Robert Ludlum

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Robert Ludlum (May 25, 1927 New York City – March 12, 2001 Naples, Florida) was an American author of 29 thriller novels. There are more than 210 million of his books in print, and they have been translated into 32 languages. He died in 2001, reportedly leaving behind several unpublished manuscripts and rough outlines, which continue to be dusted off and published with the help of ghostwriters. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd[1].

Ludlum was once a theatrical actor and producer. His theatrical experience may have contributed to his understanding of the energy, escapism and action that the public wanted to see in a novel. He once remarked: "I equate suspense and good theater in a very similar way. I think it's all suspense and what-happens-next. From that point of view, yes, I guess, I am theatrical."

His stories typically feature one man or a small group of individuals up against powerful adversaries capable of using political and economic machinery in frightening ways. Ludlum's vision of the world is one where global corporations, shadowy military forces and government organizations conspire to preserve or undermine the status quo. With the exception of occasional gaps in his knowledge of firearms, his novels are meticulously researched, replete with technical, physical and biological details, including research on amnesia for The Bourne Identity which was a grand success.

Ludlum's novels were often inspired by Conspiracy theory, both historical and contemporary. He wrote that The Matarese Circle was inspired by rumors about the Trilateral Commission, and it was published only a few years after the commission was founded. His portrayal of terrorism in books such as The Holcroft Covenant and The Matarese Circle reflects the theory that terrorists are pawns of governments or private organizations that wish to use the terror as a pretext for establishing authoritarian rule.

Despite his success, Ludlum has never received the acclaim found by other writers of the genre, such as John Le Carré. Critics dislike his use of italics, short sentences, exclamation marks, dashes and other techniques, and found fault with his abundant melodrama, simplistic characters and limited psychological development.

However, it was Ludlum who first wrote the thriller in the modern style that one recognises today, setting the stage for writers such as David Morrell, Gayle Lynds and Daniel Silva. He popularized the notion of American and Soviet intelligence operatives working together, and the CIA conducting illegal operations on American soil. Both premises, once derided as being fictional, are now accepted as fact.

Some of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, including The Osterman Weekend, The Holcroft Covenant, The Apocalypse Watch, The Bourne Identity, and The Bourne Supremacy. The Bourne series, with protagonist Matt Damon, has been very successful commercially and critically, although the story lines depart significantly from the source material.

According to various sources, in 1993 Ludlum adopted four monkeys from a local zoo and brought them to a wildlife shelter in Northern Africa.^{[citation needed]} According to The Midday Quiz at Wisconsin Public Radio, the author's publishers "insisted on titles limited to an article, a colorful adjective and a noun" (see question asked on 03/05/07).

Contents 1 Selected bibliography 1.1 By Ludlum, published during the author's lifetime († March 2001) 1.2 By Ludlum, published posthumously 1.3 Covert-One series 1.4 Sequels to Ludlum Books 2 Filmography 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] Selected bibliography

[edit] By Ludlum, published during the author's lifetime († March 2001)

• The Prometheus Deception (2000)
• The Matarese Countdown (1997)
• The Apocalypse Watch (1995)
• The Scorpio Illusion (1993)
• The Road to Omaha (1992)
• The Bourne Ultimatum (1990)
• The Icarus Agenda (1988)
• The Bourne Supremacy (1986)
• The Aquitaine Progression (1984)
• The Parsifal Mosaic (1982)
• The Bourne Identity (1980)
• The Matarese Circle (1979)
• The Holcroft Covenant (1978)
• The Chancellor Manuscript (1977)
• The Gemini Contenders (1976)
• The Road to Gandolfo (1975, writing under the pen-name Michael Shephard)
• The Rhinemann Exchange (1974)
• The Cry of the Halidon (1974, writing under the pen-name Jonathan Ryder)
• Trevayne (1973, writing under the pen-name Jonathan Ryder)
• The Matlock Paper (1973)
• The Osterman Weekend (1972)
• The Scarlatti Inheritance (1971)

[edit] By Ludlum, published posthumously

Most, if not all, of these are written by a so far unknown ghostwriter who has been faithful to Robert Ludlum's style of writing. [2][3][4]

• The Bancroft Strategy (2006)
• The Ambler Warning (2005)
• The Tristan Betrayal (2003)
• The Janson Directive (2002)
• The Sigma Protocol (October, 2001)

[edit] Covert-One series

Main article: Covert-One series

Written by other authors, supposedly based on unpublished material by Robert Ludlum.

• The Arctic Event (by James Cobb) (Not Yet Published - August 1, 2008)
• The Moscow Vector (by Patrick Larkin) (2005)
• The Lazarus Vendetta (by Patrick Larkin) (2004)
• The Altman Code (by Gayle Lynds) (2003)
• The Paris Option (by Gayle Lynds) (2002)
• The Cassandra Compact (by Phillip Shelby) (2001)
• The Hades Factor (by Gayle Lynds) (2000)

[edit] Sequels to Ludlum Books

• The Bourne Legacy (by Eric Van Lustbader) (2004)
• The Bourne Betrayal (by Eric Van Lustbader) (2007)

[edit] Filmography

Some of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, although the story lines might depart significantly from the source material. In general, a miniseries is more faithful to the original novel it is based on.

• 1977 - The Rhinemann Exchange — miniseries — Stephen Collins as David Spaulding, Lauren Hutton as Leslie Jenner Hawkewood
• 1983 - The Osterman Weekend — film — Rutger Hauer as John Tanner
• 1985 - The Holcroft Covenant — film — Michael Caine as Noel Holcroft
• 1988 - The Bourne Identity — miniseries — Richard Chamberlain as Jason Bourne, Jaclyn Smith as Marie St. Jacques
• 1997 - The Apocalypse Watch — miniseries — Patrick Bergin as Drew Latham
• 2002 - The Bourne Identity — film — Matt Damon as Jason Bourne and Franka Potente as Marie St. Jacques
• 2004 - The Bourne Supremacy — film — Matt Damon as Jason Bourne
• 2006 - Covert One: The Hades Factor — miniseries — Stephen Dorff as Jon Smith
• 2007 - The Bourne Ultimatum — film — Matt Damon as Jason Bourne ¹
• 2007 - The Chancellor Manuscript — film — Leonardo DiCaprio as Peter Chancellor ²

¹ pre-production, ² announced/in development

[edit] See also

• Spy fiction
• Airport novel
• List of bestselling novels in the United States

[edit] External links

• Robert Ludlum at the Internet Movie Database
• 1984 and 1986 audio interview of Robert Ludlum by Don Swaim of CBS Radio, RealAudio