... for yesterday (I forgot to post this up yesterday!).
On 18 February, Len Deighton celebrated his 93rd birthday, having been born in London - Marylebone to be exact - on that day in 1929.
Readers of his novels, his histories, and his cookbooks from around the world will I'm sure join the Dossier in sending good wishes to the author.
2022 is something of a marquee year for the author - next month, ITV broadcasts its lavish remake of The Ipcress File - and the year also marks the sixtieth anniversary of that novel's first publication in London - the first edition sold out almost on the first day, and has sold consistently well ever since, right up to last year's Penguin reissues.
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| Len Deighton in a 1983 publicity photo |
Happy Birthday too from me, Len Deighton. I did not realise, he is 93,an enviable life like our Queen.
ReplyDeleteTravelling back through the memory lane, I see in 1962, the publication of a novel, which received raving reviews, including from Ian Fleming. That was the power of his writing. He was a brilliant thriller writer , pure and simple. The best cold war expert
on the mechanics of that war, played out in the divided Berlin then. Those were the days, I remember with nostalgia that written words meant a lot. Holding a thriller-the book meant a tribute to the author. None of this technology nonsense that arrived later widescreen yonder, hand held screen later etc,,, although the technology-the computer technology and software specifically have provided me the livelihood for decades since then.
My only regret has been, since 1960s,that , he did not follow his second novel with the Bernard Samson series, as those were the days of the raging cold war. His admirers that included me, were crying for his expert narratives in that setting of the divided Berlin
As someone, who bought his first thriller, from the bookshop on the way to home from work-not many of that generation of us are left today, I wish Len Deighton a long happy life.
The dreadful invasion of Ukraine by Russia with produce an aftermath of a new cold war that will encompass Ukraine, Finland and Sweden versus the NATO countries in Europe, the latter 2 countries, is added to the list by Russia to remain 'neutral' -non-NATO.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the suffering of Ukraine's people, heart-wrenching it is, the reality will be this new divide indicated above, will be the norm with 1960s Berlin -divide cold wat issues without the Wall cropping up again in new sort of ways. Len Deighton's Bernard Samson series is still relevant in this new 2022 setting.