Eye of the Needle - Your Art History Reference Guide!

ArtHistoryClub Information Site on Eye of the Needle Art History Art History Search        Art History Browse             News        Gallery        Forums        Articles        Weblinks        welcome to our free resource site for all art history lovers!

Eye of the Needle

For the parable attributed to Jesus, see The eye of a needle.

Eye of the Needle is a spy thriller novel written by British author Ken Follett. Published in 1978 by the Penguin Group, this novel was Follett's first successful, bestselling effort as a novelist.

The book was made into a motion picture in 1981 with a screenplay adapted by Stanley Mann and directed by Richard Marquand.

Primary cast:


Plot teaser

Operation Fortitude was the massive counter-intelligence operation undertaken by the Allies during World War II. The goal of the operation was to divert German military troops from Normandy, the site of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of France. If the German OKW (High Command, West) were convinced that the invasion was to come at Calais, those resources would not be able to reach the battlefield, blocked by the Seine river.

To that end, the Allies created the fictitious First U.S. Army Group (FUSAG), postioned in northern England, near the Pas de Calais. FUSAG looked like a massive concentration of troops -- at least, from an aerial photograph. At ground level, FUSAG could be made for what it really was: a charade. In Eye of the Needle, Follett explores the possibly of a German spy managing to take pictures of the faux buildup, and his journey to get those pictures in the hands of Hitler.

List of characters

  • Henry Faber
  • Percival Godliman - MI5 agent
  • Frederick Bloggs - MI5 agent
  • David Rose - young R.A.F. fighter pilot
  • Lucy Rose

External link

Last updated: 08-29-2005 09:21:05
Last updated: 01-04-2007 01:18:57
The contents of this article are licensed from Wikipedia.org under the
GNU Free Documentation License. See original document.
Art History Search | Art History Browse | Contact | Legal info