ashenden | William Somerset Maugham
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Mehso-so

Quite an interesting collection of spy stories, all centered around Ashenden, openly based on Maugham himself who was a WWI spy. The stories flow into each other but could be read individually. Many unlikeable characters, colonial BS, racism, and antisemitism make some of the stories distasteful. Yet, overall, I‘m glad I read this. I‘m intrigued by Maugham for some reason and I haven‘t figured out why yet. Next up, some plays and a biography.

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psalva
Ashenden | William Somerset Maugham
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These connected short stories seem to be acting as a roman à clef, a term I first heard of a few weeks ago when I finished Maugham‘s novel Cakes and Ale, another example of the genre. Of course, this collection introduces Ashenden, the character stand in for Maugham in both books. In the tagged, Maugham drew from his experience as a spy during WWI. It‘s intriguing to think which parts are true and which just pure imagination.
#weirdwords @CBee

CBee This is so interesting - thanks for posting 😊💚 1y
19 likes1 comment
review
rabbitprincess
Ashenden | William Somerset Maugham
Mehso-so

This was all right. I liked the Switzerland stories best.

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LauraJ
Ashenden | William Somerset Maugham
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One more movie while I groom the puglet. Peter Lorre!
#teamstoker

BeansPage 🧟‍♀️ 5y
38 likes1 comment
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GatheringBooks
Ashenden | William Somerset Maugham
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review
bronwenr
Ashenden Or: The British Agent | W. Somerset Maugham
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Pickpick

If your reading experience with Somerset Maugham is Of Human Bondage, The Moon and Sixpence, Cakes and Ale, this will be a surprise. Spy stories: spare prose, desperate characters working to survive in an amoral fug.