An Impeccable Spy

Richard Sorge, Stalin’s Master Agent

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An Impeccable Spy

By: Owen Matthews

Narrated by: Mike Grady

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About this listen

Bloomsbury presents An Impeccable Spy by Owen Matthews, read by Mike Grady.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE PUSHKIN HOUSE PRIZE

'The most formidable spy in history' IAN FLEMING
'His work was impeccable' KIM PHILBY
'The spy to end spies' JOHN LE CARRÉ

Born of a German father and a Russian mother, Richard Sorge moved in a world of shifting alliances and infinite possibility. In the years leading up to and during the Second World War, he became a fanatical communist – and the Soviet Union’s most formidable spy.

Combining charm with ruthless manipulation, he infiltrated and influenced the highest echelons of German, Chinese and Japanese society. His intelligence proved pivotal to the Soviet counter-offensive in the Battle of Moscow, which in turn determined the outcome of the war itself.

Drawing on a wealth of declassified Soviet archives, this is a major biography of one of the greatest spies who ever lived.

Owen MatthewsMike GradyBloomsbury Publishing Plc

Freedom & Security

Politics & Government

Russia

Espionage

Soviet Union

War

Imperial Japan

Military

Imperialism

Freedom & Security Politics & Government Russia Espionage Soviet Union War Imperial Japan Military Imperialism

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Spy stories are always exciting. I heard about Sorge in a podcast where a later russian spy praised Sorge, so I had to hear more.
You learn a lot about the war, from angles you dont usually hear about, and also don’t think about. The relationships between nations, human connections, chaos, and power of individuals to shape the world.
Charming, womanizing to the point of recklessness, heavy drinking, ruthless and terrifying, calculated, and a man who made even his enemies admit their admiration of him. One of the great ‘what could have been’ questions of spying during the second world war. Good book and good narrator, never lost track in staying engaging.