Len
Deighton - f. 1929 i London. Arbejdede som jernbanefunkt., fotograf, kom 20 år
gammel på St Martin's School of Art og senere Royal College of Art på et
stipendium. Han ernærede sig som tjener i den periode og fik interesse for
madlavning. Arbejdede som illustrator i New York og senere som kunstredaktør i
London.
Hans første bog (1962) var The Ipcress file. Foruden diverse gode
bøger om 2. verdenskrig skrev han kogebøger. Hans litterære højdepunkt må siges
at være de 8 sammenhængende bøger om den britiske spion Bernard Samson.
Sceneriet er koldkrigs 80erne i såvel Storbritannien som Tyskland med et enkelt
hop tilbage til årene 1900 - 1945. Slutscenen foregår i Berlin, men mindes i
Californien. (... også lykken kommer for det meste af erindringer snarere end af
oplevelser !).
Da jeg senest oplevede Berlin (1997 og 2005), beså jeg de
beskrevne lokationer og følte næsten, at Bernard Samson gik ved siden af. Jeg
har med meget stor fornøjelse haft korrespondance med Len Deighton. Indtrykket
er en verdensklog, humoristisk, bredspektret og venlig personlighed - en af
verdens allerstørste forfattere i sin genre.
Ordene kosmopolit og klasse
diskret indpakket i en accept af sin baggrund og ægte ydmyghed overfor læseren
kan virkelig anvendes her.
Len
Deighton - b. 1929 i London.
Len Deighton was born in London in 1929. He
worked as a railway clerk before doing his National Service in the RAF as a
photographer attached to the Special Investigation Branch. After his discharge
in 1949, he went to art school at the St. Martin's School of Art and then to the
Royal College of Art on a scholarship. It was during his time as a waiter in the
evenings that he developed an interest in cooking. He worked for a while as an
illustrator in New York City and as art director of an advertising agency in
London. Deighton moved to Dordogne when he decided to settle down. This is when
he worked on his first book, "The Ipcress File". The book became an immediate
and spectacular success when it was released in 1962. Since then he as become
quite the accomplished writer with 26 works of fiction and non-fiction to his
name. Most of his novels are of the genre of Spy Stories, Highly Researched War
Novels and Histories.
I have had the pleasure for more than one time to
be in written touch with him - discussing his books about "The Samson stories"
(my favourites). His responses characterize a kind, cosmopolitican writer with
sense of humour and style as well. In his genre one of the very best in the
world.
