Table of Contents

Abbreviations; Preface; 1. Intellectual and intelligence contexts, 1930–60; 2. The Auden circle; 3. Ewan MacColl, Joan Littlewood, and Theatre Workshop; 4. Arthur Koestler and George Orwell; Epilogue; Notes.

Promotional Information

The book explores records that MI5, Britain's domestic intelligence agency, maintained on influential left-wing writers from 1930 to 1960.

About the Author

James Smith is Lecturer in English Literature at Durham University. Author of a critical study on the work of Terry Eagleton (2008), he has published widely in journals such as New Theatre Quarterly and Literature and History. He received his PhD from the University of Cambridge in 2007.

Reviews

'… a sober and scholarly attempt to tell the story straight.' Sam Leith, The Guardian

'Admirable scholarship …' New Statesman

'Groundbreaking …' The Times Higher Education Supplement

'A good story …' The Times Literary Supplement

'This intelligent, balanced, and thoughtfully probing book activates what promises to be a rich and highly revealing dialogue.' Peter Marks, Journal of British Studies

'Smith examines MI5 files held on writers before and after WWII in this compelling book … [he] is judicious in framing his study. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.' J. M. Utell, Choice