The great politic changes, that occurred in Europe after the Second World War, engaging society and art, not only involved art systems changes, but promoted the appearance of their new forms. The necessity of historic events reconstruction and understanding of what happened led to the joining of belles-lettres and documentary styles of reflecting the reality, the creation of voluminous epic series and the distribution of satirics, novels where the recent past became the source of thinking about the present.

The interest to deep “roots” and national foundations causes the process of a nation’s self-identity and finding its place in the global community. Just in the 60s, a problem of “Englishness” is raised in English literature, when the belles-lettres research of concepts of British consciousness and life style helps to discover and  put off everything obsolete but at the same time to save democratic forms of society and inherent foundations for the British.

Realias of the “Сold” war were fitting in with their plot vector in several ways: portrait types of the eastern opponent, themes of nuclear and bacteriological war, and descriptions of politic regimes on the periphery of global world.

First of all, portrait images of spy novel protagonists were called up to serve the reinforcement of negative perception of the ideological opponent. Anthony Burgess brightly describes his heroes in the novel ‘Tremor of Intent’ [2] in 1966, devoted to his trip to USSR. According to the historical note, Anthony Burgess visited USSR not only to learn about the life behind the “iron curtain”, but to accomplish a secret mission of Britain’s Military Intelligence MI6. On return Anthony Burgess was so disappointed and bewildered because he saw nothing horrible there, that he wrote a spy novel nothing like as he planned. Instead of a pure spy novel he wrote a parody. Opposed to A. Burgess, Michael Gilbert didn’t write parodies, but he created a spy novel called ‘Death Has Deep Roots’[3], in which a whole set of genre dominant is. As his teachers he names two English writers Margery Allingham and Graham Greene [4] – two of the best writers of this century. According to him their novels became the role models on the early stages of his work. In his interviews he also mentions many masters of the genre, whom he had a chance to learn from – Eric Ambler [11], Francis Iles, Edmund Crispin, Anthony Boucher, Jullian Simmons and Amanda Krost, and all of them evoked his true admiration. Also, one may observe a thematic similarity in the novel of the English writer Robert Tronson, in the narrative “Afternoon of a counterspy” [8], which reflected a wide-scale and meaningless fuss of numerous English intelligence agencies in the invisible battle with the Soviet intelligence service.

Norman Lewis [6] (1908-2003) once said that he is the only one among people known to him, who can enter a crowded room and leave it after a while, staying entirely unnoticed.  This points not only to modesty, but to a preferred position of the famous writer – the attitude of an onlooker, who cannot be overseen. The same quality characterizes his style – which is simple, obvious, very dynamic and precise – clear.

In 1959 Ian Fleming [9], the future creator of “James Bond”, who was working for both “The Sunday Times” and MI6 at that moment, sends Lewis to Cuba to discover what were Castro’s chances of victory over the Batista regime. In his essay, “Mission to Havana”, Lewis recounted two memorable meetings: the first one was with Ed Scott, the Bond’s prototype itself, the man who preferred to have the office service of naked black secretaries and wore shells instead of cuff links. The second meeting was with Hemingway. “He told me nothing, – wrote Lewis, – but taught me more than I wanted to know”. The Scott and Lewis’ meeting was observed by another intruder, Graham Greene [4], who used this scene in his famous novel “Our Man in Havana”. Later, when Greene was reviewing “Missionaries” where Lewis described those destructions which American fundamentalists brought on pagan tribes of the Pacific and Latin America, he will call Lewis one of the best writers of the 20^th century.

Another writer, who succeeded to overcome the scope of typological limitation of a classic spy novel, was Peter O’Donnell [7]. He was born on April 11, 1920 in London. At the age of 16 he already worked as a journalist in various newspapers and magazines. He created several comic strip heroes – Tiger Tim, Chips and Captain Moonlight.

Since 1938 and during the Second World War he served as a noncommissioned officer (NCO) in the mobile radio detachment (3 Corps) of Royal Corps of Signals, which came under command of MI6 Foreign Intelligence Service, as well as he served in the 8th Army in Persia, then in Syria, Egypt, Italy, and since October 1944 in Greece. In 1965 Peter published his first novel “Modesty Blaise” [7, 3]. The book had a great success and as a result O’Donnell continued the publication of series, interchanging the publication of novels and comic strips for over 30 years.

Keeping the tradition of authors who served in intelligence agencies, Peter O’Donnell created an occasional spy novel heroine of the Modesty Blaise series. The Modesty Blaise character became widely known due to the book itself and the adapted screenplay, where Monika Vitti played the role of the almighty spy. One needs to look for a reason of such success not so much in belles-lettres values of the novel as in the originality of plot discovery. At last, after a variety of spy-men, created for over two decades, O’Donnell realized to make up a character who served in Britain’s Intelligence service and who’s dangerous and successful in spying not less than men.

In the given context one cannot fail to mention Adam Hall [10] (the real name – Elleston Trevor) – who was a writer of spy novels. During the War he served in Special Branch of Britain’s Intelligence Service in Royal Air Force. His most famous character is Quiller. The novels about Quiller are represented as a synthesis of two concepts of the English spy novel. In his skills, education and equipment Quiller can be referred to super-agents such as James Bond. With respect to the atmosphere of secrecy, treachery and danger, the novel series about Quiller is closer to the detective style of John le Carré [5]. For the first time ever the protagonist appeared in the novel “The Berlin Memorandum” in 1965 (“The Quiller Memorandum” in USA and Russia).

The real adversity was the distribution of pseudo literature. The richest owners of publishing firms advertize, finance and distribute that kind of “fiction” or lionize murderers, violators, racists. Cheap “paperbacks” – sensational fiction and detectives in clamorous, “suspenseful” covers – are mostly designed for a reader, lacking any literature taste; usually, they are written by people, who don’t have a direct relationship to literature. These books attract by a criminal story line and, which is usually more unlikely, the accumulation of horrors, promotion of violence, sex, crimes, the morale of commercialism and bring up the idolism of moneybags and the pursuit of wealth at any price.

Although that kind of “literature” is way beyond artwork, it would be a mistake to underestimate its influence on an average customer. Being published in multimillion editions and supported by advertising, it is widely spread and read among all levels of English people.

But novels by crime fiction “veterans”, such as Agatha Christie [3] and other similar authors, are still popular. In the beginning of the 40th and 50th detective stories about crimes and criminals were replaced with novels that were involving political problems, problematics of relations between countries during the World War and right after its end, the so-called spy novel genre. During the course of its development, this genre transforms, taking new forms of the plot vector and modified protagonist realization. The general tendency for the mentioned period can be pointed out as the ethical and moral deformation of the protagonist image, due to the war time, from “romantic” to “prosaic”. The protagonist of an English spy novel of the World War II period is already clear from the ties of moral duties in fulfillment of the spy activity. The successful realization of the mission, imposed on him by the country, becomes the first coming target for him as far as the whole course of the country’s further military operations depends on its results. So, one may say that the motivation of intelligence activity realization was deeply changed. The moral perception of responsibility was intensified, a clear practical task and ways of its accomplishment from the moral basis of personality got detached. Both the morality and the task are each on their own. Talking about Spy novels of the World War II period it is necessary to underline their structural and typological particularity of plot organization. Novels, written during the period of the Second World War, as a rule, reflected either the Big Game of Intelligence services of rival countries or singular commando-type reconnaissance operations. In our opinion it is necessary to mention that authors of Spy novels in direct or indirect ways had an attitude to the Great Britain’s State Intelligence service, which was brightly reflected in details of novels. The spy novel genre of the WWII period is characterized by burst of novels, the plot of which aimed at covering events which took place on the world stage of
military relations. Among writers, whose works fell at the World War II period, it is important to mention the creative work of Graham Greene [2], who was a professional soldier of the Great Britain’s Intelligence service. He joined the Intelligence Service in 1941, where he was successfully serving, particularly, in Sierra Leone, and resigned at the rank of colonel. In his novels G. Greene presented his experience gained during the service. Every his novel reflects a specific military-intelligence operation with a description of work approaches and methods of British Intelligence Agencies.

We may call another bright representative of the spy novel genre during the period of WWII – Ted Allbeury [8], who was an intelligence officer. He was serving in the British Intelligence service during the whole course of World War II (1939-1947), having resigned at the rank of lieutenant colonel. He fulfilled himself as a master of the spy novel genre in the world of letters.

In the history of the spy novel genre development one can certainly call the first ever woman writer – Helen MacInnes. Helen Clark MacInnes was born on October 7, 1907 in Glasgow (Scotland). She was brought up by her parents in the frames of traditional strict Protestantism. She earned a degree in the University of Glasgow, then in University College London, where she became a specialist in librarianship.

As Helen had a good command of several European languages, she was helping her husband Gilbert to do German translations, which he was doing by order of the secret service, where he was a regular officer at that moment. Helen was a mastermind of ideas and solutions of politic problems, which her husband was responsible for.

Due to practically unlimited access to secret files of her husband she could learn in full measure the real situation in the given period and realize the nature of Nazi tyranny, methods and principles of German Intelligence Services activity.

To our opinion, we should mention another author of spy novels – Dennis Yates Wheatley [1]. Wheatley was born on January 8, 1897, in London. His creative work is defined by his biography. He received his education in Dulwich College, but was expelled from it because of academic failure. During World War I he was serving in Royal Artillery regiment, but was gassed and then dismissed from the army.

His politic novels promoted an invitation from MI5, where with the help of his imagination he was composing analytical notes with different propositions, which helped on a possible intrusion prevention to England. The success of his analysis leads to the fact that in 1945 Wheatley headed the team of Winston Churchill’s counselors. After the war he was awarded Bronze Star for his services.

From our point of view, spy novels by Robert Chatham [10] deserve attention because they are written in a very realistic manner. The plot line in them is alike to the one in Ted Allbeury’s novels. [8]. Robert Chatham (5 June, 1911 – 1 January, 1985) – the pseudonym of Ronald Sydney Seth, was a British writer, who in the period of WWII was a secret servant of English Intelligence Service. After the war he wrote several novels about the Intelligence service. Due attention should be given to the novel “Secret Servants” [10] as it was written by Seth based on Japanese archival materials, a thing that nobody had ever done before. The author briefly recites the history of Japanese spying, mentions a lot of interesting facts about the activity of Japanese spies in various countries.

We ought to mention the creative work of another author, who wrote a series of spy novels, describing real events of WWII – Alistair Stuart MacLean [4-6]. He was born on April 28, 1922 in Glasgow (Scotland). His mother, Mary Lament MacLean was a very religious woman, keen on singing, and his father, who was also Alistair Maclean – was a clergy of the Church of Scotland, as well as an author of a few religious books.

During the early of World War II Alistair MacLean joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer, where he was serving in naval intelligence and performing covert operations for British Intelligence Service in different parts of the world, particularly in Russia. The real danger, which he was facing during the activity, gave him rich material for his works. MacLean served on HMS Royalist, the basic function of which was escorting American convoys with humanitarian cargo on their way to Murmansk. He reflected his experience in his first novel – “H.M.S. Ulysses”, 1955 [5]. With the opening of the second front, the convoys finished their activity, and HMS Royalist was redeployed to the  Mediterranean Sea. In September, 1944 Maclean took part in organization and realization of a commando-type reconnaissance operation which was planned to seize seacoast defenses on Greek islands occupied by the Germans. The operation became a plot basis for the second novel “The Guns of Navarone” 1957, but also for its sequel. In 1945 Royalist was redeployed to the Far East, where he took direct part in the liberation of Singapore, – he pursued the intelligence training of territorial planning, and military activities became the material for the plot of his third novel  “South by Java Head”, 1958 [4].

The real adversity was the distribution of pseudo literature. The richest owners of publishing firms advertize, finance and distribute that kind of “fiction” or lionize murderers, violators, racists. Cheap “paperbacks” – sensational fiction and detectives in clamorous, “suspenseful” covers – are mostly designed for a reader, lacking any literature taste; usually, they are written by people, who don’t have a direct relationship to literature. These books attract by a criminal story line and, which is usually more unlikely, the accumulation of horrors, promotion of violence, sex, crimes, the morale of commercialism and bring up the idolism of moneybags and the pursuit of wealth at any price.

Although that kind of “literature” is way beyond artwork, it would be a mistake to underestimate its influence on an average customer. Being published in multimillion editions and supported by advertising, it is widely spread and read among all levels of English people.

But novels by crime fiction “veterans”, such as Agatha Christie [3] and other similar authors, are still popular. In the beginning of the 40th and 50th detective stories about crimes and criminals were replaced with novels that were involving political problems, problematics of relations between countries during the World War and right after its end, the so-called spy novel genre. During the course of its development, this genre transforms, taking new forms of the plot vector and modified protagonist realization. The general tendency for the mentioned period can be pointed out as the ethical and moral deformation of the protagonist image, due to the war time, from “romantic” to “prosaic”. The protagonist of an English spy novel of the World War II period is already clear from the ties of moral duties in fulfillment of the spy activity. The successful realization of the mission, imposed on him by the country, becomes the first coming target for him as far as the whole course of the country’s further military operations depends on its results. So, one may say that the motivation of intelligence activity realization was deeply changed. The moral perception of responsibility was intensified, a clear practical task and ways of its accomplishment from the moral basis of personality got detached. Both the morality and the task are each on their own. Talking about Spy novels of the World War II period it is necessary to underline their structural and typological particularity of plot organization. Novels, written during the period of the Second World War, as a rule, reflected either the Big Game of Intelligence services of rival countries or singular commando-type reconnaissance operations. In our opinion it is necessary to mention that authors of Spy novels in direct or indirect ways had an attitude to the Great Britain’s State Intelligence service, which was brightly reflected in details of novels. The spy novel genre of the WWII period is characterized by burst of novels, the plot of which aimed at covering events which took place on the world stage of military relations. Among writers, whose works fell at the World War II period, it is important to mention the creative work of Graham Greene [2], who was a professional soldier of the Great Britain’s Intelligence service. He joined the Intelligence Service in 1941, where he was successfully serving, particularly, in Sierra Leone, and resigned at the rank of colonel. In his novels G. Greene presented his experience gained during the service. Every his novel reflects a specific military-intelligence operation with a description of work approaches and methods of British Intelligence Agencies.

We may call another bright representative of the spy novel genre during the period of WWII – Ted Allbeury [8], who was an intelligence officer. He was serving in the British Intelligence service during the whole course of World War II (1939-1947), having resigned at the rank of lieutenant colonel. He fulfilled himself as a master of the spy novel genre in the world of letters.

In the history of the spy novel genre development one can certainly call the first ever woman writer – Helen MacInnes. Helen Clark MacInnes was born on October 7, 1907 in Glasgow (Scotland). She was brought up by her parents in the frames of traditional strict Protestantism. She earned a degree in the University of Glasgow, then in University College London, where she became a specialist in librarianship.

As Helen had a good command of several European languages, she was helping her husband Gilbert to do German translations, which he was doing by order of the secret service, where he was a regular officer at that moment. Helen was a mastermind of ideas and solutions of politic problems, which her husband was responsible for.

Due to practically unlimited access to secret files of her husband she could learn in full measure the real situation in the given period and realize the nature of Nazi tyranny, methods and principles of German Intelligence Services activity.

To our opinion, we should mention another author of spy novels – Dennis Yates Wheatley [1]. Wheatley was born on January 8, 1897, in London. His creative work is defined by his biography. He received his education in Dulwich College, but was expelled from it because of academic failure. During World War I he was serving in Royal Artillery regiment, but was gassed and then dismissed from the army.

His politic novels promoted an invitation from MI5, where with the help of his imagination he was composing analytical notes with different propositions, which helped on a possible intrusion prevention to England. The success of his analysis leads to the fact that in 1945 Wheatley headed the team of Winston Churchill’s counselors. After the war he was awarded Bronze Star for his services.

From our point of view, spy novels by Robert Chatham [10] deserve attention because they are written in a very realistic manner. The plot line in them is alike to the one in Ted Allbeury’s novels. [8]. Robert Chatham (5 June, 1911 – 1 January, 1985) – the pseudonym of Ronald Sydney Seth, was a British writer, who in the period of WWII was a secret servant of English Intelligence Service. After the war he wrote several novels about the Intelligence service. Due attention should be given to the novel “Secret Servants” [10] as it was written by Seth based on Japanese archival materials, a thing that nobody had ever done before. The author briefly recites the history of Japanese spying, mentions a lot of interesting facts about the activity of Japanese spies in various countries.

We ought to mention the creative work of another author, who wrote a series of spy novels, describing real events of WWII – Alistair Stuart MacLean [4-6]. He was born on April 28, 1922 in Glasgow (Scotland). His mother, Mary Lament MacLean was a very religious woman, keen on singing, and his father, who was also Alistair Maclean – was a clergy of the Church of Scotland, as well as an author of a few religious books.

During the early of World War II Alistair MacLean joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer, where he was serving in naval intelligence and performing covert operations for British Intelligence Service in different parts of the world, particularly in Russia. The real danger, which he was facing during the activity, gave him rich material for his works. MacLean served on HMS Royalist, the basic function of which was escorting American convoys with humanitarian cargo on their way to Murmansk. He reflected his experience in his first novel – “H.M.S. Ulysses”, 1955 [5]. With the opening of the second front, the convoys finished their activity, and HMS Royalist was redeployed to the  Mediterranean Sea. In September, 1944 Maclean took part in organization and realization of a commando-type reconnaissance operation which was planned to seize seacoast defenses on Greek islands occupied by the Germans. The operation became a plot basis for the second novel “The Guns of Navarone” 1957, but also for its sequel. In 1945 Royalist was redeployed to the Far East, where he took direct part in the liberation of Singapore, – he pursued the intelligence training of territorial planning, and military activities became the material for the plot of his third novel  “South by Java Head”, 1958 [4].