"Unlike James Bond, however, Deighton's secret agents were ordinary working-class people, often frustrated by the incompetence of their own side. The story involved Cold War brainwashing and the development and testing of atomic weapons."
"Deighton also authored a number of historical books about the Second World War and, as a cookery writer, helped to introduce French cuisine to the UK. A keen illustrator, he was also responsible for more than 200 book covers, including the first UK edition of Jack Kerouac's On The Road."
"It was a major factor in my decision to write a spy story at my first attempt at fiction. In 1940, he saw his mother's client - Anna Wolkoff - dragged off by the British Security Services and accused of being a wartime Nazi spy."
Len Deighton, a renowned British author who passed away at 97, was best known for spy novels featuring ordinary working-class protagonists unlike James Bond. His 1962 novel The Ipcress File, exploring Cold War brainwashing and atomic weapons, became a Bafta-winning film with Michael Caine and was recently remade as an ITV series. Beyond fiction, Deighton authored numerous historical books about World War II and served as a cookery writer who introduced French cuisine to the UK. As an accomplished illustrator, he designed over 200 book covers, including the first UK edition of Jack Kerouac's On The Road. Born in London in 1929 to working-class parents, Deighton's interest in espionage was sparked by witnessing a Nazi spy arrest during his childhood.
Read at www.bbc.com
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