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White Eagles Over Serbia
Writing in the style of John Buchan and John le Carre+a7, the author of Alexandria Quartet follows a British secret service agent as he investigates the brutal murder of a fellow agent in the Balkans.
200 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1957
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545 people want to read
About the author
Lawrence Durrell
321 books883 followersLawrence George Durrell was a critically hailed and beloved novelist, poet, humorist, and travel writer best known for The Alexandria Quartet novels, which were ranked by the Modern Library as among the greatest works of English literature in the twentieth century. A passionate and dedicated writer from an early age, Durrell’s prolific career also included the groundbreaking Avignon Quintet, whose first novel, Monsieur (1974), won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and whose third novel, Constance (1982), was nominated for the Booker Prize. He also penned the celebrated travel memoir Bitter Lemons of Cyprus (1957), which won the Duff Cooper Prize. Durrell corresponded with author Henry Miller for forty-five years, and Miller influenced much of his early work, including a provocative and controversial novel, The Black Book (1938). Durrell died in France in 1990.
The time Lawrence spent with his family, mother Louisa, siblings Leslie, Margaret Durrell, and Gerald Durrell, on the island of Corfu were the subject of Gerald's memoirs and have been filmed numerous times for TV.
The time Lawrence spent with his family, mother Louisa, siblings Leslie, Margaret Durrell, and Gerald Durrell, on the island of Corfu were the subject of Gerald's memoirs and have been filmed numerous times for TV.
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October 11, 2019
Napisan verovatno ne bi li Darel uspeo da se ogrebe o koju funtu na osnovu poletnog uspeha Ihan Flemingovog špijunskog serijala o Džejmsu Bondu tokom pedesetih, „Beli orlovi nad Srbijom” donosi krajnje neuspešni zaplet o britanskom agentu na tajnom zadatku u komunističkoj Jugoslaviji, gde je došao ne bi li istražio ubistvo engleskog ambasadora, ali i šuškanja o reorganizaciji srpskih rojalističkih snaga u ilegali.
Darel ne ume da stvara tenziju, glavni junak je odbojan, svaki pripovedačev pokušaj da ga učini „kul” momkom samo je učinilo da se ponaša kao još veći pretenciozni snob, a jedini preokreti u priči su oni koje čitalac radi očima. Neverovatno je da je ovo izašlo iste godine kada i prvi deo „Aleksandrijskog kvarteta”, romana koji neizmerno volim.
Ne mogu a da se ne okrenem i na način na koji je Darel predstavio Jugoslaviju, Beograd i njene stanovnike, pre svega Srbe. Sve je siromašno, ulice su razrušene, izlozi prazni. Ljudi su bez zuba, smrde na „ustajali kajmak i suncokretovo ulje”, svi se teturaju od šljivovice, a u jednom od tri restorana, koliko ih je ostalo nakon što su svi ostali pretvoreni u menze, jedino je moguće poručiti jelo sa „ukusom Staljinovog brka”. E sad, roman je toliko loš da ovi ispadi predrasuda i omalovažavanja drugih nacija ispadnu najzabavniji deo knjige. U krajnem slučaju, karma je kučka, kako glasi ona američka fraza – Darel je najbliže Nobelovoj nagradi bio 1961. u godini kada ju je bespovratno izgubio od pisca koji je pripadao tim „krezavim” i „smrdljivim” narodima sa Balkana.
Darel ne ume da stvara tenziju, glavni junak je odbojan, svaki pripovedačev pokušaj da ga učini „kul” momkom samo je učinilo da se ponaša kao još veći pretenciozni snob, a jedini preokreti u priči su oni koje čitalac radi očima. Neverovatno je da je ovo izašlo iste godine kada i prvi deo „Aleksandrijskog kvarteta”, romana koji neizmerno volim.
Ne mogu a da se ne okrenem i na način na koji je Darel predstavio Jugoslaviju, Beograd i njene stanovnike, pre svega Srbe. Sve je siromašno, ulice su razrušene, izlozi prazni. Ljudi su bez zuba, smrde na „ustajali kajmak i suncokretovo ulje”, svi se teturaju od šljivovice, a u jednom od tri restorana, koliko ih je ostalo nakon što su svi ostali pretvoreni u menze, jedino je moguće poručiti jelo sa „ukusom Staljinovog brka”. E sad, roman je toliko loš da ovi ispadi predrasuda i omalovažavanja drugih nacija ispadnu najzabavniji deo knjige. U krajnem slučaju, karma je kučka, kako glasi ona američka fraza – Darel je najbliže Nobelovoj nagradi bio 1961. u godini kada ju je bespovratno izgubio od pisca koji je pripadao tim „krezavim” i „smrdljivim” narodima sa Balkana.
January 10, 2018
In the 60s, when I was plugging away at my bachelor’s dregree, a teacher I respected commented that I couldn’t consider myself an intellectual until I had read Proust. I took the challenge and read about the kid who put himself to sleep by remembering over the course of at least 100 pages (I suppose I’m exaggerating here, but maybe not) how much he enjoyed cookies. Several years later another teacher made a similar comment about Lawrence Durrell. Still a sucker, I took a shot first at the Alexandria Quartet, then the Avignon Quintet with similar results. So ended my pretensions.
In the past few years, I’ve read a few of Durrell’s short stories and found them very entertaining. Accordingly, when I noticed the volume under review on sale at Amazon, I grabbed it. White Eagles Over Serbia may be Durrell-lite, but I really liked it. It’s exactly the sort of spy story I appreciate. It introduced me to a time (late 40s/early 50s) and place (Yugoslavia) I knew little about. It’s very well written, has a significant bit of suspense and doesn’t answer all the questions it raises.
In the past few years, I’ve read a few of Durrell’s short stories and found them very entertaining. Accordingly, when I noticed the volume under review on sale at Amazon, I grabbed it. White Eagles Over Serbia may be Durrell-lite, but I really liked it. It’s exactly the sort of spy story I appreciate. It introduced me to a time (late 40s/early 50s) and place (Yugoslavia) I knew little about. It’s very well written, has a significant bit of suspense and doesn’t answer all the questions it raises.
May 1, 2017
In this dreadful book, Lawrence Durrell fails in the one thing he was good at; taking sides in a political controversy. The Alexandria Quartet among other things is a great rallying cry in support of Israel while in Bitter Lemons, Durrell in magnificent fashion pleads the case of the Greeks in Cyprus. In White Eagles Over Serbia Durrell very dishonestly refuses either to endorse or to denounce England's policies towards Tito's communist regime in Yugoslavia.
Durrell constructs his book using elements from the Richard Hannay and James Bond novels. He gives us Methuen a dashing British Spy who is irresistibly drawn to danger. He has a manipulative boss and a charming stable of sidekicks. He has the endearing personal quirks of enjoying the opera and fly fishing. Needless to say he is a consummate ladies' man.
Methuen is dispatched by SoQ (which seems to be part of M1) shortly before Tito's break with Stalin to investigate a suspected group of Royalist insurrectionists known as the White Eagles in the Serbian mountains. Influenced possibly by love, Methuen decides to join with the doughty Serbian royalists in their efforts to smuggle King Peter's gold reserves out of Yugoslavia. Having employed primarily literary devices from the repertories of John Buchanan and Ian Fleming, Durrell decides at this point to use an ironic twist similar to those of Evelyn Waugh. He has Methuen lead the White Eagles into a Communist ambush from which only he escapes alive.
Methuen's final debriefing with his supervisor in London reminds one of the closing dialogue between agent 86 and his chief in a Get Smart episode. That two conclude that it was a good thing that the Royalist plot failed. Had it succeeded the Russians would have invaded and Tito would not have been able to take Yugoslavia out of the Communist camp. Whatever his intentions were, Durrell has certainly treated the reader to a very humorous conclusion.
White Eagles Over Serbia is a very inferior thriller. Given that Durrell lived in Belgrade from 1948 to 1952, his political and social analysis is ludicrously superficial. If Durrell had possessed sufficient backbone to take sides between Tito and the Royalists, he might have produced a better book. What he did produce is utterly preposterous.
Durrell constructs his book using elements from the Richard Hannay and James Bond novels. He gives us Methuen a dashing British Spy who is irresistibly drawn to danger. He has a manipulative boss and a charming stable of sidekicks. He has the endearing personal quirks of enjoying the opera and fly fishing. Needless to say he is a consummate ladies' man.
Methuen is dispatched by SoQ (which seems to be part of M1) shortly before Tito's break with Stalin to investigate a suspected group of Royalist insurrectionists known as the White Eagles in the Serbian mountains. Influenced possibly by love, Methuen decides to join with the doughty Serbian royalists in their efforts to smuggle King Peter's gold reserves out of Yugoslavia. Having employed primarily literary devices from the repertories of John Buchanan and Ian Fleming, Durrell decides at this point to use an ironic twist similar to those of Evelyn Waugh. He has Methuen lead the White Eagles into a Communist ambush from which only he escapes alive.
Methuen's final debriefing with his supervisor in London reminds one of the closing dialogue between agent 86 and his chief in a Get Smart episode. That two conclude that it was a good thing that the Royalist plot failed. Had it succeeded the Russians would have invaded and Tito would not have been able to take Yugoslavia out of the Communist camp. Whatever his intentions were, Durrell has certainly treated the reader to a very humorous conclusion.
White Eagles Over Serbia is a very inferior thriller. Given that Durrell lived in Belgrade from 1948 to 1952, his political and social analysis is ludicrously superficial. If Durrell had possessed sufficient backbone to take sides between Tito and the Royalists, he might have produced a better book. What he did produce is utterly preposterous.
August 14, 2022
Sonunda gözümden kalpler fışkırmasına sebep olmayan bir Durrell okudum. Bu objektif değerlendirmeyi yapabildiğime göre demek ki aşkın gözü kör değilmiş ve ben de kafayı yememişim; bence şahsım adına müspet bir gelişme.
Sırbistan Üzerinde Beyaz Kartallar, şu ana dek okuduğum Durrell kitapları arasında en zayıfıydı, diğerlerinden aldığım müthiş lezzeti bundan alamadım. Ama zaten öyle bir derdi de yok gibi bu kitabın; diğer eserlerinin aksine burada insan ilişkilerine dair gözlemler yapmak, müthiş atmosferik bir kent tasvir edip sizi alıp olduğunuzdan bambaşka bir şehre götürmek yerine sürükleyici bir casusluk hikayesi anlatmayı seçmiş yazar. Soğuk savaş dönemi Yugoslavya'sında, Tito diktatörlüğü döneminde Sırbistan'da geçen bir hikaye bu, bir İngiliz casusun ölümünü araştırmak üzere gizli görevle ülkeye giden bir diğer casus olan Methuen'in epey heyecan verici macerasını okuyoruz.
Bir Pazar sabahı başlayıp aynı gün bitirdim, oldukça rahat okunan, sürükleyici, merak uyandırıcı bir öykü kendisi ama dediğim gibi, dili bir Durrell kitabı olamayacak kadar zayıftı. (Yahut şöyle diyeyim: Durrell standartlarında zayıftı zira seviye gökyüzünde malum, yoksa asla kötü değil.) Casusluk romanları özellikle bilgi sahibi olduğum bir alan olmadığı için bu iyi bir casusluk romanı mıdır bilemeyeceğim ama okuması keyifliydi diyebilirim.
Bir not: şayet Can Yayınları İskenderiye Dörtlüsü'nün arından diğer Durrell eserlerini de yayınlamayı planlıyorsa bunun çevirisini bir gözden geçirse çok hayırlı olur. Özellikle sonlara doğru çok fazla tashih vardı (satır sonunda yanlış bölünmüş kelimeler, de/da hataları vs.). Vaziyet böyle.
Sırbistan Üzerinde Beyaz Kartallar, şu ana dek okuduğum Durrell kitapları arasında en zayıfıydı, diğerlerinden aldığım müthiş lezzeti bundan alamadım. Ama zaten öyle bir derdi de yok gibi bu kitabın; diğer eserlerinin aksine burada insan ilişkilerine dair gözlemler yapmak, müthiş atmosferik bir kent tasvir edip sizi alıp olduğunuzdan bambaşka bir şehre götürmek yerine sürükleyici bir casusluk hikayesi anlatmayı seçmiş yazar. Soğuk savaş dönemi Yugoslavya'sında, Tito diktatörlüğü döneminde Sırbistan'da geçen bir hikaye bu, bir İngiliz casusun ölümünü araştırmak üzere gizli görevle ülkeye giden bir diğer casus olan Methuen'in epey heyecan verici macerasını okuyoruz.
Bir Pazar sabahı başlayıp aynı gün bitirdim, oldukça rahat okunan, sürükleyici, merak uyandırıcı bir öykü kendisi ama dediğim gibi, dili bir Durrell kitabı olamayacak kadar zayıftı. (Yahut şöyle diyeyim: Durrell standartlarında zayıftı zira seviye gökyüzünde malum, yoksa asla kötü değil.) Casusluk romanları özellikle bilgi sahibi olduğum bir alan olmadığı için bu iyi bir casusluk romanı mıdır bilemeyeceğim ama okuması keyifliydi diyebilirim.
Bir not: şayet Can Yayınları İskenderiye Dörtlüsü'nün arından diğer Durrell eserlerini de yayınlamayı planlıyorsa bunun çevirisini bir gözden geçirse çok hayırlı olur. Özellikle sonlara doğru çok fazla tashih vardı (satır sonunda yanlış bölünmüş kelimeler, de/da hataları vs.). Vaziyet böyle.
September 1, 2016
লরেন্স ডারেল-এর এই বইটা ট্র্যাডিশনাল ধাঁচের থ্রিলার। পটভূমি দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধ পরবর্তী ইউগোস্লাভিয়া। মিত্রপক্ষের পৃষ্ঠপোষকতায় কমিউনিস্ট নেতা টিটো ক্ষমতায় এলেও সিংহাসনচ্যুত রাজপরিবারের সমর্থকরা তখনও হাল ছেড়ে দেননি। আজকে যেখানে সার্বিয়া এবং মন্টেনিগ্রোর সীমারেখা টেনে দেয়া হয়েছে, সেই দুর্গম পাহাড়ি অঞ্চলে মিলিত হয়েছে বিদ্রোহীরা, তাদের উদ্দেশ্য লুক্কায়িত স্বর্ণভাণ্ডার পাচার করে নিয়ে যাবে দেশের বাইরে - আরো সংহত আরো সুসংগঠিত হয়ে ফিরে আসবে কমিউনিস্টদের দফারফা করার জন্যে। আর তাদের অনুপ্রেরণা সার্বিয়ান রাজাদের চিরন্তন প্রতীক - শিরোনামের শ্বেতশুভ্র ঈগলপাখি।
গল্পের নায়ক ব্রিটিশ সিক্রেট এজেন্ট মেথুয়েন - পুরোদস্তুর ছদ্মবেশে তাকে বর্ডার অঞ্চলে পাঠানো হয়েছে দুটো কাজ দিয়ে। আরেক গুপ্তচর পিটার অ্যান্সোন কেন এই এলাকায় নির্মমভাবে খুন হলো তার রহস্যভেদ করতে হবে, আর দুই - সম্ভব হলে বিদ্রোহীদের সাথে যোগাযোগ স্থাপন করে তাদের যাবতীয় লক্ষ্য-উদ্দেশ্য যাচাই করতে হবে। তো মাঝ-শতকের থ্রিলারে যেমনটা হয় আর কি - প্রচুর পরিমানে অ্যাকশন আছে, কিছু বিশ্বাসযোগ্য কিছু হয়তো না, আর লেখনী এবং সংলাপের মধ্যেও বেশ কিছু corny ভাবসাব রয়ে গেছে। ("What cursed luck," he exclaimed involuntarily...) যাই হোক, এগুলো মোটা দাগে জনরার সমস্যা, লেখককে হয়তো খুব বেশি দোষ দেয়া যায় না।
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গত সপ্তাহেই বলকান ভ্রমণ থেকে ফিরে এলাম। বহুদিনের স্বপ্ন ছিল সারায়েভো দেখবো, টিম বুচার-এর দ্য ট্রিগার বইটি যেন সঠিক সময়ে আমার জন্যেও ট্রিগার হিসেবে কাজ করলো। তবে সেই গল্প আরেক সময়ের জন্যে - আপাতত এখানে ডারেলেই সীমাবদ্ধ থাকি।
প্রথিতযশা রসিক লেখক, ন্যাচারালিস্ট এবং পরিব্রাজক জেরাল্ড ডারেল-এর বড় ভাই, এবং নিজগুণে সফল লেখক, বিশেষ করে বিখ্যাত তার প্রবাদপ্রতিম আলেক্সান্দ্রিয়া চতুষ্টয়ী উপন্যাসের জন্যে। এটি আমার পড়া অন্যতম দুরূহ গ্রন্থ - তিন-চারবার শুরু করেও তেমন সুবিধা করতে পারিনি। শেষবার ট্রাই করেছিলাম ২০০৮ সালে মিশর ভ্রমণের প্রাক্কালে - সুখের বিষয় যে সার্বিয়া থেকে ফিরে এসে ডারেলের এই বইটি পড়তে একেবারেই বেগ পেতে হলো না। চতুষ্টয়ী যত কঠিন ছিল, থ্রিলার ততই ঝরঝরে আর সুখপাঠ্য।
ডারেল কয়েক বছর প্রাক্তন ইউগোস্লাভিয়ার রাজধানী বেলগ্রেডে কাজ করেছিলেন - তাই টিটোর দু:শাসন সম্পর্কে তার ক্ষোভ আটকে রাখতে পারেননি। কমিউনিস্ট আমলের শুরুর দিকে বেলগ্রেডের সাধারণ মানুষের ভয়ংকর দুর্দশা, একই সাথে কমিউনিস্ট মনিবদের অত্যাচারের কথা তুলে ধরেছেন। মজার ব্যাপার অবশ্য এই যে যারা টিটোর আমলের পরের দিকে বড় হয়েছেন - বিশেষ করে সত্তর আর আশির দশকে - তাদের মাঝে টিটো-নস্টালজিয়া প্রবল - আমার বসনিয়ান বন্ধু যার বড় প্রমান।
এই অভ্যন্তরীণ পরিবর্তনের স্বাক্ষী ছিলেন লেখক: “My feeling is that Tito knows he has gone wrong and is far from blind to the injustices of orthodox Communism. He will have to liberalize or lose the support of the people: indeed he has already lost it. He might yet win it back. Who knows?” স্তালিনের সোভিয়েত মডেল প্রত্যাখ্যান করে টিটো তার দেশকে স্বতন্ত্র পথে নিয়ে যাবার সংকল্প করেছিলেন, যার অনুরণন মেলে এই বইয়ের শেষের দিকে।
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বেলগ্রেডে থামিনি। ভোরবেলা বুলগেরিয়ার সোফিয়া থেকে বাস ধরেছিলাম - সম্রাট কনস্টান্টিনের জন্মস্থান নিশ শহর হয়ে বেলগ্রেডে পৌঁছাই পড়ন্ত দুপুরে। তবে বাস স্টেশন থেকে আর বেরোইনি - ফের টিকেট কাটি সারায়েভোর উদ্দেশ্যে। বিকালের গাড়ি। সেদিন প্রায় পনেরো ঘন্টা বাসে বসে ছিলাম, কিন্তু পুরো দিনটাই কেটেছিল অবর্ণনীয় আনন্দে। সারায়েভো পৌঁছাই মাঝরাতেরও পরে।
বেলগ্রেডে আরো সময় পেলে নিশ্চয়ই কালেমেগদান দুর্গের প্রাচীরে দাঁড়িয়ে দানিউব এবং সাভা নদীর সঙ্গমস্থল দেখার সৌভাগ্য হতো - গল্পের নায়ক মেথুয়েনের মত - কিন্তু হলো না এবার। তবে পশ্চিম সার্বিয়ার বুনো বর্ডার অঞ্চল, ইউগোস্লাভিয়ার পাহাড় নদী আকাশ আর মানুষ - ডারেল যেমনটা লিখে গিয়েছিলেন অনেকটা তেমনই আছে এখনো সবকিছু। কাব্যিক এবং হিংস্র।
গল্পের নায়ক ব্রিটিশ সিক্রেট এজেন্ট মেথুয়েন - পুরোদস্তুর ছদ্মবেশে তাকে বর্ডার অঞ্চলে পাঠানো হয়েছে দুটো কাজ দিয়ে। আরেক গুপ্তচর পিটার অ্যান্সোন কেন এই এলাকায় নির্মমভাবে খুন হলো তার রহস্যভেদ করতে হবে, আর দুই - সম্ভব হলে বিদ্রোহীদের সাথে যোগাযোগ স্থাপন করে তাদের যাবতীয় লক্ষ্য-উদ্দেশ্য যাচাই করতে হবে। তো মাঝ-শতকের থ্রিলারে যেমনটা হয় আর কি - প্রচুর পরিমানে অ্যাকশন আছে, কিছু বিশ্বাসযোগ্য কিছু হয়তো না, আর লেখনী এবং সংলাপের মধ্যেও বেশ কিছু corny ভাবসাব রয়ে গেছে। ("What cursed luck," he exclaimed involuntarily...) যাই হোক, এগুলো মোটা দাগে জনরার সমস্যা, লেখককে হয়তো খুব বেশি দোষ দেয়া যায় না।
*
গত সপ্তাহেই বলকান ভ্রমণ থেকে ফিরে এলাম। বহুদিনের স্বপ্ন ছিল সারায়েভো দেখবো, টিম বুচার-এর দ্য ট্রিগার বইটি যেন সঠিক সময়ে আমার জন্যেও ট্রিগার হিসেবে কাজ করলো। তবে সেই গল্প আরেক সময়ের জন্যে - আপাতত এখানে ডারেলেই সীমাবদ্ধ থাকি।
প্রথিতযশা রসিক লেখক, ন্যাচারালিস্ট এবং পরিব্রাজক জেরাল্ড ডারেল-এর বড় ভাই, এবং নিজগুণে সফল লেখক, বিশেষ করে বিখ্যাত তার প্রবাদপ্রতিম আলেক্সান্দ্রিয়া চতুষ্টয়ী উপন্যাসের জন্যে। এটি আমার পড়া অন্যতম দুরূহ গ্রন্থ - তিন-চারবার শুরু করেও তেমন সুবিধা করতে পারিনি। শেষবার ট্রাই করেছিলাম ২০০৮ সালে মিশর ভ্রমণের প্রাক্কালে - সুখের বিষয় যে সার্বিয়া থেকে ফিরে এসে ডারেলের এই বইটি পড়তে একেবারেই বেগ পেতে হলো না। চতুষ্টয়ী যত কঠিন ছিল, থ্রিলার ততই ঝরঝরে আর সুখপাঠ্য।
ডারেল কয়েক বছর প্রাক্তন ইউগোস্লাভিয়ার রাজধানী বেলগ্রেডে কাজ করেছিলেন - তাই টিটোর দু:শাসন সম্পর্কে তার ক্ষোভ আটকে রাখতে পারেননি। কমিউনিস্ট আমলের শুরুর দিকে বেলগ্রেডের সাধারণ মানুষের ভয়ংকর দুর্দশা, একই সাথে কমিউনিস্ট মনিবদের অত্যাচারের কথা তুলে ধরেছেন। মজার ব্যাপার অবশ্য এই যে যারা টিটোর আমলের পরের দিকে বড় হয়েছেন - বিশেষ করে সত্তর আর আশির দশকে - তাদের মাঝে টিটো-নস্টালজিয়া প্রবল - আমার বসনিয়ান বন্ধু যার বড় প্রমান।
এই অভ্যন্তরীণ পরিবর্তনের স্বাক্ষী ছিলেন লেখক: “My feeling is that Tito knows he has gone wrong and is far from blind to the injustices of orthodox Communism. He will have to liberalize or lose the support of the people: indeed he has already lost it. He might yet win it back. Who knows?” স্তালিনের সোভিয়েত মডেল প্রত্যাখ্যান করে টিটো তার দেশকে স্বতন্ত্র পথে নিয়ে যাবার সংকল্প করেছিলেন, যার অনুরণন মেলে এই বইয়ের শেষের দিকে।
*
বেলগ্রেডে থামিনি। ভোরবেলা বুলগেরিয়ার সোফিয়া থেকে বাস ধরেছিলাম - সম্রাট কনস্টান্টিনের জন্মস্থান নিশ শহর হয়ে বেলগ্রেডে পৌঁছাই পড়ন্ত দুপুরে। তবে বাস স্টেশন থেকে আর বেরোইনি - ফের টিকেট কাটি সারায়েভোর উদ্দেশ্যে। বিকালের গাড়ি। সেদিন প্রায় পনেরো ঘন্টা বাসে বসে ছিলাম, কিন্তু পুরো দিনটাই কেটেছিল অবর্ণনীয় আনন্দে। সারায়েভো পৌঁছাই মাঝরাতেরও পরে।
বেলগ্রেডে আরো সময় পেলে নিশ্চয়ই কালেমেগদান দুর্গের প্রাচীরে দাঁড়িয়ে দানিউব এবং সাভা নদীর সঙ্গমস্থল দেখার সৌভাগ্য হতো - গল্পের নায়ক মেথুয়েনের মত - কিন্তু হলো না এবার। তবে পশ্চিম সার্বিয়ার বুনো বর্ডার অঞ্চল, ইউগোস্লাভিয়ার পাহাড় নদী আকাশ আর মানুষ - ডারেল যেমনটা লিখে গিয়েছিলেন অনেকটা তেমনই আছে এখনো সবকিছু। কাব্যিক এবং হিংস্র।
July 19, 2018
Uma narração repleta de aventuras, vários culturas e espionagem
O protagonista é um sérvio que vive em Londres como espião. A sua missão é destruir os comunistas que são conhecidos como as águias brancas.
Na sua jornada ele passa pela fronteira do leste da Europa volta ao seu país natal. As descrições das montanhas eslavas e das histórias do coronel enriquecem o livro.
No fim um personagem que pensávamos -nos que estava morta regressa
É mais uma obra que me supreende e não tinha expectativas nenhumas quanto a sua história!
O protagonista é um sérvio que vive em Londres como espião. A sua missão é destruir os comunistas que são conhecidos como as águias brancas.
Na sua jornada ele passa pela fronteira do leste da Europa volta ao seu país natal. As descrições das montanhas eslavas e das histórias do coronel enriquecem o livro.
No fim um personagem que pensávamos -nos que estava morta regressa
É mais uma obra que me supreende e não tinha expectativas nenhumas quanto a sua história!
December 5, 2022
No tenia ni idea que Lawrence Durrell escribiese novelas de espías y me he llevado una gratísima sorpresa con esta. Muy bien escrita, claro que no es una sorpresa siendo el autor quien es, una trama muy bien hilvanada, unos personajes muy británicos y con ese sentido del humor y del deber tan típico de ellos, un periodo posguerra en la antigua Yugoslavia, un agente que va a intentar descifrar qué está pasando entre los antiguos pro-monárquicos y el regimen de Tito. Muy interesante y que se lee con mucho agrado.
September 4, 2025
It was difficult for me to believe in much of the story. Of course he's an intelligence officer working off the ranch - out in the cold - so must have the skills, perception and all round bullet proof forcefield that was built for James Bond.
I yawned on regular basis once the story moved on from fiction to become fantasy.
I yawned on regular basis once the story moved on from fiction to become fantasy.
Read
October 21, 2007http://nhw.livejournal.com/767689.html[return][return]A more serious effort by Durrell here than his collection of humorous diplomatic stories which also drew on his time in Belgrade. The cover describes it as being in the genre of John Buchan but in fact I think it's pretty obvious that Durrell was trying to cash in on the James Bond phenomenon (Casino Royale was published two years earlier, in 1953, and Live and Let Die in 1954) by bringing his British secret agent hero to untangle murky doings in Serbia in (one assumes) early 1948.[return][return]It's a very nicely observed book in terms of the scenery, the people, the fishing (especially the fishing!), the weather, the politics (though in fact Durrell arrived in Belgrade to work only in 1949 - but I suppose he may have explored there from Corfu before the war). Unfortunately Durrell didn't quite pull it together in terms of plot. The narrative makes perfect sense, but our hero, Methuen, appears curiously unchanged by it all; he does get the girl out of danger, but it is not at all clear that he gets the girl; no huge lessons are learnt about love, loyalty or heroism (I was struck that the Royalist rebels were portrayed as being as unattractive as Tito's Communist officials and militia). So although it's a charming enough book, I felt a bit flat at the end of it.
January 3, 2020
I read this in class when I was 14. My memories are positive, especially of the trout fishing scenes, which anticipate my reading of The Sun Also Rises. Though for some reason I thought this was written by Rebecca West, who also wrote extensively about 'Yugoslavia'. In any case, well done, Mrs Morley! I don't fish anymore, but I still read.
December 23, 2020
Excellent espionage book. I should explore more books written by Lawrence Durrell.
March 4, 2025
Fun little spy book.
January 10, 2024
Never have I read a spy thriller that is written like a Literature with a capital L on the one hand, yet is still supremely entertaining and exciting to read - and very realistic. Durrell is a very good writer, and White Eagles is based on his experiences working for the foreign office. It's not flashy, it's not high stakes, and it reads like something that could actually happen. The descriptions read like poetry, and the characters are all individual gems - none of them are perfect, none of them are heroic, they are real people in very real situations.
I wish there was a series of Methuen books (there isn't), and I recommend this even to those who normally don't read Cold War era spy thrillers.
I wish there was a series of Methuen books (there isn't), and I recommend this even to those who normally don't read Cold War era spy thrillers.
April 30, 2024
2.5. Good on countryside and tension of the central bit is quite good. However, it feels as if it had been written about 40 years beforehand (sweeping references to Balkan peoples etc)
October 26, 2018
This was a blast from the past. Very similar to Riddle of the Sands (darn that insert book/author. It only has glitches when I'm doing a review!!) or The Secret Adversary or The 39 Steps. Only this is a post-WW II spy story.
Good setting, but characterization could be better. Interesting set up. Communists, Royalists, Brits, Russians, subs in the Adriatic, mountain climbing. Could make a good flick.
Good setting, but characterization could be better. Interesting set up. Communists, Royalists, Brits, Russians, subs in the Adriatic, mountain climbing. Could make a good flick.
March 3, 2023
it had the ingredients of a great book, the location and spy novel.
characters were not compelling and nor was the plot.
i wanted to enjoy it but didn’t.
characters were not compelling and nor was the plot.
i wanted to enjoy it but didn’t.
July 18, 2022
There were a few places where this felt old-fashioned, with its clubs and fly-fishing and Rogue Male or Hannay-ish feel; definitely a backward step five years after Casino Royale burst on the scene.
But this is real eastern Europe, not Ruritania, and I loved the descriptions of the Serbian people and countryside. The hero and his allies are also wonderful characters; I wished this was part of a series, so I could learn more about the 'Awkward Shop' and its denizens.
Bought from Waterstones' Read for Ukraine range.
But this is real eastern Europe, not Ruritania, and I loved the descriptions of the Serbian people and countryside. The hero and his allies are also wonderful characters; I wished this was part of a series, so I could learn more about the 'Awkward Shop' and its denizens.
Bought from Waterstones' Read for Ukraine range.
February 28, 2024
it was cool, but probably needed to be another at least 100-150 pages longer, the plot kinda just falls into the characters lap, no real build up
the main character just feels lucky instead of cool and spy like also the one time the author goes wham blam this thing happens that is a shock and had me like oh shiitttt it’s getting good only to at the end reverse this decision
real then i woke up vibes
decent premise, lack of build up and no real feeling that the main character was in danger
also felt like the within the world of the book this didn’t have any significance and could’ve not happened and it’d be the same
#spoiler free
the main character just feels lucky instead of cool and spy like also the one time the author goes wham blam this thing happens that is a shock and had me like oh shiitttt it’s getting good only to at the end reverse this decision
real then i woke up vibes
decent premise, lack of build up and no real feeling that the main character was in danger
also felt like the within the world of the book this didn’t have any significance and could’ve not happened and it’d be the same
#spoiler free
February 26, 2022
I found this absolutely delightful. Perfect in fact—perfect for me. Perfect for Jonah too.
What a treat! A combo of the balkans/stuffy-club-foodandchat/camping/a-great-outdoors-novel/suspense. I agree that I wish D would have taken a side, if only to inform me what side I should take.
What a treat! A combo of the balkans/stuffy-club-foodandchat/camping/a-great-outdoors-novel/suspense. I agree that I wish D would have taken a side, if only to inform me what side I should take.
September 17, 2023
Esta bien, es ágil y se lee rápido. No deja gran enseñanza pero para pasar el rato sirve.
September 15, 2015
Shortly after returning home from a mission in Malaysia, "our man" Mathuen is sent to titoist Yugoslavia to investigate the death of a colleague murdered while operating undercover in the mountains of the Sandjak.
An early work by Durrell showing a leaner, more realistic prose that, nevertheless, succeeds at evoking the striking magnificence of the Serbian/Bosnian landscape and that recreates the lingering melancholy of the cold war.
An early work by Durrell showing a leaner, more realistic prose that, nevertheless, succeeds at evoking the striking magnificence of the Serbian/Bosnian landscape and that recreates the lingering melancholy of the cold war.
December 15, 2021
My first Durrell, and I was left underwhelmed. The plot and characters were less than compelling, and tension slack, and the writing much less sophisticated than I expected given Durrell’s reputation, even positively amateurish in places (as in the repeated reminders of the possibility of “sudden death”). I’ll stick with LeCarré.
July 3, 2023
A really good story of espionage; exciting and well written with good descriptions of the beautiful scenery. This was written with a real understanding of what it is like to live out and survive being hunted.
A different style to John le Carré but equally absorbing. I must read more of Laurence Durrell’s books.
A different style to John le Carré but equally absorbing. I must read more of Laurence Durrell’s books.
November 29, 2011
Not Durrell at his best, but the combination of Durrell and the Balkans is always interesting. Sort of a poor fictionalised version of Eastern Approaches - but not really.
May 29, 2021
A young British spy is asked to go behind the lines in Serbia to continue a former person's mission and to find out who killed the guy. Some action, some dialog, but still just a bit missing.
October 2, 2020
(FROM MY BLOG) A few years ago, after a night camping in the North Cascades near Leavenworth, a friend and I found ourselves on an early morning hike up a long, open meadow. A mist hung over the fairly steep meadow, and I was reminded of the moors of Scotland.
I asked my friend to imagine ourselves struggling uphill with heavy packs on our backs, facing an emplacement of English troops above, firing down at us with rifles.
My friend, familiar with my fantasies, rolled his eyes and shrugged. And for me, as for him, the hike was all about the beauty of the area -- the emerald greenness of the grass, the dark, shadowy trees whose tops disappeared into the drifting mist, the silence broken only by the occasional calling of birds and my occasional tiresome babbling. My thoughts of the violence of battle were merely an added fillip, a grace note, adding only slightly to the richness of the experience.
Lawrence Durrell has similar priorities in his novel of British espionage, White Eagles Over Serbia (1957).
His hero, Methuen, is an old hand in the British "Special Operations Q Branch," (SOq), affectionately known as the "Awkward Shop." He has just returned from four months in the jungles of Malaya -- yes, "Malaya," the story takes place in 1948 -- and is looking forward to possible retirement, or at least a long rest, when he is summoned by his superior. Some odd things are going on in Tito's Yugoslavia, he learns. They need someone with his background in the Balkans to ferret out what the deuce is happening, eh? A recent agent, experienced, had been poking around in that area and turned up quite dead. Awkward.
Methuen feels rebellious, but the Balkans have an irresistible appeal to him. Especially in the mountains of Serbia near the Bosnian border, where they want to send him The scenery is magnificent, and the fishing? Incredible!
The situation in Communist Yugoslavia is tricky -- Tito was on the verge of breaking up with Stalin -- and the British Ambassador is totally opposed to anyone from Britain snooping around in an area that is off-limits to foreigners. Implacably opposed, and hostile to Methuen's arrival. But he quickly softens when he and Methuen discover that they both -- like Methuen's superior back in Whitehall -- are avid fishermen.
Hey, they're British. Izaak Walton, and all that.
The British are permitted a weekly drive by their courier between the Belgrade embassy and a consulate in Skopje, Macedonia. The area that has attracted the Awkward Shop's interest is in southwestern Serbia, near the courier's highway route. Methuen is dumped off with a pistol, a few supplies -- and a fishing pole -- in an area where they are briefly out of sight of the Yugoslav tailing vehicle. Luckily, as it turns out, Methuen not only speaks Serbian like a native peasant -- which he successfully passes himself off as -- but Bulgarian, as well.
From this point on, the novel is a magical travelogue of a primitive and mainly roadless area of Serbia, as it was in 1948. Yes, there's a plot, involving an operation by Yugoslav royalist resistance forces -- the Chetniks. An absorbing plot, but -- similar to my Highlands fantasy -- merely a device on which to hang some beautiful descriptive writings of the Serbian and neighboring Bosnian back country.
Lawrence Durrell is well known for his alluring and often impressionistic descriptions of Corfu, Rhodes, Cyprus, other Mediterranean islands, and -- less connected to reality -- Alexandria. White Eagles was one of his earlier published writings, and showed the promise that was realized in his better known later works.
My knowledge of the former Yugoslavia is limited to cities. The area has of course developed greatly since the 1950s. But once travel is again possible, I would love to explore some of the mountains and forests of the area in which White Eagles takes place.
Even though I'm not a fisherman.
I asked my friend to imagine ourselves struggling uphill with heavy packs on our backs, facing an emplacement of English troops above, firing down at us with rifles.
My friend, familiar with my fantasies, rolled his eyes and shrugged. And for me, as for him, the hike was all about the beauty of the area -- the emerald greenness of the grass, the dark, shadowy trees whose tops disappeared into the drifting mist, the silence broken only by the occasional calling of birds and my occasional tiresome babbling. My thoughts of the violence of battle were merely an added fillip, a grace note, adding only slightly to the richness of the experience.
Lawrence Durrell has similar priorities in his novel of British espionage, White Eagles Over Serbia (1957).
His hero, Methuen, is an old hand in the British "Special Operations Q Branch," (SOq), affectionately known as the "Awkward Shop." He has just returned from four months in the jungles of Malaya -- yes, "Malaya," the story takes place in 1948 -- and is looking forward to possible retirement, or at least a long rest, when he is summoned by his superior. Some odd things are going on in Tito's Yugoslavia, he learns. They need someone with his background in the Balkans to ferret out what the deuce is happening, eh? A recent agent, experienced, had been poking around in that area and turned up quite dead. Awkward.
Methuen feels rebellious, but the Balkans have an irresistible appeal to him. Especially in the mountains of Serbia near the Bosnian border, where they want to send him The scenery is magnificent, and the fishing? Incredible!
The situation in Communist Yugoslavia is tricky -- Tito was on the verge of breaking up with Stalin -- and the British Ambassador is totally opposed to anyone from Britain snooping around in an area that is off-limits to foreigners. Implacably opposed, and hostile to Methuen's arrival. But he quickly softens when he and Methuen discover that they both -- like Methuen's superior back in Whitehall -- are avid fishermen.
Hey, they're British. Izaak Walton, and all that.
The British are permitted a weekly drive by their courier between the Belgrade embassy and a consulate in Skopje, Macedonia. The area that has attracted the Awkward Shop's interest is in southwestern Serbia, near the courier's highway route. Methuen is dumped off with a pistol, a few supplies -- and a fishing pole -- in an area where they are briefly out of sight of the Yugoslav tailing vehicle. Luckily, as it turns out, Methuen not only speaks Serbian like a native peasant -- which he successfully passes himself off as -- but Bulgarian, as well.
From this point on, the novel is a magical travelogue of a primitive and mainly roadless area of Serbia, as it was in 1948. Yes, there's a plot, involving an operation by Yugoslav royalist resistance forces -- the Chetniks. An absorbing plot, but -- similar to my Highlands fantasy -- merely a device on which to hang some beautiful descriptive writings of the Serbian and neighboring Bosnian back country.
The sun was sinking though its warmth still drugged the windless air and on this side of the mountains the flowers and foliage grew more and more luxurious, while the woods were full of tits and wrens and blackbirds. The woods were carpeted with flowers, sweet-smelling salvia, cranesbill, and a variety of ferns. Here and there, too, bright dots of scarlet showed him where wild strawberries grew, and in these verdant woods the pines and beeches increased in size until he calculated that he was walking among glades of trees nearly a hundred feet in height.The novel shows Durrell's detailed knowledge of this country. The plot involves a rendezvous at the Janko Stone. Is there really a "Janko Stone," I wondered? Yes, I find after a little research; it is the highest peak in Serbia (6,014 feet), and marks the boundary between Serbia and Bosnia. (A landmark now, unlike in 1948, reachable by road.) I totally trust Durrell's descriptions of the country through which the rest of his hero's adventures occur.
Lawrence Durrell is well known for his alluring and often impressionistic descriptions of Corfu, Rhodes, Cyprus, other Mediterranean islands, and -- less connected to reality -- Alexandria. White Eagles was one of his earlier published writings, and showed the promise that was realized in his better known later works.
My knowledge of the former Yugoslavia is limited to cities. The area has of course developed greatly since the 1950s. But once travel is again possible, I would love to explore some of the mountains and forests of the area in which White Eagles takes place.
Even though I'm not a fisherman.
April 17, 2025
I had a hard time believing that this book was written by the same Lawrence Durrell, author of the complex and tormented Alexandria Quartet! Essentially this is a light piece of entertainment, and not a particularly successful one at that. From the chronology, it seems this must have been written around the same time as Justine , so perhaps this was the author's palate cleanser, his distraction from darker moments?
This is basically a spy/adventure story in the John Buchan style : strong, resourceful but modest Britisher embarks on a dangerous solo mission to solve a mystery/prevent a catastrophic change in geopolitics.
In this case, the hero, Methuen, has just returned from a dangerous (unnamed) mission, when his superior, Dombey, tells him an intriguing tale about strange events in Yugoslavia. There have been an unnaturally high number of reports of small groups of armed men in a remote region in Serbia. Could this be a simmering revolt against Tito and the Communists? The fact that the British Embassy's Military Attache was killed during one of his clandestine fishing weekends in that region, lends some urgency to Dombey's request for Methuen to pose as an accountant in the British embassy in Belgrade.
Methuen was chosen because he speaks Serbian and Bulgarian and knows the region well from a hiking/fishing vacation before WWII. So off he goes, and soon he's living in a cave in a remote Serbian mountain, with only a snake and his fishing rod for company (there's a LOT of fishing in the book!). And yes, he eventually infiltrates a group of resistance fighters, puts all the pieces of the strange happenings together (a submarine and a famous actress are involved!) and after many harrowing adventures he manages to make his way back to London.
The best part of the book was the description of the isolated valleys and mountains of Serbia. But the characters were not well developed. Methuen is just your basic strong, silent hero. Dombey was slightly more interesting, but he, too, is essentially the desk-bound superbrain who pulls all the strings and sends his minions off to strenuous field missions. Apart from the nature descriptions, the writing seemed hurried and unedited - repeats of words, somewhat clunky sentence constructions.
Bottom line : a rather forgettable Cold War espionage story, and probably an outlier in Lawrence Durrell's work.
This is basically a spy/adventure story in the John Buchan style : strong, resourceful but modest Britisher embarks on a dangerous solo mission to solve a mystery/prevent a catastrophic change in geopolitics.
In this case, the hero, Methuen, has just returned from a dangerous (unnamed) mission, when his superior, Dombey, tells him an intriguing tale about strange events in Yugoslavia. There have been an unnaturally high number of reports of small groups of armed men in a remote region in Serbia. Could this be a simmering revolt against Tito and the Communists? The fact that the British Embassy's Military Attache was killed during one of his clandestine fishing weekends in that region, lends some urgency to Dombey's request for Methuen to pose as an accountant in the British embassy in Belgrade.
Methuen was chosen because he speaks Serbian and Bulgarian and knows the region well from a hiking/fishing vacation before WWII. So off he goes, and soon he's living in a cave in a remote Serbian mountain, with only a snake and his fishing rod for company (there's a LOT of fishing in the book!). And yes, he eventually infiltrates a group of resistance fighters, puts all the pieces of the strange happenings together (a submarine and a famous actress are involved!) and after many harrowing adventures he manages to make his way back to London.
The best part of the book was the description of the isolated valleys and mountains of Serbia. But the characters were not well developed. Methuen is just your basic strong, silent hero. Dombey was slightly more interesting, but he, too, is essentially the desk-bound superbrain who pulls all the strings and sends his minions off to strenuous field missions. Apart from the nature descriptions, the writing seemed hurried and unedited - repeats of words, somewhat clunky sentence constructions.
Bottom line : a rather forgettable Cold War espionage story, and probably an outlier in Lawrence Durrell's work.
April 4, 2019
Durrell was posted in Yugoslavia from around 1948-52, and clearly drew upon his knowledge of the landscape there to inform the geography of this potboiler spy adventure. The story takes place just before the Tito-Stalin split in 1948, and finds a British special agent lounging in London following an apparently harrowing series of adventures in Malaya (although presumably not as harrowing as they would have been had he stayed for the "Emergency"). In any event, his boss rather drolly convinces him to have a nose around the Yugoslav mountains in the wake of another agent's death, and so off he goes, fishing pole in hand.
What follows is a reasonably engaging boy's-own adventure of the hero sneaking off into the countryside, evading communist troops, and eventually making contact with the royalist "White Eagles" insurgents (not to be confused with the mid-1990s paramilitary war criminals), who have a secret surprise in their battle against the communists. It's all pretty much what you'd expect, climaxing in a big gun battle and harrowing escape.
On the whole, it's hard not to view this as Durrell's attempt to cash in a little on the commercial success of the James Bond mania, which was just two books in at that point but clearly destined to make Fleming rich. It's a pretty conventional thriller, and like some of the Bond books, hasn't entirely aged well. Durrell does not mince descriptive words in portraying communism as a force that has destroyed Yugoslavia, which thus positions the chetnik White Eagles as the "good guys" of the story. However, in their fight against Tito, the real-life White Eagles certainly collaborated with Italian and German occupying forces during the war (although to what degree remains the subject of much debate).
Readers who are willing to set aside such matters and like an old-fashioned adventure yarn may find this an engaging read. Fans of Durrell will likely find it to be an outlier work and might enjoy it more as a curiosity.
What follows is a reasonably engaging boy's-own adventure of the hero sneaking off into the countryside, evading communist troops, and eventually making contact with the royalist "White Eagles" insurgents (not to be confused with the mid-1990s paramilitary war criminals), who have a secret surprise in their battle against the communists. It's all pretty much what you'd expect, climaxing in a big gun battle and harrowing escape.
On the whole, it's hard not to view this as Durrell's attempt to cash in a little on the commercial success of the James Bond mania, which was just two books in at that point but clearly destined to make Fleming rich. It's a pretty conventional thriller, and like some of the Bond books, hasn't entirely aged well. Durrell does not mince descriptive words in portraying communism as a force that has destroyed Yugoslavia, which thus positions the chetnik White Eagles as the "good guys" of the story. However, in their fight against Tito, the real-life White Eagles certainly collaborated with Italian and German occupying forces during the war (although to what degree remains the subject of much debate).
Readers who are willing to set aside such matters and like an old-fashioned adventure yarn may find this an engaging read. Fans of Durrell will likely find it to be an outlier work and might enjoy it more as a curiosity.
July 27, 2025
I feel as if this is a harsh rating of this book, but it's down purely to my style preference regarding spy novels. This was bordering a 4* - but I was hamstrung by the slower pace of the book. I understand there's a significant place in spy literature for a slower, mind-bending approach, and I did very much enjoy it, but throughout I was yearning for the proverbial sh*t to hit the fan.
Nevertheless, the way this book is written is totally immersive and will steal your attention through its period writing style and overall air of class and the foreign unknown.
The setting of the book allows for the reader to involve themself into the complicated history and politics of the Balkan states, of which I very much enjoyed as my knowledge of this is slightly lacking compared to other periods and geographical locations.
The ending of the book was seldom certain and I enjoyed being totally in the dark as to the outcome of the novel. Although, for the substantial build up, I didn't feel as if the crescendo of the mission was as dramatic as the rest of the novel deserved. Perhaps it was down to the book being only 200 pages long, or perhaps it was simply the style of spy novels of the time. But when compared to the likes of Alun Furst's spy novels, it felt as if it were lacking a bit of meat on the bone.
But overall, I did enjoy this, but would not rush to read another slow, lethargic spy novel.
Nevertheless, the way this book is written is totally immersive and will steal your attention through its period writing style and overall air of class and the foreign unknown.
The setting of the book allows for the reader to involve themself into the complicated history and politics of the Balkan states, of which I very much enjoyed as my knowledge of this is slightly lacking compared to other periods and geographical locations.
The ending of the book was seldom certain and I enjoyed being totally in the dark as to the outcome of the novel. Although, for the substantial build up, I didn't feel as if the crescendo of the mission was as dramatic as the rest of the novel deserved. Perhaps it was down to the book being only 200 pages long, or perhaps it was simply the style of spy novels of the time. But when compared to the likes of Alun Furst's spy novels, it felt as if it were lacking a bit of meat on the bone.
But overall, I did enjoy this, but would not rush to read another slow, lethargic spy novel.
March 12, 2022
White eagles over Serbia is a surprising espionage book from famous writer Lawrence Durrell. A British agent, who pretend he wants a break from spy missions, accept another one to travel to Yugoslavia to investigate the death of a fellow agent and also - so he says = to be able to enjoy the lovely Serbian (the book consistently says "Serbia" instead of Yugoslavia) rivers with its excellent spots for trout fishing.
This is a griping book that would have - no doubt - made John Le Carre proud. The book is extremely well documented, the spy techniques, the undercover tactics of master spy Mehtuen look totally real (we are at the exact opposite of Ian Fleming's espionage world) fed by Durrell's experience in the British Foreign Office during the war.
The book tells a piece of history, the immediate aftermath of the second world war where Tito's Communist Yugoslavia has not yet broken up with Stalin (this happened in 1948) and was trying to assert its power. The twisted plot tells the story of a royalist (therefore anti-Tito) guerrilla uprising, the "White Eagles" that would try to fund its movement in order to overthrow the regime. A lively adventure through the mountains of south Serbia (not far from the north west border of nowadays Kosovo - I checked -) that keeps you hooked till the end of the 200 pages of the book.
This is a griping book that would have - no doubt - made John Le Carre proud. The book is extremely well documented, the spy techniques, the undercover tactics of master spy Mehtuen look totally real (we are at the exact opposite of Ian Fleming's espionage world) fed by Durrell's experience in the British Foreign Office during the war.
The book tells a piece of history, the immediate aftermath of the second world war where Tito's Communist Yugoslavia has not yet broken up with Stalin (this happened in 1948) and was trying to assert its power. The twisted plot tells the story of a royalist (therefore anti-Tito) guerrilla uprising, the "White Eagles" that would try to fund its movement in order to overthrow the regime. A lively adventure through the mountains of south Serbia (not far from the north west border of nowadays Kosovo - I checked -) that keeps you hooked till the end of the 200 pages of the book.
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