DEIGHTON, LEN

born Feb. 18, 1929, Marylebone, London, Eng. English author, journalist, film producer, and a leading writer of spy stories, his best-known being his first, The Ipcress File (1962), an account of deception and betrayal in an espionage agency. Deighton was educated at St. Martin's School of Art, London, and the Royal College of Art. He worked at a number of jobs after graduation, including pastry cook, syndicated cooking columnist, manager of a dress factory, and news photographer. In Funeral in Berlin (1964), his second novel, he continued his blend of espionage and suspense. The Billion Dollar Brain (1966), another suspense spy story, shows Deighton's craftsmanship and mastery of plot. Some critics consider An Expensive Place to Die, published in 1967, one of his best novels because of its crisp prose style and fast-moving, plausible plot. In Only When I Larf (1968), Deighton moved from the subject of spies to confidence tricksters. In the suspense novel Bomber (1970), he treated a misdirected bombing mission of World War II. In 1972, with Close-Up, Deighton abandoned the suspense theme and chose instead to explore Hollywood's film industry. He returned to the espionage genre in 1974 with Spy Story. Later novels include Yesterday's Spy (1975), XPD (1981), Goodbye, Mickey Mouse (1982), and Winter (1987). Many of his books were adapted for the screen, including The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin, The Billion Dollar Brain, Only When I Larf, and An Expensive Place to Die. Deighton also wrote several historical accounts of World War II (e.g., Blitzkrieg: From the Rise of Hitler to the Fall of Dunkirk ) and a number of cookbooks.