If you love James Bond and you also enjoy non-fiction, you might enjoy:
The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington by Jennet Conant.
Described by the publisher as an "extraordinary tale of deceit, double-dealing, and moral ambiguity," The Irregular is is journalist Conant's account of the "spytime" of Roald Dahl, beloved if acerbic author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory who was sent to Washington to undertake a sometimes comical mission to promote the British cause among Americans, befriending the Roosevelts and prominent journalists such as Drew Pearson, Walter Lippmann and Walter Winchell. Conant shows Dahl's progression from rank amateur to smooth operator, as he and compatriots Ian Fleming and David Ogilvy pursued the "charm offensive," around Washington -- cultivating Washington hostesses but also attempting to sabotage American corporations that did business with the Third Reich.
(Dahl's connection to Fleming continued throughout his life: he wrote the screenplays for You Only Live Twice and Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.)
Post new comment