Literary Birthday – 18 February – Len Deighton

Len Deighton was born on 18 February 1929 and died on 15 March 2026.

Len Deighton Quotes

1. I create characters made up of many conflicting abilities and inclinations, some of them illogical, some futile. I do this because that’s the way people are. Stories without the moral ambivalence of real life seem artificial to me.
2. Anyone can write one book: even politicians do it. Starting a second book reveals an intention to be a professional writer.
3. I store away my experiences and don’t feel really happy until I’ve found a way to write about them.
4. Do you ever make silly mistakes? It is one of my very few creative activities.
5. Screenplays deprive you of a chance to write personal descriptions and describe the environment. You can’t say what your characters are thinking and you can’t refer to memory, in-born prejudice or silent intention. So a writer embarking a screenplay enjoys wonderful, but severely limited, opportunities.

Len Deighton was a British military historian, cookery writer, graphic artist, and novelist. His best-known novel was The IPCRESS File. Several of his books were adapted for screen: the films The Ipcress File (1965), Funeral in Berlin (1966), Billion Dollar Brain (1967) and Spy Story (1976). Visit The Deighton Dossier.

Source for image: DeightonDossier

by Amanda Patterson

Please click here for our Literary Birthday Calendar