• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Alert

COVID-19 Related Library Service News and Updates More Info

arlingtonva.us
MENUMENU
  • Join Now
  • My Account
    • Login
    • About My Account
    • My eAccounts
    • Join Now
  • Holds Pickup
  • Locations
  • News
  • Help
    • FAQs
    • Contact Us
    • By Appointment
  • Contact Us

Arlington Public Library

MENUMENU
  • Events
    • Explore Online Programs
    • Featured Events
    • Events Calendar
  • Search
      • Browse New
      • Browse All
  • eCollection
    • eAudiobooks
    • eBooks
    • Digital Magazines
    • Learning Tools
    • Research Tools
  • Research
    • Research Portal
    • Research Tools A-Z
    • Local History
  • Services
    • Accessibility Services
    • Borrowing
    • Holds Pickup
    • Get Reading Recs
    • Nonprofits
    • Resume & Job Search
    • Technology
    • Wi-Fi
    • Unavailable Services
    • Accounts and Borrowing
    • Computer Services
    • Meeting Rooms
    • Accessibility Services During COVID-19
    • Make an Appointment
    • More Services
  • Explore
    • Catalog
      • Catalog Search
      • Catalog Browse
      • Digital Archives
      • Borrowing Collections
      • Book Lists
    • Kids & Teens
      • For Babies and Preschoolers
      • For Elementary Schoolers
      • Middle and High Schoolers
    • Local History
      • Research Room
      • Community Archives
      • Digital Collection
    • Support the Library
      • Friends of the Library
      • Giving Opportunities
      • Donating Materials
    • Popular
      • Lynda.com
      • Consumer Reports
      • Overdrive
      • RBdigital
    • EXPLORE MORE
  • Join Now
  • My Account
    • Login
    • My eAccounts
    • About My Account
    • Get a Free Library Card
  • Locations
  • News
  • Help
  • Contact Us

Code Name Bond: Writers Who Used to be Spies

Good Spies Always Have a Good Cover Story.

Lucky for us, the cover story for a lot of spies has been “writer,” leading to some excellent literature.  

In anticipation of the Second Annual Lit Up Ball, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite true life spy stories featuring famous authors:

 

Ian Fleming

The creator of our man James Bond worked for the British Naval Intelligence during World War II. Undoubtedly he drew upon his experiences to craft his legendary character. He may even have drawn on his personal experiences for Bond’s love scenes: Fleming carried on a long-lasting affair with a married woman.

 

 

 

W. Somerset Maugham

Maugham was approached by the British Secret Intelligence Service for two reasons: he spoke English, French, and German fluently, and he had just published “Of Human Bondage” and could use his career as a writer for his cover. Maugham did just that, passing codes and messages through his manuscript while living in Switzerland.

 

 

 

Spy wore redAline, Countess of Romanoes

Born Aline Griffiths in Pearl River, N.Y., in 1923, she was recruited by the OSS and spent part of World War II as a spy and cipher clerk in Spain and other parts of Europe. Beautiful and seemingly innocent, she blended easily with the aristocracy and socialite world. Lucky for us, in the 1980s and 90s she penned three highly entertaining memoirs based on her work during World War II.

 

 

 

Graham Greene

Graham Greene, like Bond, was a traveler, a womanizer, and–you guessed it, a spy. His espionage duties took him to Sierra Leone and Cuba, perhaps inspiring his spy farce “Our Man in Havana.”

 

 

 

 

Julia Child

Before she started cooking and writing cookbooks, Julia Child secretly served in the OSS in the Far East during World War II. In addition, she and her husband were hounded during the McCarthy witch hunts, remaining loyal to a best friend accused of being a spy and eventually leaving government service.

 

 

 

 

Roald Dahl

After being deemed unfit to fly following a stellar military career in the Royal Air Force, Roald Dahl was recrutied to the British Security Coordination, an intelligence outfit based in the United States. While there, he was commissioned to take a page out of James Bond’s book and woo high society women in Washington, DC to get the inside scoop on  what was really going on behind closed American doors (and in their bedrooms).

 

 

 

a perfect spyJohn le Carré

John le Carré, the pseudonym for David Cornwel, was a member of the British Foreign Service from 1959 – 1964. The author of the George Smiley novels including “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” he calls “A Perfect Spy” his most autobiographical story.

 

 

 

 

Peter Matthiessen

Stationed as a young writer in Paris, Peter Matthiessen was charged with reporting on Communist activities to the CIA during the Cold War. After starting The Paris Review, Matthiessen soon quit his clandestine work, becoming put off by growing McCarthyism in the U.S. Good thing he did too – he moved back to the States and wrote some of his most famous work after leaving the service.

 

 

 

October 7, 2014 by Web Editor

Filed Under: Collection Tagged With: Collection spotlight: Home Page

Footer

Explore

  • Catalog
  • eCollection
  • Research
  • Services
  • Kids and Teens
  • Local History
  • Events
  • more

About Us

  • Mission & Vision
  • Policies
  • Library Administration
  • Job Opportunities
  • For Partners
  • News Room

Support Your Library

  • Friends of the Library
  • Giving Opportunities
  • Donating Materials
  • Volunteer Opportunities

Our Mission

We champion the power of stories, information and ideas.

We create space for culture and connection.

We embrace inclusion and diverse points of view.

Download the Library App

Arlington County | Terms & Conditions | <!-- Accessibility | --> Site Map
· Copyright © 2021 Arlington County Government ·