And by accident, he survived the occupation and lived to write about it. The Soviet hand on this manuscript was clever, not ham-fisted. Test yourself with this, you'll be surprised. I have invented nothing, made up nothing. The question of 'poetic invention' is no longer relevant.
Observed fact is all that counts.
Roth is a central spiritual figure of the midcentury. A lieutenant in the army, he is captured and sent to Siberian exile, escapes, tries to return to Vienna, fights in the Bolshevik revolution, becomes involved with a French woman, goes to Germany, then to Paris. There is always a woman, always a search for love. As, I suspect, Roth meant for you to do. Published in 1937, this is my favorite Ambler, maybe the best.