Stalin's Romeo Spy: : The Remarkable Rise and Fall of the KGB's Most Daring Operative - Softcover

Draitser, Emil

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1519281374 ISBN 13: 9781519281371

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2010

Synopsis

Sailor, painter, doctor, lawyer, polyglot, and writer, Dmitri Bystrolyotov (1901–75) led a life that might seem far-fetched for a spy novel, yet here the truth is stranger than fiction. The result of a thirty-five-year journey that started with a private meeting between the author and Bystrolyotov in 1973 Moscow and continued through the author’s subsequent research in international archives, Stalin’s Romeo Spy, pieces together a life lived in the shadows of the twentieth century’s biggest events. One of the “Great Illegals,” a team of outstanding Soviet spies operating in Western countries between the world wars, Bystrolyotov was the response to Sidney Reilly, the British prototype for James Bond. A dashing man, his modus operandi was the seduction of women—among them a French embassy employee, a German countess, the wife of a British official, and a Gestapo officer—which enabled Stalin to look into diplomatic pouches of many European countries. Risking his life, Bystrolyotov also stole military secrets from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. A man of extraordinary physical courage, he twice crossed the Sahara Desert and the jungles of Congo. But his success as a spy didn’t save him from Stalin’s purges, at the height of which he was arrested and tortured until he falsely confessed to selling out to the enemy. Sentenced to twenty years of hard labor in the Gulag, Bystrolyotov risked more severe punishment by documenting the regime’s crimes against humanity in unpublished and suppressed memoirs that rival those of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. The first full-length biography in any language, at once a real-life spy thriller, a drama of desire, and a prison memoir, Stalin’s Romeo Spy is the true account of a flawed yet extraordinary man.

About this title

About the Author:

Emil Draitser is an award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction. In 1974, he immigrated to the United States, where he has been a professor of Russian at Hunter College in New York City since 1986. In addition to his twelve books, Draitser has published essays and short stories in the Los Angeles Times.

Review:

'There is no doubt ... that Bystrolyotov was a remarkable spy even by the standards of an era when much of the world was crawling with intelligence agents... It is impossible to read 'Stalin's Romeo Spy' without reflecting on the cruel and capricious nature of totalitarian regimes and without noting that, however good a spy may be, espionage is only as effective as the ability of political leaders to sort through the information they are handed.'The Wall Street Journal

"It is not entirely fair to call Dmitri Bystrolyotov a Russian James Bond. Unlike Bond, Bystrolyotov actually existed, was a devoted communist and spent 15 years as a prisoner in the gulag archipelago. But had they both been real people, they would have had enough in common to swap cynical stories in a neutral language over vodka martinis in some lamp-lit border crossing." - The Scotsman (UK)

"Captivating and - worthwhile. 'Stalin's Romeo Spy.' deserves the attention of anyone interested in the history of the Soviet intelligence services or the history of intelligence in general. Draitser's account reminds us of the feats of espionage the Soviet services were able to accomplish when they set aside all scruples. Given that human nature is changeless and that ruthless regimes still remain in the world-not to mention that we now know conclusively that Moscow continues to use illegals against us-the book is a reminder of what we need to watch for." CIA - Studies in Intelligence

"A fascinating biography.... Draitser artfully captures his subject's spy career simply by removing the romance found in fictional spy tales....'Stalin's Romeo Spy.', like its protagonist, is filled with charm [and] danger... It is worth reading about a real-life James Bond trapped in his own web of seduction and deceit." -- Curled Up With A Good Book

"With the aid of the vast amount of material unearthed from various archives, Draitser has told a compelling story of a brave, complex, and flawed man. A must read for all those interested in twentieth century history." - Promoting Crime Fiction with Lizzie Hayes 

"Books and movies many times glamorize the life of a spy as the jet-setting, gambling, drinking martinis in high society life.... Yet the true life of a spy many times is one filled not only with physical danger but moral danger. Could you imagine having to leave the night of your wedding to sleep with a source to get needed information? It is not all glamour and high society. The icing on the cake is what happens when your country, which you sacrificed so much for, turns against you. This is the story of Agent Dmitri of the KGB who lived just that life." - Squiddo

'Dmitri Bystrolyotov, a spy for Stalin's foreign intelligence service in the 1920s and 30s, was, by all accounts, a larger-than-life figure. Extraordinarily handsome, sophisticated and highly resourceful, he was well suited to the job of being a secret agent in Europe between the World Wars. - An ideal "poster boy" to inspire coming generations of Russian spies - The story of the group of spies who were sent back to Russia from the United States in June is still unfolding, but one thing seems clear: the old habits of Russia's security and intelligence services die hard.'The Times Literary Supplement

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1519281374
• ISBN 13: 9781519281371
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 464