The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War

By definition, spies lead a double life, so this is arguably the book’s main theme. Gordievsky leads a double life professionally and, in the end, personally. Macintyre hints at this theme early on, when he describes Gordievsky’s family: His father worked for the KGB and its predecessor organization, the NKVD, taking part in Stalin’s purges. He never talked of that time, however, and Gordievsky eventually believed that his father had regrets or at least doubts even though he claimed that “[t]he NKVD is always right” (9). Gordievsky’s mother was less sure about that, and her parents secretly harbored religious beliefs, which were outlawed at the time under the Soviet system. The family thus had hidden “layers of deception beneath the surface” (9).

Gordievsky’s own double life started to form during his university years. When his good friend Standa Kaplan, from Czechoslovakia, was openly critical of the Soviet model, Gordievsky kept quiet, “flattered to be the recipient of such dangerous confidences” (17). In addition, he began secretly listening to the BBC and Voice of America on the radio at night. When he finally did start spying for the British intelligence agency MI6 during his second stint in Copenhagen, his entire existence became a double identity.

This double life was apparent in his career, as he presented himself to his KGB superiors as a loyal foot soldier dedicated to the Soviet system, all the while passing increasingly sensitive secrets to the British government through MI6. However, his duplicitous existence also became true of his personal life. His first wife was a fellow KGB officer, and his second wife was the daughter of a KGB general, so he never confided in either one about his spying. Later, in planning his escape to Britain, he decided not to bring his family, continuing to tell his wife that he was being framed before disappearing from her life forever. In the end, he loved his wife, “but he did not entirely trust her” (247)—a direct result of his double life because he shielded a part of himself from her.

Reading about Gordievsky’s double life is gripping; one is always wondering whether this time he’ll get caught. It may also lead to some introspection about one’s own personal deceptions, however they may pale in comparison to Gordievsky’s. The idea of a double life holds a certain fascination for all of us, as people present different faces for different situations. Speaking at the 2022 Jaipur Literature Festival, the author said, “We like the idea of looking one way on the outside and being something completely different on the inside” (“For Your Eyes Only: The Life and Times of Ben Macintyre; Ben Macintyre with William Dalrymple.” YouTube, uploaded by Soneva, 17 June 2022).