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Eric Ambler

エリック・アンブラー

Erikku Anburā

Pen Names: Eliot Reed（Joint pseudonym used for works co-written with Charles Rodda）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1909-06-28 （Charlton, London, England）
Died
1998-10-23 （London, England） age 89
Nationality
British
Languages
English
Residence History
London (born and early life) → Paris (lived in the 1930s) → Los Angeles (later years) → Switzerland (moved in 1969; lived there for 16 years)

Career

Occupations
Author, Screenwriter
Active Years
1930-1998
Affiliations
Detection Club (member)
Memberships
Detection Club
Influenced
Graham Greene, Ian Fleming, John le Carré, Julian Symons, Alan Furst, Frederick Forsyth

Education

Northampton Polytechnic Institute (now City, University of London)
Engineering
Period: 1920年代–1930年代
Country: United Kingdom
Studied engineering and completed a traineeship with an engineering firm; later moved into writing

Awards

Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Organization: British honours system / Royal institutions
Result: 受章
Gold Dagger
1959
Work: Passage of Arms
Organization: Crime Writers' Association (UK)
Result: 受賞
Edgar Award (Best Novel)
1964
Work: The Light of Day (Topkapi)
Category: Best Novel
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: 受賞
Edgar Award (Best Critical/Biographical Work)
1987
Work: Here Lies (autobiography)
Category: Critical/Biographical
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: 受賞
Academy Award (screenplay nomination)
1954
Work: The Cruel Sea (screenplay contribution)
Organization: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Result: ノミネート

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Mask of Dimitrios

1939 Thriller / Spy fiction

An amateur protagonist becomes entangled in crime and intrigue while investigating the mysterious figure Dimitrios; later adapted to film.

conspiracystatelessness/exileamateur protagonists thrown into danger
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Mask of Dimitrios / Jean Negulesco (1944)

Journey into Fear

1940 Thriller / Spy fiction

An ordinary man becomes involved in assassination threats and international intrigue and must fight to survive.

survival under pressureinternational conspiracyexile/dispacement
Adaptations
  • [Film] Journey into Fear / Norman Foster (1943 version) (1943)
  • [Film] Journey into Fear (1975)

Passage of Arms

1959 Thriller

A story revolving around international crime and arms dealing; highly regarded and winner of the Gold Dagger.

arms tradeinternational crimepower and ethics

The Light of Day

1962 Thriller

A suspense about a man drawn into a jewel robbery; source for the film 'Topkapi'.

crime plottingchance and choiceresourceful amateurs
Adaptations
  • [Film] Topkapi / Peter Ustinov (1970s association) (1964)

The Levanter

1972 Thriller

A geopolitical thriller published in 1972 that received high acclaim and recognition related to the Gold Dagger.

political conspiracyexileindividual vs state

Doctor Frigo

1974 Thriller

A suspense featuring a doctor as protagonist; focuses on moral dilemmas and the shadow of the past.

guilt and redemptionhaunting pastspersonal choices

The Care of Time

1981 Thriller / Political suspense

A late-career novel dealing with political tensions and terrorism in the late Cold War; centers on international conspiracy.

political conspiracyterrorisminternational relations
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Care of Time (1990)

Bibliography

  • The Dark Frontier (1936)
  • Uncommon Danger / Background to Danger (1937)
  • Epitaph for a Spy (1938)
  • The Mask of Dimitrios (1939)
  • Journey into Fear (1940)
  • Judgment on Deltchev (1951)
  • Passage of Arms (1959)
  • The Light of Day (1962)
  • The Levanter (1972)
  • Doctor Frigo (1974)
  • The Care of Time (1981)
  • Here Lies: An Autobiography (1985)

Adaptations

  • Journey into Fear (film adaptations 1943, 1975 and TV versions)
  • The Mask of Dimitrios (1944 film)
  • Topkapi (1964, adaptation of The Light of Day)
  • The Care of Time (1990 adaptation)

Translations of Works

  • A Coffin for Dimitrios (US title of The Mask of Dimitrios)
  • Background to Danger (US title of Uncommon Danger)
  • This Gun For Hire (alternate title of Dirty Story)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
realistic, understated proseconcise narrative that builds tension
Recurring Motifs
amateur protagonistsstatelessness and exilepolitical conspiracy and moral dilemma

Legacy

Eric Ambler is regarded as a writer who elevated the spy thriller to a more literary level and influenced many later international thriller authors. Numerous adaptations of his work have been produced and he occupies an important place in crime and suspense literature.

Academic Societies

  • Detection Club-related scholarly communities

Archives

  • Library and manuscript archives (e.g., Library of Congress entries; details variable)

In Popular Culture

  • Many novels adapted for film and TV; regarded as a key influence on thriller cinema

Trivia

  • Used the joint pseudonym 'Eliot Reed' for works co-written with Charles Rodda.
  • Served in the British Army during WWII and worked with the Army Film and Photographic Unit, leaving service as a lieutenant-colonel.
  • Received an Academy Award nomination for work on The Cruel Sea.
  • Works such as Passage of Arms and The Levanter received recognition connected with the Gold Dagger.
  • Won an Edgar Award for his autobiography Here Lies.