The Secret Agent

This classic precursor to the modern-day spy novel was recently in headlines when it was revealed that the Unabomber drew considerable inspiration from its prophetic portrait of terrorism. Written in 1907 and set in Edwardian London, The Secret Agent resonates just as strongly in today's world, where a handful of fanatics can still play mad politics and victimize the innocent. Mr. Verloc keeps a shop in London's Soho, where he lives with his wife, Winnie; her infirm mother; and her idiot brother, Stevie. When Verloc is reluctantly involved in an anarchist plot to blow up the Greenwich Observatory, things go disastrously wrong. The brooding atmosphere of conspiracy, powerful characters, and tragic plot of The Secret Agent are brilliantly captured in this audio production. Read more