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My Silent War: The Autobiography of a Spy

My Silent War: The Autobiography of a Spy

by KimPhilby (Author)

  • Used

    Paperback 2003

    $6.93
Synopsis

In the annals of espionage, one name towers above all others: that of H. A. R. Kim Philby, the ringleader of the legendary Cambridge spies. A member of the British establishment, Philby joined the Secret Intelligence Service in 1940, rose to the head of Soviet counterintelligence, and, as M16's liaison with the CIA and the FBI, betrayed every secret of Allied operations to the Russians, fatally compromising covert actions to roll back the Iron Curtain in the early years of the Cold War. Written from Moscow in 1967, My Silent War shook the world and introduced a new archetype in fiction: the unrepentant spy. It inspired John Le Carre's Smiley novels and the later espionage novels of Graham Greene. Kim Philby was history's most successful spy. He was also an exceptional writer who gave us the great iconic story of the Cold War and revolutionized, in the process, the art of espionage writing.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 256
 Edition: New Ed
 Publisher: Arrow
Published: 06 Nov 2003
ISBN 10: 0099462362
ISBN 13: 9780099462361
Book Overview: A fascinating insight into the mind and motivations of the notorious British 'Master Spy' and Soviet double agent. 20030513

Media Reviews
Of all the books written about Philby and his associates, Philby's is still the one most worth reading. * The Times *
Far more gripping than any novel of espionage I can remember -- Graham Greene
To this day I am convinced that he was not an ideologue. Spying was just his way of being above lesser mortals * Nigel West *
Addictive . . . highly polished . . . written with style and a feline sense of irony, making it a much better read than any of the other Philby literature * The Guardian *
Philby has no home, no women, no faith. Behind the inbred upper-class arrogance, the taste for adventure, lies the self-hate of a vain misfit for whom nothing will ever be worthy of his loyalty. In the last instance, Philby is driven by the incurable drug of deceit itself * John Le Carre *
Author Bio
Harold Adrian Russell 'Kim' Philby was born in Ambala, India, in 1912, where his father was a high-ranking civil service officer. After graduating from Westminster School in 1928, Philby went to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he became one of the 'Cambridge Spies'. After working as a journalist, Philby was recruited into the British Secret Intelligence Service in 1940 where he rose through the ranks. He was, however, working as a double agent for the KGB, continuing to do so until his defection to the Soviet Union in 1963. He wrote My Silent War in 1968 and lived out the rest of his life in Russia, where he died in 1988, an official Soviet hero.