When war broke out in 1914, Somerset Maugham was dispatched by the British Secret Service to Switzerland under the guise of completing a play. Multilingual, knowledgeable about many European countries and a celebrated writer, Maugham had the perfect cover, and the assignment appealed to his love of romance, and of the ridiculous. The stories collected in Ashenden are rooted in Maugham's own experiences as an agent, reflecting the ruthlessness and brutality of espionage, its intrigue and treachery, as well as its absurdity.
- ISBN10 0836940520
- ISBN13 9780836940527
- Publish Date 12 December 1971 (first published December 1951)
- Publish Status Unknown
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Books for Libraries
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 304
- Language English