The years between the end of World War 2 and the beginning of the Nineties were characterized by a deeply polarized world. Capitalist and communist countries were in direct opposition to one another and this tension was the inspiration for many books. With so many to choose from, though, it's not always easy to find a good Cold War author but your task will be much easier if you could narrow the writers down by genre.
The Cold War was not a war in the true sense of the word. While the two opposing sides often got involved in armed conflicts in other parts of the world, from Korea and Vietnam to the liberation wars of Africa, they never directly fired shots on each other's soil. Of course the main deterrent was fear of causing another world war but this fear also kept the tension between capitalism and communism alive for almost half a decade.
Where countries don't trust one another, there will be spies. By far the most popular genre dealing with the era is the spy thriller. After all, the espionage theme has almost unlimited possibilities for adventure, action, intrigue and romance.
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 not a war in the true sense of the word. While the two opposing sides often got involved in armed conflicts in other parts of the world, from Korea and Vietnam to the liberation wars of Africa, they never directly fired shots on each other's soil. Of course the main deterrent was fear of causing another world war but this fear also kept the tension between capitalism and communism alive for almost half a decade.
Where countries don't trust one another, there will be spies. By far the most popular genre dealing with the era is the spy thriller. After all, the espionage theme has almost unlimited possibilities for adventure, action, intrigue and romance.
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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