Ashenden: or The British Agent

In the collection “Ashenden, or the British Agent,” Somerset Maugham immerses us in the world of sophisticated espionage, drawing on his own experience working in British intelligence. Against the backdrop of World War I, where thousands die on the fronts, a no less dangerous but more refined game of Europe’s intelligence services unfolds in the rear. Here every step could be the last, and the agent’s main tool is his mind and speed of reaction. Maugham masterfully portrays a world where secret operations intertwine with personal dramas, and each mission is a step on thin ice between life and death.