 Book cover |
|
| Author | Len Deighton |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Spy novel |
| Publisher | |
| Publication date | 1964 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | NA |
| Preceded by | Horse Under Water |
| Followed by | Billion-Dollar Brain |
Funeral in Berlin is a spy novel by Len Deighton. The subject of the novel — arranging a Soviet scientist's defection — is dated, but the characters (especially Johnny Vulkan and Colonel Stok) remain memorable. Another controversial character is the civil servant Hallam, who is shown to be susceptible to blackmail because he is homosexual; male homosexuality remained illegal in England until 1967.
Plot summary
The unnamed hero travels to Berlin to arrange the defection of Soviet scientist Semitsa brokered by Johhny Vulkan a wheeler-dealer in the Berlin intelligence community. Despite his initial scepticism the deal seems to have the support of Russian security-chief Colonel Stok and Hallam in the British government's Home Office. But why does the fake documentation for Semitsa need to be so precisely specified? And what is the interest of Israeli intelligence agent Samantha Steel in the case? The complex plot unfolds to reveal a story of betrayal, murder and concentration camp secrets long-forgotten.
Legal dispute with Brock's Fireworks
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The novel's publication created a bizarre legal fight. In the UK, when the novel was written, fireworks were only commonly used at bonfire parties to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night, held on 5 November. Most bonfire parties took place at people's homes. Every year, people - especially children and animals - were hurt by fireworks, and every year there were discussions in the media about the risks from fireworks, and calls for the general sale of fireworks to be banned. In the climax of the novel, the narrator-hero has a murderous encounter with Hallam at a fireworks party, preceded by a discussion about the hazards of fireworks. British firework manufacturers objected to this text, and forced changes. As a first step, all printed copies of the Penguin 1966 paperback edition had the word Brock's (the name of a firework manufacturing company) crudely obscured using black felt-tip pen. As a second step, when Penguin re-printed the novel in 1972, whole paragraphs of dissenting dialogue were edited out. Compare the shortened dialogue from the revised text of the novel:
[quote]
'I personally have always been against it,' said Hallam.
'Alcohol?' I said.
'Fireworks night,' said Hallam.
[unquote] ...with the original pre-censored version, which continues:
[quote]
'Fireworks night,' said Hallam. 'Once a year animals are frightened, children are blinded and burnt. There are terrible accidents, hooligans take advantage of the occasion to throw fireworks into letter boxes and put them in milk bottles. There are cases of them tying them to animals. It's quite a disgusting business. The fire service always suffers casualties, the casualty wards in hospitals are overworked. Who gains?'
'Brock's Fireworks,' I said.
'Yes,' said Hallam, 'and the shops selling them. There is a lot of money changing hands tonight. A lot of us at the Home Office are very much against it, I can tell you, but the interests we are working against are...' Hallam raised flat palms in a gesture of despair.
'They should pay,' said Hallam. 'They should foot the bill for all the damage and accidents and burnt houses that are caused, and if any money is left over after that, it could be paid to the shareholders.'
'But don't they make signal rockets?' I asked,
'Very few, my boy. I've been into the whole business; it is quite degrading that these people make money out of it. Nasty. If the municipal authorities each organised a firework display, that would be another matter...'
[unquote]
Adaptation
In 1966 a film version of Funeral in Berlin was made starring Michael Caine. In 1973, the TV series Jason King (starring Peter Wyngarde), used the plot from Funeral in Berlin to smuggle an individual out of East Germany. The book itself is shown at the end of the episode. (Ostensibly, they had been using a plot from a book written by eponymous hero Jason King, but it turns out at the end that that was a double bluff. King ostentatiously throws the Deighton book into the fireplace.)
