Len Deighton

[The Daredevil 1,189]

British spy-fiction author turns 93 today. Hugely popular figure in the UK. Definitely worthy of a thread and of attention by the DL committee, surprised he hasn’t yet been on the DL, he really should be considered for 2023. 

[dimreaper 697]

I'm not familiar with him. What's his most famous work?

[The Daredevil 1,189]

2 minutes ago, dimreaper said:

I'm not familiar with him. What's his most famous work?

I would say The Ipcress File, which was made into film in 1965, starring Michael Caine.

[time 8,611]

Deighton was also an accomplished cook and wrote extensively on the subject, which is why Harry Palmer is shown as such.

[Youth in Asia 1,087]

7 hours ago, The Daredevil said:

Definitely worthy of a thread and of attention by the DL committee, surprised he hasn’t yet been on the DL, he really should be considered for 2023. 

 

Why, what's wrong with him?

[prussianblue 1,038]

Don't forget the other two Harry Palmer films, Funeral in Berlin (1966) and Billion Dollar Brain (1967), which were adaptations of his novels. There were also two TV movies in the mid-'90s, but Deighton had nothing to do with them.

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,689]

As with most recently-created threads, it's not his age or fame or DL suitability that's the issue, it's the fact that there will be no news about him till he dies. Really, just another excuse for the DL equivalent of vanity publishing - look at meee, I started a topic!! Oh yeah, well fuck off, mate.

 

It reminds me of the Bergman and Salinger threads already.

[Bibliogryphon 9,586]

9 minutes ago, harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy said:

As with most recently-created threads, it's not his age or fame or DL suitability that's the issue, it's the fact that there will be no news about him till he dies. Really, just another excuse for the DL equivalent of vanity publishing.

 

It reminds me of the Bergman and Salinger threads already.

 

Unless he is selected for the main list he could be discussed in the Authors thread.

 

[arghton 6,745]

3 hours ago, harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy said:

As with most recently-created threads, it's not his age or fame or DL suitability that's the issue, it's the fact that there will be no news about him till he dies. 

Exactly what I was thinking. Is he ill, would a hospitalisation/health issue be reported? 

 

Atleast the threads for the hospital hokey cokey people (Alberto Fujimori, Dilip Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Berlusconi, Dole...) despite how much many dislike them, get content posted in them. 

He won't go on forever like some (one of the most extreme cases seems to be the Rumsfeld thread - it had a few messages sent in it on the day the thread was made, thread fell into coma for the next 15 years and 11 months until the subject died) due to his age, but if he's still healthy he could be here for years. 

[msc 18,477]

3 hours ago, Bibliogryphon said:

 

Unless he is selected for the main list he could be discussed in the Authors thread.

 

 

I mean, I agree, but I'm also hardly going to discourage the promotion of more writers for the DL even if it is pointless.

 

Len Deighton has been retired for about a decade now, mostly refuses to give interviews (I think there are the odd one or two out there), rarely responds to fan mail, and in fact, hated the writing process and being a writer. According to him, he only became an author because it was useful to get laid at parties. There isn't going to be a lot of gossip about him before his death. 

 

Also Jack Higgins is better imo. And more fun. And gives interviews. And is still alive. 

 

 

[Ulitzer95 12,642]

Definitely deserves his own thread. Huge name in fiction and non-fiction alike. His Wikipedia page doesn't pay him justice.

During the 50s/60s, the 3 biggest espionage authors were Ian Fleming, John le Carre and Len Deighton.

[Grim Up North 3,726]

10 minutes ago, Ulitzer95 said:

the 3 biggest espionage authors were Ian Fleming

 

This was always my favourite - complete mystery even once you'd fiinished it.

[Ulitzer95 12,642]

Not sure why you're facepalming me @MortalCaso. I'm just stating facts, and I wasn't the one who created the thread. 

[MortalCaso 1,629]

31 minutes ago, Ulitzer95 said:

Not sure why you're facepalming me @MortalCaso. I'm just stating facts, and I wasn't the one who created the thread. 

You have very thick skin I see. 

[Ulitzer95 12,642]

1 minute ago, MortalCaso said:

You have very thick skin I see. 

I'm not bothered, more so confused. Just didn't make any sense. 

[GrumpyRabbit 52]

They’ve just made a series of the Ipcress Files with Joe Cole playing Harry Palmer https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220217-the-ipcress-file-the-rebel-spy-who-is-the-anti-james-bond.

[drol 11,951]

On 18/02/2022 at 13:39, msc said:

 

I mean, I agree, but I'm also hardly going to discourage the promotion of more writers for the DL even if it is pointless.

 

Len Deighton has been retired for about a decade now, mostly refuses to give interviews (I think there are the odd one or two out there), rarely responds to fan mail, and in fact, hated the writing process and being a writer. According to him, he only became an author because it was useful to get laid at parties. There isn't going to be a lot of gossip about him before his death. 

 

Also Jack Higgins is better imo. And more fun. And gives interviews. And is still alive. 

 

 

Jack Higgins dead at 92.

[gcreptile 10,976]

1 minute ago, drol said:

Jack Higgins dead at 92.

100th DDP hit this year, and again, picked by Bibliogryphon.

[msc 18,477]

4 minutes ago, drol said:

Jack Higgins dead at 92.

 

Sad news. He was better, and more fun, and more alive than Len Deighton. Probably even now, tbh.

 

Writing a proper page turner thriller is really bloody difficult, and Higgins was a master at them. 

[Bibliogryphon 9,586]

3 hours ago, gcreptile said:

100th DDP hit this year, and again, picked by Bibliogryphon.

This might get me in the Theme League top 10.

[The Daredevil 1,189]

Recent interview

[Ulitzer95 12,642]

Radio silence since his June 2023 interview. 96 in February. Would support his inclusion on the 2025 list.

[prussianblue 1,038]

I read The Ipcress File last month. It's not actually that good. Plot very underdeveloped and meandering. 'Palmer' goes off to Lebanon and the South Pacific for...reasons? For once the film version was the far superior product.