KGB Literati is a revelation, drawing back the iron curtain to reveal the little-known world of Soviet espionage literature. Filled with probing insight and depth, meticulously researched, unprecedented in its scope, Kovacevic's work might very well prove to be the definitive work chronicling KGB spook-scribes. A must-read for academics, fans of spy fiction, and anyone seeking to understand the power and place of literature in the great geopolitical game. - I.S. Berry, Author of The Peacock and the Sparrow
Kovacevics meticulous research illuminates a dark corner in Soviet intelligence history by opening the world of Soviet spy fiction to a non-Russian audience. Without Kovacevics research, the literary works of Soviet intelligence and counterintelligence officers, and the tenacious anti-Western propaganda purpose behind them, would remain a shadow outside Russia. - Dr. Kevin Riehle, Lecturer, Intelligence and International Security, Brunel University London
A major contribution to both the study of spy fiction and intelligence studies, and the most comprehensive account yet of the role current and former KGB officers played in shaping the genre in the Soviet Union. The figure of the spy turned spy fiction writer has played a major role in both academic studies of intelligence and the wider popular culture that surrounds the business of espionage. But this understanding has tended to focus upon former intelligence officers turned writers in the West like Ian Fleming and John Le Carrè. Kovacevics account breaks with this Western-centric approach and in so-doing significantly broadens our understanding of so-called "spy fiction", or the interplay that exists between the real world of espionage and our popular fictions about it. A must read for anybody interested in intelligence, spy fiction, and the role that culture played during the Cold War. - Simon Willmetts, Associate Professor of Intelligence Studies at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, Leiden University