Deighton << DAY tuhn >>, Len (1929-…), is an English author known for espionage and war novels. He belongs to the antiromantic school of spy novelists, presenting espionage as an unglamorous and ruthless activity. He carefully researches all his novels. He often uses footnotes and other scholarly devices to reflect his research and make his stories appear more realistic. A typical Deighton novel has a complicated plot and many specific details.
Deighton gained international recognition for his first spy thriller, The Ipcress File (1962). The novel introduces the anonymous British spy who narrates most of Deighton’s novels. The story has a complicated plot involving the kidnapping of British biochemists. Deighton has written two trilogies and a separate novel about British spy Bernard Samson. The first trilogy consists of Berlin Game (1983), Mexico Set (1985), and London Match (1985). Next came Winter (1987) and the second trilogy, Spy Hook (1988), Spy Line (1989), and Spy Sinker (1990). His other novels include Funeral in Berlin (1964), Bomber (1970), Close-Up (1972), SS-GB (1978), and XPD (1981).
Deighton also has written popularized military history, including Blitzkrieg (1979) and Battle of Britain (1980). Leonard Cyril Deighton was born on Feb. 18, 1929, in London. After World War II ended in 1945, he served in the Special Investigations branch of the Royal Air Force.
