Poll
Question:
Who is your favourite British anti-American spy novelist?
Option 1: Eric Ambler
votes: 0
Option 2: Graham Greene
votes: 3
Option 3: John le Carre
votes: 8
Three of my favourite authors. They all write great, cynical spy novels and they've all got a mile wide streak of anti-Americanism :lol:
Who's your favourite?
I never found Le Carre' as particularly "anti-American"...critical, perhaps, but in the intel world from a Brit perspective, I'd say justifiable so.
He's my fave rave from the list.
Le Carre. He didn't spare anyone.
Our Game is probably the most brilliant of his works, and doesn't contain any anti-Americanism at all.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on April 30, 2013, 07:05:05 PM
I never found Le Carre' as particularly "anti-American"...critical, perhaps, but in the intel world from a Brit perspective, I'd say justifiable so.
I think it becomes more pronounced in his later novels, especially ones that deal with the War on Terror. A Most Wanted Man, for example, but it's still very good.
QuoteOur Game is probably the most brilliant of his works, and doesn't contain any anti-Americanism at all.
For me I'd choose a cliche and go for The Spy Who Came In From The Cold.
I always feel all three have been hard-done by because they're seen as 'genre' writers, not 'literary' writers. Luckily I think that distinction's starting to collapse.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on April 30, 2013, 07:05:05 PM
I never found Le Carre' as particularly "anti-American"...critical, perhaps, but in the intel world from a Brit perspective, I'd say justifiable so.
He's my fave rave from the list.
Indeed, on both counts.
Quote from: grumbler on April 30, 2013, 07:10:24 PM
Our Game is probably the most brilliant of his works, and doesn't contain any anti-Americanism at all.
That is my personal favorite as well, and a wonderful, wonderful ending.
I've always enjoyed LeCarre.
I've never thought of Le Carre as anti-American either. It's the villains in his books that spout down with the Yanquis codswallop.
Green is beyond a doubt anti-American. No other explanation for why he felt the need to fabricate a malign role for the US in Vietnam.
No clue who this Ambler fellow is.
Quote from: Sheilbh on April 30, 2013, 07:13:47 PM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on April 30, 2013, 07:05:05 PM
I never found Le Carre' as particularly "anti-American"...critical, perhaps, but in the intel world from a Brit perspective, I'd say justifiable so.
I think it becomes more pronounced in his later novels, especially ones that deal with the War on Terror. A Most Wanted Man, for example, but it's still very good.
I dunno...his critical eye of the often ham-fisted, technologically-reliant Americans during his Cold War works seemed pretty pronounced, particularly with that last kick in the star spangled nuts called
The Russia House. :lol:
But I wouldn't consider it anti-American.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on April 30, 2013, 07:32:18 PM
Quote from: Sheilbh on April 30, 2013, 07:13:47 PM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on April 30, 2013, 07:05:05 PM
I never found Le Carre' as particularly "anti-American"...critical, perhaps, but in the intel world from a Brit perspective, I'd say justifiable so.
I think it becomes more pronounced in his later novels, especially ones that deal with the War on Terror. A Most Wanted Man, for example, but it's still very good.
I dunno...his critical eye of the often ham-fisted, technologically-reliant Americans during his Cold War works seemed pretty pronounced, particularly with that last kick in the star spangled nuts called The Russia House. :lol:
But I wouldn't consider it anti-American.
Hell, our own dear Hansie has said as much about operations in Afghanistan.
Quote from: mongers on April 30, 2013, 07:39:04 PM
Hell, our own dear Hansie has said as much about operations in Afghanistan.
Well, the shit ain't changed since Sputnik.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on April 30, 2013, 07:29:31 PM
No clue who this Ambler fellow is.
He was a big inspiration for both Greene and Le Carre, especially in terms of style. He wrote a series of lefty, anti-Fascist thrillers in the late 30s which are brilliant. I've not read any of his post-war stuff.
I'm really interested and surprised that people don't see Le Carre as anti-American. A book's politics generally doesn't bother me, but I'd always thought his were as laced with it as Greene's.
Quote from: Sheilbh on April 30, 2013, 07:42:18 PM
I'm really interested and surprised that people don't see Le Carre as anti-American. A book's politics generally doesn't bother me, but I'd always thought his were as laced with it as Greene's.
I've only read the Smiley books and I just don't see it. Quite a bit of envy about resources, relevance, power, etc, but that's not necessarily anti-American.
Question for you though: have you read The Tailor of Panama? I have not, but saw the movie. Overcooked rhetoric straight out of The Workers' Daily about "firebombing Panama City." Was stuff like that in the book?
Quote from: Admiral Yi on April 30, 2013, 07:48:13 PM
Question for you though: have you read The Tailor of Panama? I have not, but saw the movie. Overcooked rhetoric straight out of The Workers' Daily about "firebombing Panama City." Was stuff like that in the book?
The book is actually pretty good, and really fleshes out Pierce Brosnan's character more than the movie came close to doing.
I suppose it
could be considered anti-American based on the POV of the internal carnage left behind from The Noriega Thing but it's more like your typical-US-legacy-of-supporting-despots-in-Central-America, which isn't anti-American as much as it is the simple truth.
But I didn't consider it anti-American, and you know how sensitive about
that.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on April 30, 2013, 07:48:13 PM
Question for you though: have you read The Tailor of Panama? I have not, but saw the movie. Overcooked rhetoric straight out of The Workers' Daily about "firebombing Panama City." Was stuff like that in the book?
I've not read the book. Saw the film and liked it well enough - but then I've yet to meet a Geoffrey Rush film I didn't like (except maybe The King's Speech). It's not a film that stuck in my mind though.
I read Greene's "The Heart of the Matter" for a school presentation once. I don't think I've read a similarly depressing book since then. The Road, maybe.