Secret agent's life

[latenight]

I found out that a secret agent's life must be very stressful that he or she simply cannot have had the ordinary life with which the normal people live...Lies upon lies, cover-ups upon cover-ups, he simply cannot even have had a mundane conversation with his neighbors as one could've imagined...

So if you've read the autobiography of a secret agent that characterizes the things i said above, which is full of stress and anxiety, please refer it to me...I'd like to read it...

 

[Isabell]

Good luck with that. I don't think any secret agent would be writing any kind of book divulging information about the lives of agents, past and present. The key word is "Secret". The jobs of agents are dangerous and giving away information such as you are asking could jeopardize their lives and the lives of their families, no? Unless I'm totally off base, maybe someone can chime in and prove me wrong.

However, there are plenty of fictitious books about agents, try those.

 

[sparkchaser]

A secret agent autobiography? Hmmm

I cannot vouch for any of these books so don't blame me if they are less than stellar.

Autobiography of a spy by Mary Bancroft

Spy Catcher: The Candid Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Officer by Peter Wright

My Silent War: The Autobiography of a Spy by Kim Philby

The Unlikely Spy: An Autobiography by Paul Henderson

A Spy For All Seasons: My Life in the CIA by Duane R. Clarridge

The American Agent: My Life in the CIA by Richard L. Holm

A Spy's Journey: A CIA Memoir by Floyd Paseman

The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA by Antonio J. Mendez

Spymaster: My Life in the CIA by Ted Shackley

Spy Handler: Memoir of a KGB Officer: The True Story of the Man Who Recruited Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames

Spy Handler: Memoir of a KGB Officer: The True Story of the Man Who Recruited Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames by Victor Cherkashin and Gregory Feifer

Washington Station: My Life as a KGB Spy in America by Yuri Shvets

The First Directorate: My 32 Years in Intelligence and Espionage Against the West by Oleg Kalugin

Hope that helps. As far as biographies go, Pete Earley has written a few books about spies an spy rings. There are several general spy study books out there too that are worth a look.

Also, the International Spy Museum in Washington D.C. is a must visit if you're ever in the area.

 

[Isabell]

you're killing me, man!

 

[Occlith]

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind: An Unauthorized Autobiography by Chuck Barris

 

[silverseason]

For psychology, I recommend the novels of John LeCarre, especially the Smiley series and A Perfect Spy.

Going back aways, there is Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent, based in part on some real happenings in London.

 

[Isabell]

For psychology, I recommend the novels of John LeCarre, especially the Smiley series and A Perfect Spy.

Going back aways, there is Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent, based in part on some real happenings in London.

I was going to suggest that one, but it seemed more on the fiction side and outdated.

 

[latenight]

For psychology, I recommend the novels of John LeCarre, especially the Smiley series and A Perfect Spy.

Going back aways, there is Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent, based in part on some real happenings in London.

How does LeCarre protrait the spy's life?...Does he mention anything to be anxious and stressful in the spy's life?...I've viewed the spy businesses to be a mind-twisted business...

 

[silverseason]

How does LeCarre protrait the spy's life?...Does he mention anything to be anxious and stressful in the spy's life?...I've viewed the spy businesses to be a mind-twisted business...

In the Smiley books you find a range of characters. For some, spying is a business, while others have more complex motives.

I liked A Perfect Spy because the author focused on the character of one spy. The man is living a double life until it is not clear which life is his. Much of the book is devoted to the relationship between father and son, in which the father is a great deceiver with lots of charm.

 

[pontalba]

I'm presently reading Harlot's Ghost by Norman Mailer, it would meet your criteria I believe although fictional, it is said to be quite close to a true recreation of at least some agent's existence.

I liked the le Carre stories as well.
Oh, another author to check out would be Charles McCarry, his Paul Christopher series is good.

 

[sparkchaser]

If we're talking fiction now then a really good one is Tom Clancy's Cardinal of the Kremlin.