Originally published in 1989 and now appearing in English for the first time, this memoir by former East German spymaster Markus Wolf follows three boys and their Communist expatriate families—two from Germany, one from the United States—who form deep childhood bonds as they come of age in Moscow during the turmoil of Stalin’s Great Terror of the 1930s. Dispersed by the events of World War II, they wind up in different corners of the geopolitical map as they mature, survive the chaos of war, and struggle to reinforce or abandon the principles instilled in them as young men. As adults on both sides of a divided Germany and in the United States, they find that the daily realities of the Cold War offer significant challenges to the foundations of their socialist upbringing.
Author: February 19, 2026
Published at: 2026-02-19 00:00:00
Still want to read the full version? Full article
