Deighton's many spies in the cold

Unlike le Carre, who developed quite a sentimental Left view of the world, Deighton remained faithful to his calling of entertainment

Far fewer Indians have heard of Len Deighton than of John le Carre. But in my book Deighton is every bit as good a writer of spy novels set during the Cold War as le Carre was.

One clear indicator of how good his books are is the number that have been made into films —The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin, Spy Story and the Billion Dollar Brain. All old gold.  Ipcress File, by the way, was published in 1962, a year before le Carre’s Spy Who Came in From the Cold.

Unlike le Carre who went to Eton, Deighton was educated