Anyone who lived in the years between 1945 and 1990 will know about the Cold War. This era in world politics was a time of great tension and was often the theme of gripping stories. If you're looking for some riveting reading, you can't go wrong with a Cold War author, whether you like easy-to-read airport novels or serious, Nobel Prize-winning literature.
The Cold War was different from most wars in history. The two main powers involved, the USA and the USSR, never fought each other directly even though they did get involved in armed conflicts all over the world. Instead, the era was one of extreme political tension where everyone was afraid of firing the first shot in case it would trigger a third world war.
In an atmosphere of mistrust, you have the perfect breeding ground for spies. The Cold War soon became the golden era of the spy novel, especially in the USA and Britain. Few themes can inspire stories of intrigue, drama, adventure and action quite like espionage does.
One of the masters of the spy thriller is British writer John Le Carre, creator of, among others, 'The Spy Who Came In from the Cold', 'The Tailor of Panama', 'The Russia House' and 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'. Le Carre used his insider's knowledge as a former spy for the British secret service to great effect, just like fellow ex-agent Graham Greene did. Journalists often made great tellers of spy stories too, with Frederick Forsythe a prime example.
Many authors of spy thrillers created characters that returned in novel after novel. Some of these characters became household names because of their portrayal in movies. Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan and Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne are just two examples. The one that has become everyone's favorite, however, is Ian Fleming's suave British agent known as Bond, James Bond.
The communist countries also produced some great writers during the era. Many, however, wrote under very difficult circumstances with their work often being suppressed by the authorities. Czech writer Milan Kundera, for instance, went to live in exile while the Soviet writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and the Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas were not only imprisoned but also kicked out of their own countries.
Not everything written about the era is fiction. You'll find a huge variety of non-fiction works on the political situation at the time, explaining events like John F Kennedy's assassination, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the intriguing lives of the role-players involved. The stories of everyday people are told too, for instance in Anna Funder's moving 'Stasiland: Stories From Behind the Berlin Wall'.
There are several ways to discover a new favorite Cold War author. One is to simply read every book you can find on the theme. However, it's probably easier and less time-consuming to ask at the library or the bookstore in your area. You'll also find a variety of lists, reviews and suggestions online.
The Cold War was different from most wars in history. The two main powers involved, the USA and the USSR, never fought each other directly even though they did get involved in armed conflicts all over the world. Instead, the era was one of extreme political tension where everyone was afraid of firing the first shot in case it would trigger a third world war.
In an atmosphere of mistrust, you have the perfect breeding ground for spies. The Cold War soon became the golden era of the spy novel, especially in the USA and Britain. Few themes can inspire stories of intrigue, drama, adventure and action quite like espionage does.
One of the masters of the spy thriller is British writer John Le Carre, creator of, among others, 'The Spy Who Came In from the Cold', 'The Tailor of Panama', 'The Russia House' and 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'. Le Carre used his insider's knowledge as a former spy for the British secret service to great effect, just like fellow ex-agent Graham Greene did. Journalists often made great tellers of spy stories too, with Frederick Forsythe a prime example.
Many authors of spy thrillers created characters that returned in novel after novel. Some of these characters became household names because of their portrayal in movies. Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan and Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne are just two examples. The one that has become everyone's favorite, however, is Ian Fleming's suave British agent known as Bond, James Bond.
The communist countries also produced some great writers during the era. Many, however, wrote under very difficult circumstances with their work often being suppressed by the authorities. Czech writer Milan Kundera, for instance, went to live in exile while the Soviet writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and the Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas were not only imprisoned but also kicked out of their own countries.
Not everything written about the era is fiction. You'll find a huge variety of non-fiction works on the political situation at the time, explaining events like John F Kennedy's assassination, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the intriguing lives of the role-players involved. The stories of everyday people are told too, for instance in Anna Funder's moving 'Stasiland: Stories From Behind the Berlin Wall'.
There are several ways to discover a new favorite Cold War author. One is to simply read every book you can find on the theme. However, it's probably easier and less time-consuming to ask at the library or the bookstore in your area. You'll also find a variety of lists, reviews and suggestions online.
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