The Happy Traitor: Spies, Lies and Exile in Russia: The Extraordinary Story of George Blake

Simon Kuper

Jul 2021 · Bolinda · Narrated by Kevin Spink

Audiobook

6 hr 14 min

Unabridged

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About this audiobook

George Blake was the last remaining Cold War spy. As a Senior Officer in the British Intelligence Service who was double agent for the Soviet Union, his actions had devastating consequences for Britain. Yet he was also one of the least known double agents, and remained unrepentant. In 1961, Blake was sentenced to 42 years imprisonment for betraying to the KGB all of the Western operations in which he was involved, and the names of hundreds of British agents working behind the Iron Curtain. This was the longest sentence for espionage ever to have been handed down by a British court. On the surface, Blake was a charming, intelligent and engaging man and most importantly, a seemingly committed patriot. Underneath, a ruthlessly efficient mole and key player in the infamous 'Berlin Tunnel' operation. This illuminating biography tracks Blake from humble beginnings as a teenage courier for the Dutch underground during the Second World War, to the sensational prison-break from Wormwood Scrubs that inspired Hitchcock to write screenplay. Through a combination of personal interviews, research and unique access to Stasi records, journalist Simon Kuper unravels who Blake truly was, what he was capable of, and why he did it.

About the author

Simon Kuper is a British author and journalist for the Financial Times. Kuper was born in Uganda of South African parents in 1969, and moved to the Netherlands as a child. He studied History and German at Oxford University, and attended Harvard University as a Kennedy Scholar. He has written for the Observer, The Times and the Guardian, and also writes regularly for Dutch newspapers.

Kevin Spink is an actor, director, writer and narrator. Born in Australia but raised in England, Scotland, Germany and Hong Kong, Kevin brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his voiceover work. He is known best for his acting roles in many TV shorts, the film Celeste (2018) and for directing Emma (2019). Narration credits include documentaries Root Cause (2019) and How Trains Changed the World (2018).

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