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Thursday, January 15, 2009

Books The Secret Agent

Posted by on Thu, Jan 15, 2009 at 8:55 AM

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A Russian ex-KGB agent could soon be in control of London daily newspaper the Evening Standard.

Billionaire businessman Alexander Lebedev is believed to have made an offer for a 76% share of the paper.

He has previously revealed that he used the paper to find out information when he was a young spy based in London.

In Lebedev I find a double to Mr. Verloc, the spy who owns a sleazy shop in the London of Conrad's novel Secret Agent. It's not so much the profession of spying that unites them but how they understand or relate to the city of their work: Lebedev's London mirrors Verloc's.

 

Comments (4) RSS

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1
He used a newspaper to FIND OUT INFORMATION? Holy crap, the KGB was way more sophisticated than I thought!
Posted by devilsmoke on January 15, 2009 at 9:06 AM
2
Ok, sure, but WHO ever is going to agree to be interviewed by them?
Posted by libbyjake on January 15, 2009 at 9:32 AM
3
(hums "Secret Asian Man" to himself)

99 percent of being a spy is really really really boring.
Posted by Will in Seattle on January 15, 2009 at 10:14 AM
4
The other 1% is dodging ricin-tipped umbrellas and radiation-laced cups of tea.
Posted by rob on January 15, 2009 at 11:48 AM

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