A Most Wanted Man
Encyclopedia
A Most Wanted Man is a thriller/espionage novel by John le Carré
published in October 2008 by Scribner
in the United States
and Hodder & Stoughton
in the United Kingdom
.
A young Chechian ex-prisoner arrives illegally in Hamburg, practically uneducated and destitute, but with a claim to a fortune held in a private bank. This novel, set in Hamburg
where the author was once a British agent and Consul, is based on the contemporary themes of the international war on terror
and money laundering
, and the conflicting interests of different officers and agents and the laymen more or less affected.
The novel provides an extended, if oblique, critique of the American policy, under President George W. Bush, of extraordinary rendition
. Events and characters in the novel are fictionalized and composite versions of the story of Murat Kurnaz
, who was a Turkish citizen and legal resident of Germany when he was arrested in Pakistan in 2001; he was detained and tortured, at Kandahar internment facility, and then at Guantanamo Bay, before being released in 2006.
.
In June, 2011, a feature film based on the book was announced in Germany, with Anton Corbijn
as director. Australian screenwriter Andrew Bovell
was to adapt the novel for the screen, according to the first publicity. The movie has been granted US$1.3 million (€900,000) in production subsidies from the city's regional film board, the FFHSH (Filmfoerderung ("film promotion") Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein
), and the city will be the primary production location. Malte Grunert's recently launched Hamburg- and Berlin-based Amusement Park Films is producing the film.
John le Carré
David John Moore Cornwell , who writes under the name John le Carré, is an author of espionage novels. During the 1950s and the 1960s, Cornwell worked for MI5 and MI6, and began writing novels under the pseudonym "John le Carré"...
published in October 2008 by Scribner
Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing a number of American authors including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Robert A. Heinlein, Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana, John Clellon...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette.-History:The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged fourteen, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publisher for the Congregational Union...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
A young Chechian ex-prisoner arrives illegally in Hamburg, practically uneducated and destitute, but with a claim to a fortune held in a private bank. This novel, set in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
where the author was once a British agent and Consul, is based on the contemporary themes of the international war on terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
and money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
, and the conflicting interests of different officers and agents and the laymen more or less affected.
The novel provides an extended, if oblique, critique of the American policy, under President George W. Bush, of extraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition is the abduction and illegal transfer of a person from one nation to another. "Torture by proxy" is used by some critics to describe situations in which the United States and the United Kingdom have transferred suspected terrorists to other countries in order to torture the...
. Events and characters in the novel are fictionalized and composite versions of the story of Murat Kurnaz
Murat Kurnaz
On March 3, 2006, in response to a court order from Jed Rakoff the Department of Defense published a Summarized transcripts from his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.The tribunal that examined the case against Kurnaz lasted for forty minutes....
, who was a Turkish citizen and legal resident of Germany when he was arrested in Pakistan in 2001; he was detained and tortured, at Kandahar internment facility, and then at Guantanamo Bay, before being released in 2006.
Film treatments
A nine-minute short film detailing the themes of the book was released on 22 July 2008, produced by Simon Channing-Williams, producer of the film version of Le Carré's 19th novel, The Constant GardenerThe Constant Gardener
The Constant Gardener is a 2001 novel by John le Carré. It tells the story of Justin Quayle, a British diplomat whose activist wife is murdered...
.
In June, 2011, a feature film based on the book was announced in Germany, with Anton Corbijn
Anton Corbijn
Anton Corbijn is a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade...
as director. Australian screenwriter Andrew Bovell
Andrew Bovell
Andrew Bovell is an Australian writer for theatre, film and television.-Life:Bovell was born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia and until recently lived in Adelaide, South Australia before moving to New York. He has recently now moved back to the Adelaide Hills, South Australia...
was to adapt the novel for the screen, according to the first publicity. The movie has been granted US$1.3 million (€900,000) in production subsidies from the city's regional film board, the FFHSH (Filmfoerderung ("film promotion") Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
), and the city will be the primary production location. Malte Grunert's recently launched Hamburg- and Berlin-based Amusement Park Films is producing the film.