Eric Ambler

Eric Ambler (1909-98) was born in London to parents who were part-time entertainers. He studied engineering but left college without taking a degree and became a copywriter in the advertising industry. Between 1937 and 1940, he published his great anti-fascist spy thrillers: Uncommon Danger , Epitaph for a Spy , Cause for Alarm , The Mask of Dimitrios , and Journey into Fear . In 1940, he joined the Royal Artillery and was later transferred to the army film unit. After the war he worked as a...See more

Eric Ambler (1909-98) was born in London to parents who were part-time entertainers. He studied engineering but left college without taking a degree and became a copywriter in the advertising industry. Between 1937 and 1940, he published his great anti-fascist spy thrillers: Uncommon Danger , Epitaph for a Spy , Cause for Alarm , The Mask of Dimitrios , and Journey into Fear . In 1940, he joined the Royal Artillery and was later transferred to the army film unit. After the war he worked as a screenwriter in England and Hollywood and married his second wife, a leading Hollywood producer. Ambler's post-war novels include Passage of Arms , The Light of Day and A Kind of Anger , and his profound influence on the genre has been acknowledged by writers including Graham Greene, Ian Fleming and John le Carré. See less