Dirty Story

by Eric Ambler

Book Overview

A further account of the life and misadventures of Arthur Simpson, anti-hero from The Light of Day Arthur Simpson is middle-aged, stateless and desperately in need of a new passport. Jumping from one... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN: B01KCSPLUI
• Release Date: January 1967
• Publisher: Atheneum
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.

Customer Reviews

AA Simpson in even worse trouble than before

The other reviewers are right--read THE LIGHT OF DAY first. And then get ready for a less clever but more disturbing adventure with sleezy, subjugated cab-driver Arthur Abdel Simpson. The dangers in THE LIGHT OF DAY were: being sent to prison for life and/or being killed by angry criminals. In DIRTY STORY, the danger is at least equally bad: becoming stateless, a non-citizen everywhere, prohibited from working, or living, anywhere. An illustrative line is: "Finally, we were informed that if either of us were still [in the country] one week hence, he had better be able to swim." We get more philosophical musings on Simpson's childhood and helpful wisdom from his late father. (Unhelpful wisdom, too.) And our travelling companions include some people quite a bit more sinister than anyone in LIGHT including the crazy cook. In this novel Simpson does something new. Something he almost never does and which we have never before seen him do. It's pretty satisfying.

Ambler-Great Observor of his Time

For today's reader, one of the reasons why Eric Ambler is so appealing is that he was a great chronicler of contemporary events. In the years before the Second World War, he wrote about the rise of fascism. In the years immediately following the War, he wrote about the domination of Eastern Europe by the Soviets. In the 1950's, his best novels take place in Southeast Asia right after the Wars of Decolonization. Looking back from the Twenty First Century, Eric Ambler's historical judgement is nearly perfect. He knew evil when he saw it and he was not afraid to point it out. Dirty Story was written in 1967. White mercenaries were still active in Central Africa. Ambler's usually approach is to take an average person and have them through chance placed into an extraordinary situation. To tell his story of mercenaries, Ambler dusted off Arthur Abdel Simpson, a middle aged, petty criminal with a talent for survival. Through many mishaps, Simpson ends up in Central Africa working as a mercenary for a Multinational with mineral interests in a contested border region. Ambler's best known books are set in the years right before the Second World War. They are still read because the Second World War is an era that most readers can still identify with. The books he wrote after the War are not as well known. I have read most of Ambler's novels and I think "Dirty Job" is as good as his better known novels. Highly Recommended.

Clever and cogent.

Eric Ambler specialized in stories of international intrigue featuring unlikely protagonists. Dirty Story is no exception. You'd have a hard time finding a protagonist more unlikely than the very weasel-like Arthur Abdel Simpson. By birth Simpson is 50% British and 50% Egyptian. But by nature he is 100% chiseler. When circumstances dictate that he leave Athens rather abruptly in order to avoid arrest, Simpson finds himself signing on with a mercenary security force in French Equatorial Africa. This despite the fact his background and temperment make him utterly unsuited for such a job. Dirty Story is about a violent border dispute over mining rights between two third world nations. Be forewarned that most of the native Africans in this novel are spoken of in very disparaging and racist terms by the white characters. Ambler is a very skillful and clever writer. The narrative moves along quite smoothly and a number of astute, insightful observations about geopolitics are made. This novel clearly is one of Ambler's lesser works, but worthwhile reading nonetheless.

Arthur Abdel Simpson Plays Suparto from State of Siege

What happens when a "bent" opportunist finds himself personna non grata with officialdom? He looks out for number one in highly unexpected and potentially profitable ways. Eric Ambler reprises his greatest character, Arthur Abdel Simpson from Light of Day, in an entirely new adventure set in the heart of Africa. If you have not yet read Light of Day, definitely read that wonderful novel before Dirty Story. Light of Day precedes this book in time and is the better book by a wide margin. Your appreciation of Dirty Story will be much higher as well.Dirty Story chronicles what happened to Arthur Abdel Simpson after he used his temporary travel permit to get back into Greece at the end of Light of Day. The book opens with an interview Simpson has with the British vice-consul in Athens while attempting to renew his expired British passport. In the interview, the vice-consul strips away any remaining illusions we may have about Simpson's claims to being an honest citizen with legitimate antecedents. After describing the ugly reality behind Simpson's many claims, the vice-consul sums it all up as follows: "You're disgusting, Mr. Simpson. Your life is nothing but a long, dirty story." To add injury to the insult, the vice-consul assures Simpson that all British consular officials around the world are now aware that they should be sure not to help him. Having neither a valid British nor an Egyptian passport, Simpson is at a loss for how to renew his Greek residence and work permits. He decides he has to raise the money for a "flag of convenience" passport from a go-between, but he hasn't the money to buy one. He soon finds himself doing another dirty deed to earn the money, for which he has to unexpectedly flee Greece while possessing neither money nor passport. In his usual opportunistic way, he pretends to be what he is not . . . and soon has convinced others that he is an experienced soldier of fortune. This false representation leads him to being shipped with a band of mercenaries into a border region contested between two African countries trying to seize a rare mineral deposit before the other side secures it. The complications rapidly mount from there. Much like State of Siege, there are multiple allegiances and the need to watch out for one's own skin no matter how the "cause" turns out. You'll love the almost tongue-in-cheek description of the mining companies, the governments of the countries and the mercenaries. In the midst of it, Simpson plays a virtual Shakespearean clown's role in trying to upset some of the various plans, much like he did in Light of Day.This book isn't nearly as much fun as Light of Day. It has a grimmer, darker and more serious tone. But if you love Arthur Abdel Simpson, you owe it to yourself to read this book. After you finish this book, take some time to recount how an objective viewer might describe your background. Compare that objective account to the way you normally present yourself. Is