A Polish seaman comes to throw the anchor off the coasts of England, becomes naturalized,and as he became a faithful citizen of Great-Britain, turned himself from seaman into a Master of English litterature under the name of "Joseph Conrad" (1857-1924). This is more or less the destiny of "William Conrad", Polish immigrant before World War 1, successful writer, enlisted at the beginning of the conflict, wounded, decorated, etc... However, there is a man, X, who stays sceptical concerning Conrad's flawless career. His intuition even tells him that Conrad might be a german spy. He demands constant surveillance over Conrad. Meanwhile, Conrad becomes responsible of anti-nazi propaganda! The paradox is that X was right and that not only William is a fervent nazi, but he is also a master in camouflage who applies his skills to his duty with enough talent and fervor to convert the most stubborn. He finds this out when the time comes for him to take action, and it is in a paradox that this adventure full of truth about espionnage and of human irony comes to an end. This first novel, published in 1950, was written during the years following World War 2, when England's admiration for Churchill was still vivid in a lot of hearts, this may explain the excessive ingenuity of some passages.
Author
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. Pierre Boulle (20 February 1912 – 30 January 1994) was a French novelist best known for two works, The Bridge over the River Kwai (1952) and Planet of the Apes (1963) that were both made into award-winning films. Boulle was an engineer serving as a secret agent with the Free French in Singapore, when he was captured and subjected to two years' forced labour. He used these experiences in The Bridge over the River Kwai, about the notorious Death Railway, which became an international bestseller. The film by David Lean won many Oscars, and Boulle was credited with writing the screenplay, because its two genuine authors had been blacklisted. His science-fiction novel Planet of the Apes, where intelligent apes gain mastery over humans, was adapted into a series of five award-winning films that spawned magazine versions and popular themed toys.
