Listen online - 'The Soviet James Bond' on BBC Radio 4 |
Media Alert - 18-12-14
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In the depths of the Cold War, the Soviets had their own version of James Bond, a superspy whose adventures thrilled readers from Minsk to the Urals. But whereas Bond enjoyed champagne, gambling and beautiful women, the spy codenamed Stierlitz was a Russian patriot of austere tastes (though he does enjoy vodka and singing Russian songs).
In novels like "Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat," Stierlitz carved a parallel path to that being followed by the great 007. Spy fan Miles Jupp explores the extraordinary legacy of the Soviet James Bond and his creator Julian Semyonov.
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