Ashenden: Or the British Agent is a 1927 collection of loosely linked stories by W. (wikipedia.org).
Winston Churchill reportedly advised Maugham to burn 14 other stories.
The short story of Giulia Lazzari is a blend of Gullick\'s attempts to assassinate Chattopadhyaya and Mata Hari\'s story.
Donald Gullick, a British agent, was dispatched to assassinate Chattopadhaya while the latter was on his way to Geneva to meet another Indian nationalist, Mahendra Pratap and forward the Kaiser\'s invitation to Berlin.
Among other enterprises, Britain\'s European intelligence network attempted to eliminate a number of Indian nationalists in Europe, notably members of the Berlin Committee.
Maugham, who was in the British Secret Service in Europe during the war, based a number of his stories on his own experiences.
He is supposed to have modelled Chandra Lal after Virendranath Chattopadhyaya, an Indian Nationalist in Germany during the war.
The incidents described in the stories are modelled on Maugham\'s experiences as a secret agent, and the central character, Ashenden, is very much an autobiographical character.
It is partly based on the author\'s experience as a member of British Intelligence in Europe during the First World War.
Somerset Maugham.
Ashenden: Or the British Agent is a 1927 collection of loosely linked stories by W
