Quiller

Quiller is a fictional character created by English novelist Elleston Trevor. Quiller, whose one-word name is a pseudonym,^[1] works as a spy, and he is the hero of a series of Cold War thrillers written under the pseudonym "Adam Hall".

The books focus on a solitary, highly capable operative who works, usually on his own, for a British government organization, referred to as "The Bureau", which "doesn't exist". Quiller narrates his adventures in first person, addressing the reader in an informal tone. He was named for the real-life Cornish writer Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch.^[2]

Characterisation

Quiller is a highly skilled driver, pilot, diver, linguist and martial artist. In his choice of self-defence methods, he favors Shotokan karate, much like Trevor himself. Additionally, Quiller has knowledge of Chin Na - a related, complementary art focused on advanced joint manipulation. He does not carry a firearm "in peacetime". Indeed, this may mean that he has not carried one since World War II, reasoning that if he were caught, he would be able to explain anything he was carrying except a gun. He also believes that guns give their carriers a dangerously false sense of security, and dislikes the noise they make. His resistance to interrogation is exceptional and he has managed to keep the "suffix-nine" designation indicating he is "reliable under torture". He has a morbid dislike of dogs, especially guard dogs.^[3]

Quiller's narration of the tradecraft he routinely employs is one of the defining elements of the novels. Certain other common factors appear. First, he is almost always reluctant to take on a mission and he regularly tells the reader all Bureau operatives have an option to refuse. Manipulation to get him to agree to the mission is usually necessary.^[4]

Second, there is nearly always an explosion somewhere in the novel. Third, at least one car chase can be expected. Fourth, in contrast to the glamorous lifestyles depicted in the James Bond canon, Quiller's operational locations are almost always unfriendly (Warsaw in winter, the Sahara Desert under the blazing sun, etc.) and he is aware his expenses will be scrutinised minutely. His missions are organised under the control of a director in the field, and a control operating from the bureau in London. A number of these characters recur in the books; some are heartily disliked by Quiller, and he comments on how much he doesn't want to work with them.

Novels

The Berlin Memorandum, a.k.a. The Quiller Memorandum (1965)

In this book, Quiller is introduced as a serving British intelligence officer in a black organization called "the Bureau" and as a veteran of clandestine service during World War II. Quiller never states which service he worked in during wartime, and we are not told the year in which that organization was founded. It is, however, mentioned the original explicit purpose of the Bureau was to prevent any possible resurgence of German militarism, any situation that might lead to something resembling a Fourth Reich.

Numerous governments offered him medals for his actions in the war, but he refused them all. During and after his wartime service, Quiller became a specialist in understanding Nazi clandestine organizations and their activities, particularly the so-called "ratlines" used by Nazis to escape from justice. Most of the book takes place in 1965, by which time Quiller has been seconded by the Bureau to secretly provide large amounts of useful intelligence information to West Germany's main war crimes investigation agency, the Z Commission. Quiller is tired and wants to return home, but the Bureau persuades him to investigate the plans of a Nazi secret society. He agrees to do so in part because that secret society has just assassinated a friend and colleague whom he had deeply respected.

Locale: Berlin

The 9th Directive (1966)

South-East Asia is in turmoil, and in an attempt to maintain good relations with Thailand, the British government arranges a visit from a high-ranking representative of the Queen. While it is not specifically stated, it is implied that this person is a member of the British Royal family. Prior to the arrival of the "Person" (as he is known in the novel) in Thailand, the Bureau uncovers rumours of an assassination plot against him. Quiller is sent to Bangkok to investigate how such an attempt might be made and then to ensure such an attempt is not successful.

Director in the field: Loman. "Loman was very high up in the Bureau echelon and he rarely left London to direct an operator in the field."^[5] "When Loman wasn't talking like a governess he was talking like an official spokesman for the Junior Conservative Society."^[6] Quiller states in the novel: "I have a dislike for men with small feet and bow ties and a dislike anyway for Loman. It has been mutual for years but has never affected our work, so that neither considers it important except when we find ourselves shut up together in the confines of a non-air-conditioned lapidarist’s back room in Bangkok and similar places where it is barely possible to breathe."^[7]

Locale: Thailand

The Striker Portfolio (1968)

The Striker SK-6, of the novel's title, is a new British supersonic, swing-wing jet fighter in use by the West German airforce. At the start of the novel thirty-six planes have crashed in mysterious and unexplained circumstances within the previous 12 months. Quiller is manipulated by Bureau Control Parkis into investigating.

Bureau Control: Parkis. "The worst thing about Parkis is that he is the most anonymous-looking of all at the Bureau. His face is so ordinary that it could only be a mask and his eyes are like holes in it because they are colourless. He stands so still that you feel you could walk up to him and go on walking right through him and not notice anything but a slight chill on the skin. But you'd come out Rhesus-negative."^[8]

Director in the field: Ferris. "Ferris was a thin man with hollow cheeks and horn-rimmed glasses and the remains of some straw-coloured hair that blew about when he walked. He looked like a clever young electronics engineer on the verge of a nervous breakdown, except for his steady eyes."^[9] Quiller states in the novel: "Ferris was all right. I'd done two missions with him and he hadn't let me down."^[10]

Locale: West Germany

Quiller novels

Short story

• Last Rites (Espionage Magazine, April 1986)

Adaptations

• The Quiller Memorandum (1966) – Film based on the first book in the series, adapted under its US title and starring George Segal and Alec Guinness.
• Quiller (1975) – British television series featuring Michael Jayston.

References

External links

• The Quiller Memorandum at the Internet Movie Database
• Quiller at the Internet Movie Database
• Quiller website