The Little Drummer Girl

The dragonfly is the title of the German translation of the novel The Little Drummer Girl by British writer John le Carré from the year 1983., The German -language book title makes reference to an eponymous poem by Heinrich Heine.

The author begins with a preface: " Many Palestinians and Israelis who have helped me in writing this book ."

The novel is set in a not precisely dated presence, ie about in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Europe and the Middle East. Forms the background of the Middle East conflict, in particular the contrast between Israel and the Palestinians. After attacks in Western Europe, which are directed against Israeli citizens, developed by a group within the Israeli intelligence a counter plan. A young English actress, Charlie, is provided as an agent with a legend, a fake in parts biography and introduced to the head of the terrorist group Khalil. The mission seems successful, Khalil can be turned off, but Charlie breaks ultimately psychologically almost at the violence they experienced in the course of the mission, because they increasingly with the " enemies ", the Palestinians, and feels sympathy and pity at the same time of their spymaster Joseph looks pushed back into her need for love. The novel ends slightly optimistic, as Charlie in "normal" life to after years of use also severely mentally wounded Joseph meets again on their return.

John le Carré uses in this novel motifs that play a role in many of his other works: the functioning of the individual in intelligence organizations and conspiratorial situations and the question of what purposes justify the means. Exceptional for Le Carré is that it is at the main person is a woman. While initially the opposition of good and evil clearly appears - it is about the discovery and prevention of attacks on innocent people - is blurred with the pace of the action and the process of growth Charlies in their role. The motivation of the Palestinian assassin appears, before the detailed illumination of the background, not justified, but at least understandable. Ultimately, the novel can be interpreted as a rejection of violent "solutions" to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.

Filming

The dragonfly was filmed by director George Roy Hill, 1984, starring Diane Keaton as Charlie and Klaus Kinski as commanding officer Kurtz.

Expenditure

Also licensed editions of the German Book Association ( 1983), Books Gutenberg (1984) and Bertelsmann Club (1985 )

  • Literary work
  • Literature ( 20th century)
  • Literature ( English )
  • Spy novel
  • Work of John le Carré
The Little Drummer Girl (film)
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