Ashenden

Inspired by the author’s own experiences as a secret agent: As part of His Majesty’s Secret Service, Ashenden moves across World War I Europe as an upstanding citizen, a writer — and, of course, as a spy. In these 16 interconnected stories, his exploits abound — and danger always lurks nearby…

A celebrated writer by the time the war broke out in 1914, Maugham had the perfect cover for living in Switzerland. Multilingual and knowledgeable about many European countries, he was dispatched by the Secret Service to Lucerne - under the guise of completing a play.

An assignment whose danger and drama appealed both to his sense of romance and of the ridiculous. Ashenden is a collection of stories 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.