Community Chat

[Oznell]

The book world's been buzzing about the newest book on the "Cambridge 5",  a notorious group of Cold War spies in Britain at Cambridge University, who were recruited by the Soviet Union.

Cambridge was at one time, fertile recruiting ground.

 

The book is coming out on November 30, entitled "The Cambridge Spy Ring- The Treachery of the Five Who Got Away".   by Shawnna Morris

I missed the BBC series from about 20 years ago, with Tom Hollander and Toby Stephens-- am sure it was good. Did anyone here see it?

The spies made international headlines-- they had been double agents within the highest levels of the British government, and, of course, they criss-crossed with the U.S.--  one of the most prominent, Kim Philby, was First Secretary at the British Embassy in Washington, among many other sensitive positions during his career. 

 

Unbelievably, he had also been the head of Soviet Counterintelligence for the British Intelligence service, in 1940!   So burrowed deep within.   He was inevitably described as charismatic, utterly charming, making his deceptions that much easier for him to pull off.

Guy Burgess, the other ostensible "leader" in the group, was in media-- he was a BBC producer-- and was a British diplomat, and oh, yes, a Soviet double agent.  He was from one of the oldest of the prosperous Huguenot families in Britain, his French Protestant ancestors first arriving there in the 1500's.

He was attractive, like so many successful spies of the era, ambitious, with a "complicated" and ambiguous romantic and social life, again, not atypical of the spies, esp. in Britain.

There's just so much to all of these men's lives, it's been hard for biographers to bring everything together about them in one volume-- am in awe of Morris's achievement.

Their colorful, brilliant and compartmented personalities, their  associates, ( duped and otherwise), their multitude of traitorous activities, their discovery and decline, the defections to the Soviet Union ( which must have been such a rude awakening), all so fascinating.  Hope the book lives up to the material.

[Bookplate]

Thanks for the heads-up in this.  I have seen so many films and mini-series about these men, I feel obligated to check out the book as well.  Viewers of Britbox might be interested to know there is currently a limited series there called A Spy Among Friends, about Kim Philby.  It is slow and talky, but a fascinating exploration of the intersection of betrayal and friendship.

[Franklinbell]

@Oznell Thanks!  I have a friend that loves to read and always wants me to pick a cool book for her to read!  You just made me life easier!!

[Etoile308]

And if anyone is interested, the series Cambridge Spies is available on Prime.

[Oznell]

@Bookplate ,  "A Spy Among Friends" sounds good-- I tend to like "talky", ha.

@Franklinbell ,  hey, delighted.

@Etoile308 ,  that's great to know it's still available, thanks!