Items related to Defection of a. J. Lewinter, The
Synopsis
An American ceramics engineer defects to the Soviet Union only to find his loyalty to the Russians questioned by both nations
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About the Author
Robert Littell's novels include the New York Times bestseller The Company, The October Circle, Mother Russia, The Amateur, The Once and Future Spy, An Agent in Place, The Visiting Professor, and Walking Back the Cat. A former Newsweek journalist, he is an American currently living in France.
From Publishers Weekly
The reissue of this 1973 Cold War gem comes on the heels of Littell's recent hardcover thriller The Company. Set in the early 1970s, the spy thriller-cum-black comedy begins when A.J. Lewinter, an eccentric American engineer specializing in nose cones for ballistic missiles, decides to defect to the Soviet Union. Such a high-level defection is unprecedented, and each side suspects the other of something fishy. A hilarious contest ensues as they try to outconnive each other. On the American side is a coldly libidinous intelligence agent named Diamond (when a mistress asks him what he would have done if she hadn't passed a security background check, he says, "I would have taken you to bed-but I wouldn't have talked to you"). His KGB analogue is the nervous Pogodin (self-described as "one-quarter Marxist, one-quarter humanist, and one-half bureaucrat"), who knows too well the consequences of any mistake. The book paints a bleak view of both sides of the Cold War divide: the socialist dream has given way to a police state plagued by chronic food shortages and ruled by an elite oligarchy that gets the few decent cars and apartments in Moscow, while on democracy's home front, race riots and antiwar protests multiply. Concise, smart and funny, this novel turns Cold War spy cliches on their head. Though the ambiguous ending no longer terrifies, this book still packs a punch and seems prescient to boot. Those who only know Littell's more recent works should enjoy this fast, fun trip into the past.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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- PublisherBantam
- Publication date1985
- ISBN 10 0553254162
- ISBN 13 9780553254167
- BindingMass Market Paperback
- LanguageEnglish
- Number of pages288
- Rating
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Seller Image
The Defection of AJ Lewinter
Published by
Bantam Books, New York, 1986
ISBN 10: 0553254162
ISBN 13: 9780553254167
Used
Soft cover
First Edition
Seller: Scene of the Crime, ABAC, IOBA, St. Catharines, ON, Canada
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Soft cover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. First Bantam paperback edition, first printing of this author's first spy thriller. A stand-alone novel. Won the Gold Dagger Award in 1973. Slight edgewear. Faint tanning of pages. In Near Fine Condition. Seller Inventory # JB511
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Defection of A.J. Lewinter: A Novel of Duplicity
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Mass Market Paperback. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.35. Seller Inventory # G0553254162I5N00
Quantity: 1 available