Explore the hidden realities behind mid-20th-century American power, ambition, and politics in our monthly discussion series, featuring four classic novels and their cinematic adaptations. A Roman à clef is a work of fiction in which real people, events, or institutions are portrayed under the guise of invented names and storylines — blending fact and imagination to reveal truths that official narratives often obscure. Our series examines how authors employed this technique to dramatize the inner workings of religion, media, diplomacy, and military power, and how filmmakers later transformed these stories, layering another level of disguise, shaping perception through performance, framing, and cinematic storytelling. Through these books and films, we’ll explore how truth is encoded, exaggerated, and concealed in fiction.
8.5. Henry Morton Robinson, The Cardinal (1950: film, 1963)
5.6. Eugene Burdick & William Lederer, The Ugly American (1958: film, 1963)
3.7. Fletcher Knebel & Charles W. Bailey II, Seven Days in May (1962: film 1964)