Filip Kovacevic, "KGB Literati: Spy Fiction and State Security in the Soviet Union" (U Toronto Press, 2025)

Dec 25, 2025

Filip Kovacevic, a research scholar specializing in KGB history, dives into the intriguing world of Soviet spies turned authors. He uncovers how spy fiction not only reveals KGB culture and values but was also a strategic tool to influence Soviet society. Kovacevic discusses notable figures like Roman Kim, whose traumatic experiences fueled his writing, and Zoya Vaskarsenskaya-Ripkina, who masked espionage behind Lenin-themed tales. The conversation highlights the KGB's use of literature as soft power and explores the untapped landscape of Soviet spy fiction.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Spy Fiction As Statecraft

Spy fiction written by KGB officers served as a deliberate state tool to shape Soviet hearts and minds.
Filip Kovacevic argues these works reveal KGB values, fears, and the institution's cultural strategy.

ANECDOTE

Roman Kim's Survival Story

Roman Kim survived NKVD purges by inventing an extreme false confession and using imagination to stay alive.
He later turned to spy fiction that repeatedly included torture scenes as a form of personal therapy.

INSIGHT

Lenin Stories Mask Real Tradecraft

Zoya Vaskarsenskaya-Ripkina used Lenin biographies to smuggle real tradecraft into publishable fiction.
Her Lenin-as-spy stories disguised field tradecraft and were even adapted into Soviet films.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

KGB Literati: Spy Fiction and State Security in the Soviet Union (University of Toronto Press, 2025) offers a first-ever glimpse into the mysterious and long-ignored world and work of Soviet spies- and counterspies-turned-writers.

Once out of active service, many former spies have turned to writing spy fiction. They drop the dagger and pick up the pen. Some are very successful, like James Bond’s creator Ian Fleming or the novelists John Le Carré and Graham Greene. Their Soviet counterparts have rarely been afforded the same attention or examination.

Drawing on materials from KGB archives and Soviet publications long out of print, KGB Literati offers the first-ever account of spy fiction written, frequently with institutional support, by Soviet intelligence and counterintelligence officers. Spy fiction can give insights into the operational workings of clandestine agencies and the personal dimensions of secret service work. By analysing the literary output of KGB spies and counterspies, the book shows that for the KGB, this type of intervention into Soviet popular culture was a crucial component of their overall counterintelligence strategy. These texts played an instrumental role in the Soviet state’s efforts to neutralize and counter Western cultural influences on the Soviet population.

Dr. Filip Kovacevic’s research is of great relevance today, given that a large segment of the Russian ruling elite is still composed of former KGB officers, including Russian president Vladimir Putin. KGB Literati illuminates the deep-seated KGB myths, values, aspirations, and fears that continue to have a profound impact on the foreign and domestic policies of the Russian Federation.

This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network