Another famous childrens' author, Arthur Ransome (of 'Swallows and Amazons'), and a contemporary of Dahl, was at one time a British agent in revolutionary Russi

Another famous childrens' author, Arthur Ransome (of 'Swallows and Amazons'), and a contemporary of Dahl, was at one time a British agent in revolutionary Russia! He even found himself inadvertently involved in the formation of the Red Army; during his subsequent escape from Russia, he narrowly avoided their clutches by employing his wit and intelligence - the stuff of fiction, but this was for real. He had a genuinely fascinating life.