Eric Clifford Ambler OBE (28 June 1909 - 22 October 1998) was an influential English writer of spy novels who introduced a new realism to the genre. Ambler also used the pseudonym Eliot Reed for books co-written with Charles Rodda. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The spy fiction genre (sometimes called political thriller) first arose just before the First World War, at about the same time, the first organized intelligence agencies were being formed. ... For the gay mens lifestyle magazine, see Genre (magazine). ...

Life

Ambler was born in London into a family of entertainers who ran a puppet show, with which he helped in his early years. Both parents also worked as music hall artists.^[1] Later he studied engineering at Imperial College, University of London and served an apprenticeship with an engineering company. However, his upbringing as an entertainer proved dominant and he soon moved to writing plays and other works. By 1937 he was director of an advertising agency in London. After resigning he moved to Paris, where he met and married Louise Crombie, an American fashion correspondent. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... A puppet is a representational object manipulated by a puppeteer. ... Engineering is the discipline and profession of applying scientific knowledge and utilizing natural laws and physical resources in order to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and processes that realize a desired objective and meet specified criteria. ... Royal School of Mines Entrance Imperial College London is a college of the University of London which focuses on science and technology, and is located in South Kensington in London. ... Website http://www. ... An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising (and sometimes other forms of promotion) for its clients. ... This article is about the capital of France. ...

At that time, Ambler was politically a staunch anti-Fascist and like many others tended to regard the Soviet Union as the only real counterweight - which was reflected in the fact that some of his early books include Soviet agents depicted as positive and sympathetic characters, the undoubted allies of the main protagonist. And like numerous like-minded people in different countries, Ambler was shocked and disillusioned by the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939. Anti-Fascism is a belief and practice of opposing all forms of Fascism. ... Soviet redirects here. ... Molotov (left), Ribbentrop (in black) and Stalin The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, also known as the Hitler-Stalin pact or Nazi-Soviet pact, was a non-aggression treaty between Germany and Russia, or more precisely between the Soviet Union and the Third Reich. ...

When World War II broke out, Ambler entered the army as a common soldier. He was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1941. He was soon re-assigned to photographic units, where his talents were better employed. He ended the war as a Lieutenant-Colonel and assistant director of the army film unit. After the war, he worked in the civilian film industry as a screen-writer, receiving an Academy Award nomination in 1953 for his work on the film "The Cruel Sea", adapted from the novel by Nicholas Montserrat. He did not resume writing under his own name until 1951, entering the second of the two distinct periods in his writing. Five of his six early works are regarded as classic thrillers. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... RGA redirects here. ... Lieutenant Colonel (Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grades spelling) is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine corps and air forces of the world, typically ranking above a Major and below a Colonel. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Cruel Sea (1953) was a British film starring Jack Hawkins, Denholm Elliott and Virginia McKenna. ... Commander Nicholas John Turney Monsarrat RNVR (22 March 1910 – 8 August 1979) was a UK novelist best known today for his sea stories, particularly The Cruel Sea (1951). ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television. ...

Ambler divorced Louise in 1958, marrying Joan Harrison the same year. The couple moved to Switzerland in 1969 and back to England 16 years later. Joan died in 1994 in London. Jan. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Ambler died in Switzerland.

Intellectual property

During 2008, the Eric Ambler estate transferred the copyrights and all other legal rights in all Eric Ambler's works including past contracts to Eric Ambler Literary Management Limited, a new subsidiary of brand owner Owatonna Media, based in London (Owatonna Media). Owatonna Media manages all Eric Ambler matters including in publishing, film and TV.

Writing career

Ambler's best known works are probably The Mask of Dimitrios (1939), which became a classic film noir in the 1944 film, and The Light of Day (1962), filmed in 1964 as Topkapi and also lampooned in The Pink Panther (1963). He was also a successful screenwriter and lived in Los Angeles in his later years. Amongst other classic movies based on his work are Journey Into Fear (1943), starring Joseph Cotten, and The October Man (1947). He published his autobiography in 1985, Here Lies Eric Ambler. Two silhouetted figures in The Big Combo (1955). ... The Mask of Dimitrios (U.S. title: A Coffin for Dimitrios) (1939) is a novel by Eric Ambler. ... // Events January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove is released. ... Topkapi is a 1964 heist film made by Filmways Pictures and distributed by United Artists. ... The Pink Panther, directed by Blake Edwards and co-written by Edwards and Maurice Richlin, is a 1963 comedy film, starring David Niven, Peter Sellers, and Robert Wagner. ... Screenwriters, scenarists, or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television programs are made. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Journey Into Fear is a 1943 film centered around a United States Navy engineer attempting to escape Nazi forces following his return to the United States. ... Joseph Cheshire Cotten (May 15, 1905–February 6, 1994) was an American stage and screen actor. ... This article is about the year. ...

A recurring theme in Ambler's books is the amateur who finds himself unwillingly in the company of hardened criminals or spies. Typically, the protagonist is out of his depth and often seems for much of the book a bumbling anti-hero, yet eventually manages to surprise himself as well as the professionals by a decisive action that outwits his far more experienced opponents. This plot is used, for example, in Journey into Fear, The Light of Day and Dirty Story. In Ambler's books, unlike most other spy novels^[2], the protagonist is rarely a professional spy, or a policeman or counterintelligence operative. A protagonist is the main figure of a piece of literature or drama and has the main part or role. ... In literature and film, an anti-hero is a central or supporting character that has some of the personality flaws and ultimate fortune traditionally assigned to villains but nonetheless also have enough heroic qualities or intentions to gain the sympathy of readers or viewers. ... Journey Into Fear is a 1943 film centered around a United States Navy engineer attempting to escape Nazi forces following his return to the United States. ...

Works

• The Dark Frontier (1936)
• Uncommon Danger (aka Background to Danger - U.S.) (1937)
• Epitaph for a Spy (1938)
• Cause for Alarm (1938)
• The Mask of Dimitrios (aka A Coffin for Dimitrios - U.S.) (1939)
• The Army of the Shadows (1939) in The Queen's Book of the Red Cross
• Journey into Fear (1940)
• Skytip (1950) (as Eliot Reed)
• Judgment on Deltchev (1951)
• Tender to Danger (1951) (as Eliot Reed) (aka Tender to Moonlight)
• The Schirmer Inheritance (1953))[1][2]
• The Maras Affair (1953) (as Eliot Reed)
• Charter to Danger (1954) (as Eliot Reed)
• The Night-Comers (1956) (aka State of Siege[3][4]
• Passport to Panic (1958) (as Eliot Reed)
• Passage of Arms (1959)
• The Light of Day (1962) (aka Topkapi) (Edgar Award for Best Novel, 1964)
• The Ability to Kill: And Other Pieces [SS] (1963)
• A Kind of Anger (1964)
• Dirty Story (1967) (aka This Gun for Hire)
• The Intercom Conspiracy (1969) (aka The Quiet Conspiracy)
• The Levanter (1972)
• Doctor Frigo (1974)
• Send No More Roses (1977) (aka The Siege of the Villa Lipp - U.S.)
• The Care of Time (1981)
• Here Lies: An Autobiography (1985) (Edgar Award for Best Critical/Biographical Work, 1987)
• Waiting for Orders [SS] (1991) (aka The Story so Far)
  1. The Intrusions of Dr. Czissar
  2. The Army of Shadows
  3. The Blood Bargain

The Dark Frontier (1936) is Eric Amblers first novel, about whose genesis he writes: […] Became press agent for film star, but soon after joined big London advertising agency as copywriter and ideas man. During next few years wrote incessantly on variety of subjects ranging from baby food to non... Cause for Alarm is a novel by Eric Ambler first published in 1938. ... The Queens Book of the Red Cross was published in November 1939 in a fundraising effort to aid the Red Cross during World War II. The book was sponsored by Queen Elizabeth, and its contents were contributed by fifty British authors and artists. ... Journey Into Fear is a 1943 film centered around a United States Navy engineer attempting to escape Nazi forces following his return to the United States. ... Passage of Arms (ISBN 033039620X) is a novel by Eric Ambler. ... The Edgar Allan Poe Awards (popularly called the Edgars), named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America. ...

Footnotes

External links

• Owatonna Media, Eric Ambler brand owner
• Eric Ambler biography
• Short biography, photo, and summaries of some works
• Eric Ambler bibliography