The Nine Lives of Otto Katz

Description

In the tradition of the bestselling Operation Mincemeat, the remarkable story of a communist super-spy 'Spies should be glamorous - James Bond in a Savile Row suit rather than Harry Palmer in a grubby mac . . . In those terms, Otto Katz was perfect. He was a Hollywood playboy who hobnobbed with Fritz Lang, he inspired the character of Victor Laszlo in Casablanca, he was a drinking buddy of Bertolt Brecht and among his lovers he claimed Marlene Dietrich. He was even known to N el Coward' The TimesIf you were to imagine the perfect spy, you may well be picturing Otto Katz. He was charming, suave, and utterly ruthless. In the golden years of the spy game, from Hitler's rise to power, through the Second World War, and on into the Cold War, Otto Katz was at the centre of Russia's web of international intrigue. His fingerprints can be found on one world changing event after another.Using recently released FBI, MI5 and Czech files, Jonathan Miles has created an action-packed story of the life (or lives) of one of the world's most successful spies . At the same time he paints a vivid portrait of the shadow world that exists behind the headlines where the actions of a man like Katz can, and do, change the course of history.

The cultural historian Jonathan Miles grew up in America, Canada and the UK and took a first from University College, London and his doctorate from Jesus College, Oxford. He has written, lectured and broadcast on cultural history and the political, historical and cultural aspects of St Petersburg all over the world, and travelled extensively, including frequent visits to the Soviet Union and Russia. He is the author of five previous books, including The Wreck of the Medusa, with its account of art, slavery and revolutionaries in early XIX century France, and The Nine Lives Of Otto Katz, the story of a flamboyant Soviet intriguer and spy.

This irresistible biography exposes a man by turns showy and shadowy . . . Miles conjures the spy-game atmospherics of the era wonderfully * The Sunday Times * Has all the hallmarks of a thrilling detective story as Katz sets about coordinating his hydra-headed fronts for Soviet propaganda and profit * Metro * A true-life action thriller * Saga Magazine * Miles uncovers the secret world of a secret agent * Times * A riveting new biography . . . a film really ought to be made of Katz's life, but who could possibly play such an outlandish character? * Mail on Sunday *