The Assassination Bureau, Ltd
Encyclopedia
The Assassination Bureau, Ltd is a thriller novel
, begun by Jack London
and finished after his death by Robert L. Fish
. It was published in 1963. The plot follows Ivan Dragomiloff, who, in a twist of fate, finds himself pitted against the secret assassination agency he founded.
The novel was based on a story idea London purchased from author Sinclair Lewis
(Elmer Gantry
) in early 1910. London wrote 20,000 words on the novel before he gave it up later that same year, saying he could not find a logical way to conclude it. He died in 1916, leaving the book unfinished.
The novel is about a secret organization, The Assassination Bureau, Ltd., that will assassinate evildoers, for example, corrupt police commissioners, legislators, politicians, etc. The organization MUST be convinced, though, that the alleged evildoer truly is worthy of assassination.
In 1963, mystery writer Fish completed the novel based on the unfinished manuscript with additional notes by London and an ending outline done by London's wife Charmian shortly before her death in 1955.
, Oliver Reed
, Telly Savalas
and Curt Jurgens. Directed by Basil Dearden
, the film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award
in 1970 for Best English-Language Foreign Film, and Rigg was nominated for a Golden Laurel Award in 1970 for Female New Face. Whereas London's novel is set in the United States, the film is set in Europe in the 1900s.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, begun by Jack London
Jack London
John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
and finished after his death by Robert L. Fish
Robert L. Fish
Robert Lloyd Fish was an American writer of crime fiction. His first novel, The Fugitive, gained him the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Allan Poe Award for best first novel in 1962, and his short story "Moonlight Gardener" was awarded the Edgar for best short story in 1972...
. It was published in 1963. The plot follows Ivan Dragomiloff, who, in a twist of fate, finds himself pitted against the secret assassination agency he founded.
The novel was based on a story idea London purchased from author Sinclair Lewis
Sinclair Lewis
Harry Sinclair Lewis was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of...
(Elmer Gantry
Elmer Gantry
Elmer Gantry is a satirical novel written by Sinclair Lewis in 1926 and published by Harcourt in March 1927.-Background:Lewis did research for the novel by observing the work of various preachers in Kansas City in his so-called "Sunday School" meetings on Wednesdays. He first worked with William L...
) in early 1910. London wrote 20,000 words on the novel before he gave it up later that same year, saying he could not find a logical way to conclude it. He died in 1916, leaving the book unfinished.
The novel is about a secret organization, The Assassination Bureau, Ltd., that will assassinate evildoers, for example, corrupt police commissioners, legislators, politicians, etc. The organization MUST be convinced, though, that the alleged evildoer truly is worthy of assassination.
In 1963, mystery writer Fish completed the novel based on the unfinished manuscript with additional notes by London and an ending outline done by London's wife Charmian shortly before her death in 1955.
First sentence
"He was a handsome man, with large liquid-black eyes, an olive complexion that was laid upon a skin clear, clean, and of surpassing smoothness of texture, and with a mop of curly black hair that invited fondling -in short, the kind of a man that women like to look upon, and also, the kind of a man who is quite thoroughly aware of this insinuative quality of his looks."Film adaptation
In 1969, The Assassination Bureau, Ltd was made into a film, The Assassination Bureau Limited, starring Diana RiggDiana Rigg
Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, DBE is an English actress. She is probably best known for her portrayals of Emma Peel in The Avengers and Countess Teresa di Vicenzo in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service....
, Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough guy" roles...
, Telly Savalas
Telly Savalas
Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas was an American film and television actor and singer, whose career spanned four decades. Best known for playing the title role in the 1970s crime drama Kojak, Savalas was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Birdman of Alcatraz...
and Curt Jurgens. Directed by Basil Dearden
Basil Dearden
Basil Dearden was an English film director.-Life and career:Dearden was born at Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. He graduated from theatre direction to film, working as an assistant to Basil Dean...
, the film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
in 1970 for Best English-Language Foreign Film, and Rigg was nominated for a Golden Laurel Award in 1970 for Female New Face. Whereas London's novel is set in the United States, the film is set in Europe in the 1900s.
See also
- The Assassination BureauThe Assassination BureauThe Assassination Bureau Limited is a black comedy film made in 1969 based on an unfinished novel, The Assassination Bureau, Ltd by Jack London...
- Assassinations in fictionAssassinations in fictionAssassinations have formed a major plot element in various works of fiction and have also attracted scholarly attention. In Assassinations and Murder in Modern Italy: Transformations in Society and Culture, Stephen Gundle and Lucia Rinaldi analyze modern Italian assassinations in their historical...