When history is told through fiction: Robert Harris’ history-driven and bestselling novels turned into thrilling stories on screen.


The Ghost Writer. Poster of the 2010 movie and cover of the 2007 book, The Ghost
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The Ghost
Robert Harris, 2007
movie vs book
Roman Polanski, 2010

A ghostwriter is hired by publishing firm Rhinehart, Inc. to complete the autobiography of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang. The writer travels to Old Haven on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, where Lang and his wife Ruth are staying in a harshly modernistic mansion, along with Lang’s personal assistant (and implied mistress), Amelia Bly, and staff.


Enigma. Poster of the 2001 movie and cover of the 1995 book
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Enigma
Robert Harris, 1995
movie vs book
Michael Apted, 2001

In March 1943, when the Second World War was at its height, the cryptanalysts at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire, have a problem: the Nazi U-boats have changed one of their code reference books used for Enigma machine ciphers, leading to a blackout in the flow of vital naval signals intelligence.


An Officer and a Spy. Poster of the 2019 movie and cover of the 2013 book
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An Officer and a Spy
Robert Harris, 2013
movie vs book
Roman Polanski, 2019

In 1894, French Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young promising officer, is degraded for spying for Germany, wrongfully convicted of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment at Devil’s Island. Among the witnesses to his humiliation is Georges Picquart, who is promoted to run the military counter-intelligence unit that tracked him down.


Fatherland. Poster of the 1994 movie and cover of the 1991 book
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Fatherland
Robert Harris, 1991
movie vs book
Christopher Menaul, 1994

Fictional account of what might have happened if Hitler had won the war. It is now the 1960s and Germany’s war crimes have so far been kept a secret. Hitler wants to talk peace with the US president. An American journalist and a German homicide cop stumble into a plot to destroy all evidence of the genocide.


Archangel. Poster of the 2005 TV series and cover of the 1998 book
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Archangel
Robert Harris, 1998
TV series vs book
Jon Jones, 2005

An English expert on Soviet history, is in Moscow for an academic conference on Joseph Stalin. After the conference, Papu Rapava, an old man, says that he has important information for Dr. Kelso. In Hotel Ukraine, where Kelso is staying, Rapava recounts in detail how he, as a young security guard in 1953, witnessed the death of Stalin.


Munich: The Edge of War. Poster of the 2021 movie and cover of the 2017 book, Munich
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Munich
Robert Harris, 2017
movie vs book
Christian Schwochow, 2021

It is Autumn 1938 and Europe stands on the brink of war. Adolf Hitler is preparing to invade Czechoslovakia and Neville Chamberlain’s government desperately seeks a peaceful solution. With the pressure building, Hugh Legat, British civil servant, and Paul von Hartmann, German diplomat, travel to Munich for the emergency Conference.


The Fear Index. Poster of the 2022 TV series and cover of the 2011 book
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The Fear Index
Robert Harris, 2011
TV series vs book
David Caffrey, 2022-

Dr. Alex Hoffman, an American ex-pat physicist, creates an AI-driven system that exploits fear in the financial markets and operates at lightning speed to make big returns. But on the day of launch, Alex’s sanity is shaken after he is viciously attacked at his home by a man who knows all of his security codes.


Selling Hitler. Poster of the 1991 TV series and cover of the 1986 book
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Selling Hitler
Robert Harris, 1986
TV series vs book
Alastair Reid, 1991

In 1981, Gerd Heidemann, a bloodhound reporter for the German magazine Stern, believes he has stumbled onto the greatest literary find of the century: the personal diaries of Adolf Hitler. Shrouded in secrecy, Heidemann and the men of Stern attempt to pull off the greatest scoop in publishing history, blinded by their greed to the fact that the diaries are, in fact, crude forgeries.

“The biggest challenge of adapting the book was trying to make the inner lives of the characters legible through their outward actions.”

SALLY ROONEY (Writer)