"Why Does it Always Have to be Switzerland?"1 Daniel Silva's Treatment of Swiss Society and Culture in Selected Mossad Spy Novels

Authors

Brian Champion

Keywords

Switzerland, Swiss history, European history, view on Switzerland, Mossad Spy Novels

Abstract

The title quote is uttered by Mossad operative Eli Lavon, who, upon being tasked to assist in the illegal penetration of a sovereign country, despairs of the mission 's success, whose two-fold metric is the apprehension of an existential threat to the State of Israel , and his safe return to his adjunct professorship in Jerusalem, all while avoiding detection or incarceration. His angst is well -placed, as Switzerland is well-known in both real and imaginary in tell igence circles as a formidable environment in which to conduct secret missions of any kind. Silva and his fictitious Mossad team struggle with their own He lvetiphobia- fear of Switzerland-while concurrently indul ging their He lvetophilia- love of Switzerland - thereby creating a palpable tension typified in the title-quote.

Recommended Citation

Champion, Brian (2019) ""Why Does it Always Have to be Switzerland?"1 Daniel Silva's Treatment of Swiss Society and Culture in Selected Mossad Spy Novels," Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 55: No. 2, Article 4.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/sahs_review/vol55/iss2/4