''S: Portrait of a Spy'' is a controversial 1978

spy novel Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intellig ...

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

writer

Ian Adams Ian Adams (July 22, 1937 — November 7, 2021) was a Canadian author of fiction and non-fiction novels, television, and movies. Originally a journalist, he later authored the novels ''S – Portrait of a Spy'' and ''Agent of Influence''. Early l ...

. Adams was sued by a former counter-intelligence official on the grounds the novel's main character bore too close a resemblance to his own life. Former Minister of National Defence

Paul Hellyer Paul Theodore Hellyer (August 6, 1923 – August 8, 2021) was a Canadian engineer, politician, writer, and commentator. He was the longest serving member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada at the time of his death. Early life Hellyer w ...

wrote that information in the novel seemed sufficiently credible to alter the mandate of a high-profile inquiry into wrongdoing by the RCMP Security Service.

Synopsis

In the novel ''S'' is employed as the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

's official in charge of countering attempts by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

to spy on Canada. In the novel ''S'' is a triple agent—a Soviet mole who has been recruited by the United States's

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

. ''S'' has a long run, decades, as a successful spy. When his run does come to an end, he manages to evade Canadian authorities, and leave Canada.

Peter Worthington and James Leslie Bennett

Shortly after the novel was written

Peter Worthington Peter John Vickers Worthington (February 16, 1927 – May 12, 2013) was a Canadian journalist. A foreign correspondent with the ''Toronto Telegram'' newspaper from 1956, Worthington was an eyewitness to the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963, an ...

, a founding editor of the ''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Pos ...

'', wrote to

Leslie James Bennett Leslie James Bennett (1920 — October 18, 2003) was a British/Canadian citizen who spent most of his working life as a counter-intelligence official, first for Britain's GCHQ, and later for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Security Servi ...

, that he thought Bennett should consider suing Adams, as the novel too closely paralleled his own life. Worthington told Bennett that the character of the publisher of a tabloid newspaper had enough parallels that he could sue Adams. He told Bennett his lawyer, Julian Porter, thought Bennett had grounds to sue. Bennett did sue Adams. According to the ''

Windsor Star The ''Windsor Star'' is a daily newspaper based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Postmedia Network, it is published Tuesdays through Saturdays. History The paper began as the weekly ''Windsor Record'' in 1888, changing its name to the ''Bor ...

'' Bennett was surprised to learn that it was a column by Worthington himself which first suggested the character of ''S'' was based on Bennett.

Paul Hellyer's review

In a 1977 review Paul Hellyer, a former Minister of National Defence, suggested other characters were strongly based on

John Starnes John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

, Bennett's boss,

Solicitor General A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...

Jean-Pierre Goyer Jean-Pierre Goyer, (January 17, 1932 – May 24, 2011) was a lawyer and Canadian Cabinet minister. Early life and education Goyer was born in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, the son of Gilbert and Marie-Ange Goyer. His wealthy family owned a coal di ...

Karl Kristian Ring Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl of Austria, last Austrian Emperor * Karl (footballer) (born 1993), Karl Cachoe ...

, who he identifies as an arms dealer. Hellyer suggested he may have been the model for another character, Hellyer suggested the information in the novel was so explosive that the mandate of the

MacDonald Commission The Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects for Canada, also known as the Macdonald Commission, was a historic landmark in Canadian economy policy. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appointed the Royal Commission in 1982, and ...

that was then investigating wrongdoing on the part of the RCMP Security Service should be expanded to confirm or refute whether clandestine wrongdoing described in the novel actually took place.

Play and film

Rick Salutin Rick Salutin (born August 30, 1942) is a Canadian novelist, playwright, journalist, and critic and has been writing for more than forty years. Until October 1, 2010, he wrote a regular column in ''The Globe and Mail''; on February 11, 2011, he be ...

would later write an essay on the trial, which was published together with the novel in a second edition. In 1984 Adams and Salutin collaborated on a play based on the novel. A script for a feature film based on the book is in development.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:S - Portrait of a Spy Cold War spy novels Canadian thriller novels 1978 Canadian novels Canadian crime novels