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Robert Ludlum
File:Robert.ludlum.jpg
Born	25 May 1927(1927-05-25) New York City, United States
Died	12 March 2001 (aged 73) Naples, Florida, United States
Pen name	Jonathan Ryder, Michael Shephard
Occupation	Author, novelist
Genres	Thriller, Mystery

Robert Ludlum (May 25, 1927 New York City – March 12, 2001 Naples, Florida) was an American author of 25 thriller novels. There are more than 290 million copies of his books in print, and they have been translated into 32 languages. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.^[1]

Some of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, including The Osterman Weekend, The Holcroft Covenant, The Apocalypse Watch, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. A non-Ludlum book supposedly inspired by his unused notes, Covert One: The Hades Factor, has also been made into a mini-series. The Bourne movies, starring Matt Damon in the title role, have been commercially and critically successful (The Bourne Ultimatum won three Academy Awards in 2008), although the story lines depart significantly from the source material.

Ludlum died in 2001 of a subdural hematoma.

Contents 1 Education 2 Writing analysis and criticism 3 Selected bibliography 3.1 By Ludlum, published during the author's lifetime 3.2 Credited to Ludlum, published posthumously 3.3 Covert-One series 3.4 Sequels to Ludlum Books 4 Filmography 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Education

Ludlum was educated at The Rectory School then Cheshire Academy and Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. While at Wesleyan, Ludlum joined the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. Prior to becoming an author, he had been a theatrical actor and producer. His theatrical experience may have contributed to his understanding of the energy, escapism and action that the public wanted in a novel. He once remarked: "I equate suspense and good theater in a very similar way. I think it's all suspense and what-happens-next. From that point of view, yes, I guess, I am theatrical."

[edit] Writing analysis and criticism

Ludlum's novels typically featured one heroic man, or a small group of crusading individuals, in a struggle against powerful adversaries whose intentions and motivations are evil, adversaries capable of using political and economic mechanisms in frightening ways. His vision of the world was one where global corporations, shadowy military forces, and government organizations all conspired to preserve (if it was evil) or undermine (if it was good) the status quo. With the exception of occasional gaps in his knowledge of firearms, his novels are meticulously researched to include accurate technical, geographical, and biological details, including the research on amnesia for The Bourne Identity.

Ludlum's novels were often inspired by conspiracy theories, both historical and contemporary. He wrote that The Matarese Circle was inspired by rumors about the Trilateral Commission, and it was published only a few years after the commission was founded. His depictions of terrorism in books such as The Holcroft Covenant and The Matarese Circle reflected the theory that terrorists were only pawns of governments or private organizations that wished to use terror as a pretext for establishing authoritarian rule, not isolated bands of ideologically motivated extremists.

Ludlum uses the same fixed titling pattern of The [Proper Noun] [Noun] for most of his books.

[edit] Selected bibliography

[edit] By Ludlum, published during the author's lifetime

• The Scarlatti Inheritance (1971)
• The Osterman Weekend (1972)
• The Matlock Paper (1973)
• Trevayne (1973, writing under the pen-name Jonathan Ryder)
• The Cry of the Halidon (1974, writing under the pen-name Jonathan Ryder)
• The Rhinemann Exchange (1974)
• The Road to Gandolfo (1975, writing under the pen-name Michael Shephard)
• The Gemini Contenders (1976)
• The Chancellor Manuscript (1977)
• The Holcroft Covenant (1978)
• The Matarese Circle (1979)
• The Bourne Identity (1980)
• The Parsifal Mosaic (1982)
• The Aquitaine Progression (1984)
• The Bourne Supremacy (1986)
• The Icarus Agenda (1988)
• The Bourne Ultimatum (1990)
• The Road to Omaha (1992)
• The Scorpio Illusion (1993)
• The Apocalypse Watch (1995)
• The Matarese Countdown (1997)
• The Prometheus Deception (2000)

[edit] Credited to Ludlum, published posthumously

Some of these are written by a so-far unknown ghostwriter who has been faithful to Robert Ludlum's style of writing. ^[2]

• The Sigma Protocol (2001, the last novel written entirely by Ludlum)
• The Janson Directive (2002, incomplete at his death)
• The Tristan Betrayal (2003)
• The Ambler Warning (2005)
• The Bancroft Strategy (2006)

[edit] Covert-One series

Written with other authors.

• The Hades Factor (with Gayle Lynds) (2000)
• The Cassandra Compact (with Phillip Shelby) (2001)
• The Paris Option (with Gayle Lynds) (2002)
• The Altman Code (with Gayle Lynds) (2003)
• The Lazarus Vendetta (with Patrick Larkin) (2004)
• The Moscow Vector (with Patrick Larkin) (2005)
• The Arctic Event (with James H. Cobb) (2007)
• The Infinity Affair (with James H. Cobb) (2009)

[edit] Sequels to Ludlum Books

• The Bourne Legacy (by Eric Van Lustbader) (2004)
• The Bourne Betrayal (by Eric Van Lustbader) (2007)
• The Bourne Sanction (by Eric Van Lustbader) (2008)
• The Bourne Deception (by Eric Van Lustbader) (2009)

[edit] Filmography

Some of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, although the story lines might depart significantly from the source material. In general, a miniseries is more faithful to the original novel on which it is based.

• 1977 - The Rhinemann Exchange — miniseries — Stephen Collins as David Spaulding, Lauren Hutton as Leslie Jenner Hawkewood
• 1983 - The Osterman Weekend — film — Rutger Hauer as John Tanner
• 1985 - The Holcroft Covenant — film — Michael Caine as Noel Holcroft
• 1988 - The Bourne Identity — miniseries — Richard Chamberlain as Jason Bourne, Jaclyn Smith as Marie St. Jacques
• 1997 - The Apocalypse Watch — miniseries — Patrick Bergin as Drew Latham
• 2002 - The Bourne Identity (loosely based on the novel By Robert Ludlum) — film — Matt Damon as Jason Bourne and Franka Potente as Marie Helena Kreutz
• 2004 - The Bourne Supremacy (loosely based on the novel by Robert Ludlum) — film — Matt Damon as Jason Bourne
• 2006 - Covert One: The Hades Factor — miniseries — Stephen Dorff as Jon Smith
• 2007 - The Bourne Ultimatum (loosely based on the novel by Robert Ludlum) — film — Matt Damon as Jason Bourne
• 2009 - The Matarese Circle — film — Denzel Washington as Brandon Scofield ¹
• 2009 - The Chancellor Manuscript — film — Leonardo DiCaprio as Peter Chancellor ¹

¹ announced/in development

[edit] See also

• Spy fiction
• Airport novel
• List of bestselling novels in the United States

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Robert Ludlum Website
• Robert Ludlum at the Internet Movie Database
• Signature of Robert Ludlum
• Robert Ludlum at the Internet Book List
• Works by or about Robert Ludlum in libraries (WorldCat catalog)