The Untouchable - Softcover

Banville, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 033033932X ISBN 13: 9780330339322

Publisher: Pan Books Ltd, 1998

Synopsis

Victor Maskell, formerly of British intelligence, for many years art expert to the Queen, has been unmasked as a Russian agent and subjected to a disgrace that is almost a kind of death. But at whose instigation? As Maskell attempts to come to terms with what has happened to his life, he embarks on his memoirs, retracing his tortuous path from his recruitment at Cambridge to the airless upper regions of the establishment. Beautifully written, filled with convincing fictional portraits of Maskells co-conspirators, and vibrant with the mysteries of loyalty and identity, The Untouchable places John Banville in the select company of both Conrad and le Carr.

About this title

Review:

A brilliant, engaging, and highly literate espionage-cum-existential novel, John Banville's The Untouchable concerns the suddenly-exposed double agent Victor Maskell, a character based on the real Cambridge intellectual elites who famously spied on the United Kingdom in the middle of the 20th century. But Maskell--scholar, adventurer, soldier, art curator, and more--respected and still living in England well past his retirement from espionage, looked like he was going to get away with it when suddenly, in his 70s and sick with cancer, he is unmasked. The question of why, and by whom is not as important for Maskell as the larger question of who finally he himself really is, why he spied in the first place, and whether his many-faceted existence adds up to an authentic life.

From the Inside Flap:

after his "retirement, " ex-spy Victor Maskell attempts to come to terms with what has happened to his life by embarking on his memoirs. This is the plot which fuels Banville's stunning new novel--a story that goes beyond the mere facts of espionage to penetrate the intricate heart of the spy.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pan Books Ltd
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 033033932X
• ISBN 13: 9780330339322
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 5
• Number of pages: 416