# Ashenden — Ashenden character guide > Ashenden in Ashenden by W. Somerset Maugham. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Already Ashenden, Mr. Ashenden, Monsieur Ashenden **First appearance:** 0001-ashenden ## Snapshot A British writer turned intelligence agent, moving through wartime Europe with a novelist's eye for the absurdity and cost of the trade he practices. ## Who they are Ashenden drifts through Swiss hotels and Russian railway cars where exiles, agents, and informers dine at neighboring tables and pretend not to recognize one another. He is observant, ironic, and quietly troubled by superiors who want results while keeping their own hands clean, and by the human wreckage that operations leave behind. His divided nature — artist and operative — shapes the book's central question: what does espionage do to the person who practices it? ## Relationships ### [Grantley Caypor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/grantley_caypor) _professional_ Ashenden is assigned to surveil and ultimately betray Grantley Caypor, a suspected German spy, during a mission. ### [Giulia Lazzari](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/giulia_lazzari) _romantic_ Ashenden becomes romantically entangled with Giulia Lazzari, a beautiful Italian woman who is also a spy. ### [R.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/r) _professional_ R is Ashenden's superior in British intelligence, giving him orders and assignments throughout the war. ### [The Hairless Mexican](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/the_hairless_mexican) _professional_ Ashenden works alongside the Hairless Mexican, a flamboyant and dangerous agent, on a mission to assassinate a traitor. ### [Anastasia Alexandrovna Leonidov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/anastasia_alexandrovna_leonidov) _professional_ Anastasia Alexandrovna Leonidov and Ashenden are fellow intelligence operatives who collaborate on missions. ### [The Baroness von Higgins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/the_baroness_von_higgins) _social_ Ashenden encounters the Baroness von Higgins as a social acquaintance in the expatriate community, though she is also a suspected spy. ### [Sir Herbert Witherspoon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/sir_herbert_witherspoon) _professional_ Sir Herbert Witherspoon is a British diplomat who interacts with Ashenden in the context of intelligence work. ### [Gustav](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/gustav) _professional_ Gustav is a Swiss hotel manager who assists Ashenden with logistical arrangements during his espionage activities. ### [The General](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/the_general) _professional_ The General is a high-ranking military officer who coordinates with Ashenden on intelligence matters. ### [Manuel Carmona](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/manuel_carmona) _professional_ Manuel Carmona is a Spanish agent who works with Ashenden on a mission involving the Hairless Mexican. ### [Chandra Lal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/chandra_lal) _professional_ Chandra Lal is an Indian revolutionary and spy whom Ashenden is tasked with monitoring and manipulating. ### [Prince Ali](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/prince_ali) _professional_ Prince Ali is a Middle Eastern prince involved in political intrigue whom Ashenden observes and interacts with. ## In the story ### [Ashenden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/ashenden) The protagonist and narrator, a British author recruited as a spy. ### [R.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/i-r) A writer by profession, recruited into the secret service by R. He is skeptical of R.'s anecdote, noting it is a tired cliché from fiction. ### [II: A Domiciliary Visit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/ii-a-domiciliary-visit) Narrator and protagonist; returns from France, recalls foiling a burglary plot, and handles a blackmail attempt by Bernard. ### [III: Miss King](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/iii-miss-king) Lying in his bath, reflecting on his play and the police scare; later summoned to Miss King's bedside, where he grapples with the possibility that she has a secret to impart. ### [IV: The Hairless Mexican](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/iv-the-hairless-mexican) Accompanies the Hairless Mexican to Naples; given the task of providing funds for the mission; observes the Mexican's dangerous and flamboyant nature. ### [The Dark Woman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/v-the-dark-woman) Travels with the Hairless Mexican, loses at piquet, and reflects on the mission. ### [VI: The Greek](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/vi-the-greek) Arrives in Naples, enjoys the city, and later decodes the telegram revealing the fatal mistake. ### [VII: A Trip to Paris](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/vii-a-trip-to-paris) Reflects on his boredom and routine in Geneva, travels to Paris for orders, and discusses the moral implications of their mission with R. ### [VIII: Giulia Lazzari](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/viii-giulia-lazzari) Delivers news of the lover's death, grants Giulia temporary freedom, and later arranges her return to England. ### [IX: Gustav](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/ix-gustav) Sent to Basle to investigate Gustav; confronts Gustav about his fabricated reports and attempts to recruit him as a double agent. ### [Behind the Scenes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/xi-behind-the-scenes) Sent to X on a secret mission, he navigates the delicate politics of espionage and diplomacy, eventually winning over the British ambassador. ### [XII: His Excellency](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/xii-his-excellency) Dines with Sir Herbert Witherspoon; feels misgiving and shy; listens to the ambassador's personal confession. ### [XIII: The Flip of a Coin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/xiii-the-flip-of-a-coin) Torn by the moral decision of whether to authorize a sabotage that will kill Galician Poles; recalls a past conversation with R. about assassination; ultimately resorts to a coin flip. ### [XIV: A Chance Acquaintance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/xiv-a-chance-acquaintance) Arrives in Vladivostok for a major mission to Petrograd; feels excited and confident but also forlorn; endures the company of Mr. Harrington with mixed irritation and affection. ### [Love and Russian Literature](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/xv-love-and-russian-literature) Arrives in Petrograd, weary and solitary, tasked with a critical secret mission to prevent Russia from making a separate peace. ### [XVI: Mr. Harrington’s Washing](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/xvi-mr-harrington-s-washing) Reunites with Anastasia Alexandrovna and enlists her help; translates coded messages; witnesses Mr. Harrington's fixation on his laundry. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/ashenden - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters