#21529
Mentioned in 3 episodes
Our Man in Havana
Book • 1958
Set in Havana on the eve of the communist revolution, 'Our Man in Havana' follows James Wormold, an English expatriate who sells vacuum cleaners.
Desperate for money to support his teenage daughter Milly's extravagant lifestyle, Wormold is recruited by the British Secret Service.
Lacking any real intelligence, he fabricates reports using newspaper articles and a country club directory, creating an elaborate deception.
However, his fictions start to take on a life of their own, leading to real-world consequences, including the targeting of innocent people.
The novel is a satire on the absurdities of espionage and the problems caused by the fabrication of intelligence.
It blends humor with a tragic undertone, reflecting Greene's critique of intelligence services based on his own experiences.
Desperate for money to support his teenage daughter Milly's extravagant lifestyle, Wormold is recruited by the British Secret Service.
Lacking any real intelligence, he fabricates reports using newspaper articles and a country club directory, creating an elaborate deception.
However, his fictions start to take on a life of their own, leading to real-world consequences, including the targeting of innocent people.
The novel is a satire on the absurdities of espionage and the problems caused by the fabrication of intelligence.
It blends humor with a tragic undertone, reflecting Greene's critique of intelligence services based on his own experiences.
Mentioned by
Mentioned in 3 episodes
Mentioned as a black comedy about Cold War spies.
12 snips
Not All Propaganda is Art 9: Freedom or Death
Mentioned by 
Shashank Joshi in the context of Russian intelligence officers fabricating intelligence.
Shashank Joshi in the context of Russian intelligence officers fabricating intelligence.
Witness self-protection programme? Trump and the Capitol riot inquiry
Mentioned by Shashank Joshi in the context of Russian intelligence officers fabricating intelligence.
Shashank Joshi in the context of Russian intelligence officers fabricating intelligence. Witness self-protection programme? Trump and the Capitol riot inquiry
Mentioned by 
Dominic Sandbrook in the context of fictional portrayals of spies and the nature of their work.
Dominic Sandbrook in the context of fictional portrayals of spies and the nature of their work.
37. Spies, with Ben MacIntyre
Recommended by 
Scott Anderson as one of his all-time favorite books, highlighting its dark humor and exploration of the absurdity of the spy world.
Scott Anderson as one of his all-time favorite books, highlighting its dark humor and exploration of the absurdity of the spy world.
The Spies Fighting Communism During the Cold War, with Scott Anderson and Hugo Lindgren
