The Night of Wenceslas
Young Nicholas Whistler is sent from London to Prague on what seems like a routine errand, only to be drawn into Cold War espionage. The debut novel uses a lightly ironic voice to build suspicion and tension step by step.
Work Information
A reluctant young man is pulled, almost against his will, into the world of spies.
Lionel Davidson's The Night of Wenceslas is a 1960 debut thriller that has remained readable through later reissues. Set in Prague, it follows an ordinary young man whose life is derailed by coincidence and misdirection, all told with wit and a brisk pace.
Book Information
- Publisher
- Faber & Faber
- Published
- 2008-05-29
- Pages
- 240 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 12.6 x 1.37 x 19.79 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9780571242887
- ISBN-10
- 057124288X
- Price
- 1113 JPY
- Category
- 洋書/Literature & Fiction/Genre Fiction/Horror
Young Nicholas Whistler, dissolute and disillusioned, lives a life of dull monotony in London. Caught up in a petty money-lenders dispute, he finds himself sent to Prague to discharge the debt by carrying out a simple assignment. But this business trip will soon drag him into the world of Cold War espionage and the battle for atomic supremacy.
Lionel Davidson was born in 1922 in Hull, Yorkshire. He left school early and worked as a reporter before serving in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. His first novel, The Night of Wenceslas , was published in 1960 to great critical acclaim and drew comparisons to Graham Greene and John le Carré. It was followed by The Rose of Tibet (1962), A Long Way to Shiloh (1966), The Chelsea Murders (1978) and Kolymsky Heights (1994). He was thrice the recipient of the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award and, in 2001, was awarded the CWA's Cartier Diamond Dagger lifetime achievement award. He died in 2009.
Reviews
-
Buena novela de espionaje
Entretenida, fácil de leer en inglés. Un poco inocente y cinematográfica. No es Le Carré pero pasas un buen rato.
-
A style to cherish
His first book (1960), and my first Lionel Davidson read - a result of an article seen in the Telegraph recently. I enjoyed it and WILL go on to the next, though as yet I'm not totally won over. The plot - I think because of an array of Czech names used - threw me at times, but I enjoyed the writing style, the gentle humour of the narrative and the story-telling. For a spy novel it was a different kind of read, but not the usual thrill a minute ride that some books provide. I could make a case for it being all the better for that, a throwback to Graham Greene whose writing I've previously enjoyed. Three and half stars would have been a fairer assessment of the novel, I think, but i have been left with a desire to sample more of Davidson's writing so that alone raises the book's profile for me.
-
A good spy yarn
Well written and evocative of post war Europe. For someone who once went behind the iron curtain, I did not find the underlying tension inherent in everyday activity at all exaggerated. The hero was believably human but I never really believed he was ever in any real danger. And he does get the girl at the end. Not Le Carre but worth the read.
-
Una lettura piacevole
Avevo già letto Kolimska e mi era piaciuto lo stile intrigante e suggestivo di questo magnifico scrittore. Questo libro, seppure molto diverso, mi ha dato un grande piacere di lettura ed mi ha inchiodato dalla prima all'ultima pagina, lasciandomi alla fine con la certezza di aver letto un grande libro.
-
Really Excellent Read
Lionel Davidson is a gifted writer. I had read his book that was set in Siberia and enjoyed that one. This story has lots of good surprises and a very interesting main character. It held my interest so I read it very quickly while traveling.
Related Literary Awards
- CWA KAA Gold Dagger Edition 6 (1960) ・Winner