Obituary
Leonard Cyril Deighton 1929-2026.
Author of spy and historical novels and cookery books. WW2 historian. Talented and prolific illustrator/cartoonist. Lover of good food.
In 1996 he decided to take a year off from writing, at the end of which he stated that writing was “a mug’s game” that he did not miss and did not have to do and only very occasionally went back to, retiring completely in 2016.
He said “The best thing about writing books is being at a party and telling some pretty girl you write books, the worst thing is sitting at a typewriter and actually writing the book.”
A fine writer, whose works I have frequently revisited.
I like spy books what are his best?
The Ipcress Files is a classic. Bomber is good too. SS GB is a good counter factual about the WWII. I’m sure there are more.
Thanks Twang read Ipcress was interested in later period. So tah.
I would go for the Bernard Samson books, which ended up being three trilogies (Berlin Game/Mexico Set/London Match, Spy Hook / Spy Line / Spy Sinker, and Faith / Hope / Charity). An epic about espionage and counter espionage in Cold War Germany
These in particular, though many others are also good. I have fond memories of reading about Bernard Samson’s travails throughout the 90s.
ThanksKid
Pretty thorough obit in the Graun
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/mar/17/len-deighton-obituary
It seems the lengthy BBC obituary that I linked to did not show up after posting. I’ll put the link in another post.
The Harry Palmer/Seret File series (The Palmer character was never named in the books, only in the movie adaptations): “The IPCRESS File”, “Horse Under Water”, “Funeral In Berlin”, “Billion-Dollar Brain”, “An Expensive Place To Die” and “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Spy” are all good.
The Sampson “trilogy of trilogies” mentioned above are all good.
“Bomber”, “SS-GB”, “Yesterday’s Spy” and “Winter” are all good standalone fiction (some characters from previous books and their antecedents crop up in “Winter”, which is a fantastic fictional family history).
I haven’t read “Goodbye Mickey Mouse” yet. Nor have I read any of his non-fiction/military history or his cookery books yet.
Interesting side fact: In his pre-novelist career as a book jacket artist, he drew the jacket illustration for the first UK edition of Jack Kerouac’s “On The Road”.
As promised above:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cervgrvekxzo
Absolutely loved his espionage novels always felt he retired too early.
I haven’t read this account of the James Bond films but it looks interesting.
https://amzn.eu/d/0hwsFKbi
They were Len’s hands breaking eggs in The Ipcress File, because Michael Caine couldn’t get the hang of one-handed egg cracking
Just rewatched that. What a sooty, grimy place London was in that film.
And I did chuckle at the eggs scene. Hands were much paler.
In unrelated showbiz old news, my bassist pal’s drummer brother played the hands of Roger Taylor in that Queen film from a few years ago.
Great writer. I have a vivid memory of a very long and snowy journey one Christmas from my parents’ house in Southend to my girlfriend’s parents’ house near Swindon, involving many delays and much hanging about on freezing station platforms. I started Bomber when I got on the train and finished it before I got to Swindon. Absolutely compulsive reading, a brilliant book.
I reread The Ipcress File recently – it holds up very well. Dated in details, obviously, but plot and writing feel absolutely contemporary.
He lived (and died) less than 10 minutes walk from my house…
…Never saw him. Not once.
Aaah but can you be sure?
Love his stuff. I’m currently re-reading his ‘Blood, Tears and Folly’ – his analysis of the Second World War. No-one in authority or of senior rank is spared some well expressed criticism. And, given that he was primarily a novelist, his explanations and descriptions of events are wonderfully colourful.
This alongside ‘Blitzkrieg’ and ‘Fighter’ should be set texts.
RIP