The Bourne Identity

Author	Robert Ludlum
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Jason Bourne
Genre(s)	Fiction
Publisher	Putnam
Released	1980
Pages	544 Pages
ISBN	ISBN 0-553-26011-1
Followed by	The Bourne Supremacy

The Bourne Identity is a 1980 spy fiction thriller by Robert Ludlum about an amnesiac who must discover who he is and why several different groups, including an assassin and the CIA, are trying to kill him. It is the first in a series of novels written by Ludlum, and later Eric Van Lustbader, featuring Jason Bourne. Image File history File links The_Bourne_Identity. ... The Scarlatti Inheritance, Ludlums first book, published 1971. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Jason Bourne is a fictional character in a series of novels by Robert Ludlum and later Eric Van Lustbader who picks up where Ludlum left off. ... The Three Graces, here in a painting by Sandro Botticelli, were the goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility in Greek mythology. ... For the film see: The Bourne Supremacy (film) The Bourne Supremacy (ISBN 0553263226) is a novel written by Robert Ludlum and a sequel to The Bourne Identity. ... The genre of spy fiction — sometimes called political thriller or spy thriller or sometimes shortened simply to Spy-fi — arose before World War I at about the same time that the first modern intelligence agencies were formed. ... The Scarlatti Inheritance, Ludlums first book, published 1971. ... Amnesia or amnaesia (see spelling differences) is a condition in which memory is disturbed. ... The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an intelligence agency of the United States Government. ... Eric Van Lustbader (1946 - ) is a writer of both fantasy and thriller-style novels. ... Jason Bourne is a fictional character in a series of novels by Robert Ludlum and later Eric Van Lustbader who picks up where Ludlum left off. ...

The Bourne Identity has been adapted into a 1988 television mini-series starring Richard Chamberlain and Jaclyn Smith, and a 2002 movie starring Matt Damon and Franka Potente. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Richarde Chamberlin, right, as John Blackthorne, and John Rhys-Davies, left, as the Portuguese Pilot Vasco Rodrigues in the Shogun television miniseries. ... Ellen Jaclyn Smith (born October 26, 1947) is an American television actress. ... This is a list of film-related events in 2002. ... Matthew Paige Damon (born October 8, 1970) is an Academy Award-winning American screenwriter and actor. ... Franka Potente as Lola in 1998s Run Lola Run. ...

Plot summary

For a more in-depth background of the character Bourne, see Jason Bourne.

The protagonist is found floating in the Mediterranean Sea with several bullet wounds, including a head wound which has given him amnesia. The doctor treating him, finds a message surgically embedded in his hip, containing details of a Swiss bank account, presumably anonymous. Jason Bourne is a fictional character in a series of novels by Robert Ludlum and later Eric Van Lustbader who picks up where Ludlum left off. ... The protagonist or main character is the central figure of a story. ... Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ... Amnesia or amnaesia (see spelling differences) is a condition in which memory is disturbed. ...

In Zürich, the protagonist learns that his name is Jason Bourne; and, while attempting to retrace his steps on his previous visit to the city, attracts the attention of several people who either fear him, warn him of danger, or try to kill him (but all unhelpfully assume that he already knows why). He also meets a woman named Marie St. Jacques in Zürich and uses her as a hostage to escape. He is forced to take her with him when he flees after it becomes clear that by associating with her he has put her life in danger as well. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Jason Bourne is a fictional character in a series of novels by Robert Ludlum and later Eric Van Lustbader who picks up where Ludlum left off. ...

As the evidence and the double-crosses mount up, it appears that Jason Bourne is an associate of the infamous terrorist Carlos. In the end, however, it is revealed that the protagonist is actually a CIA Agent in deep cover as a fictional assassin, Jason Bourne, in order to get close to Carlos, and that he received his injuries after blowing his cover trying to prevent an assassination. Jason Bourne goes by many names, such as Cain and Delta. His real name, however, is David Webb. In a dramatic finale, he faces Carlos (alone and unaided, because the CIA believes, due to his recent erratic behaviour, that he's gone rogue). Look up rogue in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The 1988 miniseries is reasonably true to the plot of the novel, but the film was changed to exclude the subplot about assassin "Carlos" and, equally or more significantly, the fact of Bourne's innocence — it is maintained that he actually was an assassin (though of CIA employ).

Sequels

Ludlum penned two sequels, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. In addition, after Ludlum's death, Eric Van Lustbader continued the story of Jason Bourne in a sequel titled The Bourne Legacy. He is also currently writing the fifth novel in the series tentatively titled, The Bourne Trajectory. For the film see: The Bourne Supremacy (film) The Bourne Supremacy (ISBN 0553263226) is a novel written by Robert Ludlum and a sequel to The Bourne Identity. ... Book Cover The Bourne Ultimatum is the conclusion to Robert Ludlums Jason Bourne trilogy and a sequel to The Bourne Supremacy. ... Eric Van Lustbader (1946 - ) is a writer of both fantasy and thriller-style novels. ... Book Cover The Bourne Legacy is a spy fiction thriller written by Eric Van Lustbader and based on the character of Jason Bourne created by author Robert Ludlum. ... The Bourne Trajectory is the tentative title for the upcoming novel by Eric Van Lustbader and the fifth novel in the Jason Bourne series created by Robert Ludlum. ...

See also

• XIII is a Franco-Belgian comic series that has many similarities to the character of Jason Bourne as well as the novel The Bourne Identity.
• The 1987 Tamil movie Vetri Vizha starring Kamal Haasan is a loose adaptation of this novel.