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Ashenden by W. Somerset Maugham (2014 Reading Challenge)
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Guess I should have held on to this book. Looks kind of pricey and it is not currently in the library - transferring between libraries at the moment.
I hope you get hold of it Jan, as I stated in the Goodbye to All That thread, I am delighted that Ashenden by W. Somerset Maugham got voted as one of our choices. It is a really wonderful book that gives a completely different perspective on the conflict, and more generally on the grubby but essential business of spying. It's also very short and easy to read.I cannot wait to find out what other BYTers make of this book.
I have read it before and gave the cheap copy I got (at a used book sale) away.Currently it looks like it is $26. I think I paid $2.
A few thoughts about Ashenden which I don't think I am going to have time to re-read however the book is still fresh in my mind.I was very impressed by Ashenden and have thought about it many times since I first read it just over a year ago.
It was the first book I read by W. Somerset Maugham, and what a great introduction it proved to be. Since reading it, I have read - and loved - Of Human Bondage (a BYT fiction group read last Summer). I've also read Up at the Villa and Christmas Holiday (yet another BYT fiction group read).
In this book W. Somerset Maugham's beautiful writing evokes the life of a spy and is based on his own spying experiences during World War One. The knowledge that Maugham actually lived the life and this is, to an extent, a memoir is part of what helps to make Ashenden so powerful.
Through a series of interrelated short stories the reader gains an appreciation of Maugham's spying experiences which are often very undramatic but also tragic and grubby.
He is insightful about those he meets, their motivations, and the extent to which they might be friend or foe. In the course of these stories, Maugham's protagonist Ashenden (a self portrait) gets to travel throughout Europe and Asia on missions where he meets a diverse cast of characters.
Although this world is the polar opposite of James Bond, the stakes are still high (imprisonment or death a real possibility), and on a couple of memorable and chilling occasions he witnesses first hand the outcome of his work.
All the stories are good, and four of them really pack a punch (The Hairless Mexican, The Traitor, His Excellency, and Mr Harrington's Washing).
The book ends on a dramatic and unexpected note.
It's a minor masterpiece and I think, in terms of our WW1 reading challenge, really shows a completely different, but still crucial, side to the conflict,
And to finish, a bit of triv for you, Ashenden is also the narrator of W. Somerset Maugham's 1930 novel Cakes and Ale.
I cannot wait to find out what other BYTers make of this book.
I noticed this on the shelf of my library today, so picked it up....now i just have to read it in the next three weeks!Thanks for all the information above, I haven't read any other Maugham but I've been meaning to for quite a while, so this will be my introduction to his books.
Pink wrote: "I noticed this on the shelf of my library today, so picked it up....now i just have to read it in the next three weeks!"That is the problem with library books isn't it! I much prefer to be able to buy books then have them in a tantalising 'to read' pile. But I tend to wait for books I want to read to turn up secondhand, so if I can't wait I order from the library.
Ashenden is very short, and very easy to read. And, in my opinion, very interesting, intriguing and enjoyable. You should be able to read it in three days - so three weeks will be simple, and, on the off chance you don't manage it Pink, you might be able to renew it.
Please keep us informed with your progress. I am really looking forward to learning what other BYTers make of this book. It was one of the first books I read by W. Somerset Maugham, and it's still one of my favourites.
My book group read it back in January 2013..
http://hovebookgroup.blogspot.co.uk/2...
Oh yes three days would be plenty to get through this I think, it's just trying to squeeze it in with all my other reads over the next three weeks, but being a library book I'll make sure to fit this one in. I'll post back here once I've read it.
Nigeyb observes that Ashenden is the polar opposite of James Bond. It certainly is. Bond is a throwback to the gentleman adventurer model of the spy. Maugham was the first to portray the spy as a civil servant, an ordinary government employee doing a job of work. The movie Hitchcock made of this is utterly silly. By picking out the odder bits he shows his complete misunderstanding of the point, and how much ahead of his time Maugham's understanding was of the newly institutionalized professional espionage.
Miss King, The Hairless Mexican, Giulia Lazzari, The Traitor, His Excellency, and Mr Harrington's Washing, plus one other story called Sanatorium are the seven stories that make up the 1965 Penguin edition I have of Collected Short Stories Volume 3. It appears that some editions of Volume 3 over the years have different collections of the Ashenden chapters as short stories. I will find a copy of Ashenden and I'll be back.
I'm only 75 pages/ 4 chapters into this but I'm unsure about it. I gather from the comments above that each chapter stands alone as a short story and so it's feeling a little disjointed. I'll try and read a chunk of it today while I've got some free time and report back when I'm a little further in.
^ Thanks Pink. Although each short story stands alone the are all interrelated and I found that as I worked through the book I gained a fascinating insight into, an appreciation of, Maugham's spying experiences.Many of them are quite undramatic - but also tragic and grubby.
What came through to me is just how insightful he is about those he meets, their motivations, and the extent to which they might be friend or foe. In the course of these stories.
I enjoyed all the stories, however four of them really pack a punch: The Hairless Mexican, The Traitor, His Excellency, and Mr Harrington's Washing. I'll be interested to see what you make of these particular stories Pink, and also the extent to which you feel it starts to make more sense as you work through the book.
I should also mention that the book ends on a dramatic and unexpected note.
Here's another question to consider, what does this book tell us about WW1 that our other selections don't cover? What insights did you gain about the conflict?
Nigeyb, it is worth noting that some writers of that era, notably Maugham, Greene, Waugh and Norman Lewis all worked for British Intelligence, travelling broadly, mixing with and meeting many people.
I've read The hairless Mexican chapters, though don't know if he'll make another appearance. I keep having to remind myself that this is about the WW1 and not WW2 and I'm liking some of the insights, but think I need to read more to get a fuller picture. It somewhat reminds me of Catch 22, but that's probably just the farcical elements of war and espionage.
I think John Buchan worked in Intelligence in WW1 (although his spy novels are not realistic).
Pink wrote: "I need to read more to get a fuller picture."Agreed. I think it makes most sense once you've read the whole thing which, given it's so short, doesn't take very long.
Pink wrote: " It somewhat reminds me of Catch 22, but that's probably just the farcical elements of war and espionage. "
Intriguing comparison. I read Catch 22 in the late 1970s and loved it but cannot remember much about it. I really should reread it one of these days. I'm curious to know if it's as good as I remember.
Val wrote: "I think John Buchan worked in Intelligence in WW1 (although his spy novels are not realistic)."
Thanks Val. I think that's where Ashenden scores highly - I thought it was so clearly rooted in personal experience.
Two chapters to go....I really liked Giulia Lazzari, The Traitor and His Excellency chapters. Greg I think the Sanatorium chapter is the only one missing from my book. The other six you mention seem to be the best chosen from sixteen.
I'm much preferring this now and think it just took me a little while to get into and I'm looking forward to seeing how it ends now. I'll post about my thoughts on how this compares to other books we're reading for WW1 once I'm finished.
Pink wrote: "I'm much preferring this now and think it just took me a little while to get into and I'm looking forward to seeing how it ends now."I'm really pleased Pink. I was really hoping you'd start to get into it.
Pink wrote: "I'll post about my thoughts on how this compares to other books we're reading for WW1 once I'm finished."
I look forward to reading them.
Thanks Pink.
Okay some more thoughts. Like I said above, this reminded me of Catch 22 and felt familiar in style to other things, but I'm not sure specifically what. Maybe it's just because I've been reading a lot of books from this time period lately. In comparison to other WW1 books, I felt this was a completely different side of things. In fact I hardly felt the presence of the war at all and often forgot which war he was talking about. I thought the passage in 'His Excellency' was poignant, when he spoke about their dining in a civilised fashion and how far away in comfort they were from the war, yet they were only a few miles from men fighting in the front line. Most of the other war books I've read or want to read deal more directly with fighting, soldiers, death etc. whereas this shows the working mechanisms behind all this. I also found it interesting trying to decipher how much of this was true from personal experience and how much was embellishment.
Thanks Pink.Very interesting. Have you read any Raymond Chandler recently Pink? Apparently Raymond Chandler was a huge fan of Ashenden and stated it was an influence on his own writing style. The laconic detachment in both styles is quite distinctive.
So far as I can find out the stories are all based on Maugham's own experience of being a British spy in WW1.
I still think one of the most memorable tales is that of the traitor Grantley Caypor. What happens at the moment of Caypor's execution is completely unforgettable.
The Ashenden style spy had little in common with those depicted by Len Deighton or John Le Carre. Like many jobs, it's ninety percent boredom and ten percent panic.
Thanks again Pink. I enjoyed reading your thoughts.
No I haven't read any Chandler, though I've seen this similarity mentioned elsewhere. I liked the Caypor story too, though some of the smaller points stuck in my head just as much as the bigger stories, such as what was Miss King trying to tell him. I also really liked the dilemma of the bath, that made me smile in recognition and I thought that small passage was beautifully written.
Finished this a couple weeks ago, been super busy so here's what I thought...Mr Harrington's Washing was my favorite short story. I think it very successfully showed how violence can even effect the kindest of people. Mr Harrington may have been a bore but he was the only truly unselfish person in this collection. It was the perfect way to end the collection, I'm not sure if the stories would have stuck with me as much otherwise.
Another great selection, thanks to whoever suggested it!!
And Pink, definitely read some Raymond Chandler. His books are a lot of fun!
^ So pleased that you enjoyed it Amanda. Thanks for posting your thoughts.This is a book that has really stayed with me. I completely agree about "Mr Harrington's Washing" which is a powerful and unexpected ending. I think all the stories are good though. The four that really pack a punch are "The Hairless Mexican", "The Traitor", "His Excellency", and "Mr Harrington's Washing".
I've just started this and have so far read the first three stories. To be honest, I'm not enjoying it much so far, as it feels a bit disjointed and I'm not that keen on Maugham's style of writing so far (except in the introduction, where he gives a powerful description of a wounded Russian soldier playing music). But it's early days and maybe it will grow on me more.
Re Greg's query above about the editions, I've just been having a look at some reviews of the book at Good Reads, and one review, by Alexander Arsov, says that the text in 'Collected Short Stories' is basically the same as in 'Ashenden', but, confusingly, the 16 short stories have been turned into 6 longer stories. There is just one short tale missing from the collected version, chapter 13, 'The Flip of a Coin'. However, an extra story, 'Sanatorium', which was written later, has been added in the collected edition. Anyway, there is a lot more detail about this in Alexander's review if anyone wants to know more, but I couldn't see how to link to his review.
Alexander's helpful review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
(Judy, click on 'see review', then copy and paste the address from the address bar)
Thanks, Val, I'll remember that!
^ Thanks Judy and Val - that's a helpful review
I've now finished this and I'm afraid I didn't like it much - I'd loved all the previous five books I've read for the challenge, though, so five out of six isn't bad! Here's a link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
^ Thanks for your thoughtful review Judy. What do you think of WSM's other work?
This was one of the first I read by him and I was instantly hooked.
Nigeyb, I think I read a novel by him many years ago, but don't even remember which one it was now, so in effect this is the first book by him I've read. I have just read his story written ten years later featuring Ashenden, 'Sanatorium', after finding it at an online etext site, Unz.org, which has back issues of a lot of magazines. Here's a link for anyone who is interested:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=ht...
This story doesn't really have any link with 'Ashenden' except that he's the viewpoint character again - it's based on Maugham's time as a patient in a Scottish TB sanatorium. I found this a powerful story and much better (if bleaker) than 'Ashenden' itself, so it makes me think I should try one of his other works.
^ Great. I'll have a look at that. Got to say I thought some of the Ashenden stories were pretty bleak too - The Traitor particularly sticks in my mind and still gives me the occasional involuntary shiver when I think about it. Especially the conclusion.
Thanks, Nigeyb. Yes, that was a bleak story. I actually found the link to 'Sanatorium' via this blog, which seems to be a useful resource for Maugham info and has links to other etexts etc:
http://mymaughamcollection.blogspot.c...
^ Thanks again Judy. Very interesting.So is the start and the end of your foray into the world of WSM?
I'm something of a fan (though one still with plenty more to read). He generally gets a thumbs up from other BYTers, at least based on other comments I've read here over the last couple of years.
Nigeyb, I'm sure I will try another book by him, but maybe will go for a later work next time. Is there one you would recommend to change my mind?
Nigeyb wrote: "^ Of Human Bondage is splendid - an epic read"Thanks, Nigeyb - I like the 1930s film with Bette Davis and Leslie Howard a lot, so your recommendation is an extra incentive to try the novel.
I've started read the Ashenden stories, really enjoying this. The Hairless Mexican brings to mind the character of Mr Norris from Mr. Norris Changes Trains.
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Bright Young Things
Books mentioned in this topic
Of Human Bondage (other topics)Of Human Bondage (other topics)
Ashenden (other topics)
Ashenden (other topics)
Cakes and Ale (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Raymond Chandler (other topics)W. Somerset Maugham (other topics)
W. Somerset Maugham (other topics)
W. Somerset Maugham (other topics)
W. Somerset Maugham (other topics)
2014 will mark 100 years since the start of the First World War. Here at BYT we plan to mark the war and its consequences by reading 12 books that should give anyone who reads them a better understanding of the First World War.
The First World War was a turning point in world history. It claimed the lives of over 16 million people across the globe and had a huge impact on those who experienced it. The war and its consequences shaped much of the twentieth century, and the impact of it can still be felt today.
The BYT 2014 Reading Challenge will be our way of helping to remember those who lived, fought and served during the years 1914-18.
There's a thread for each of the 12 books.
Welcome to the thread for...
Ashenden by W. Somerset Maugham
(Category: Fiction or non-fiction set somewhere other than the Western front)
You can read the books in any order. Whilst you're reading them, or after you've finished, come and share your thoughts and feelings, ask questions, and generally get involved. The more we all participate, the richer and more fulfilling the discussions will be for us all. Here's to a stimulating, informative, and enjoyable BYT 2014 Reading Challenge.