Overview

A major new biography of Edith Tudor Hart, the photographer and Soviet agent who recruited Kim Philby Edith Tudor Hart has long evaded biographers. A Jewish-Austrian exile in 1930s London, she was a talented professional photographer, anti-fascist activist—and Soviet secret agent. Daria Santini provides the first full biography of this elusive figure. She traces Tudor Hart's life from her early years in the socialist intellectual circles of Vienna through her training at the Bauhaus to her work as a Soviet agent in Britain. Tudor Hart played a vital role in the Cambridge Spies network, including recruiting Kim Philby. Throughout her life, Tudor Hart was deeply committed to the ideals of communism. But despite being watched by the British Secret Service for decades, she was never caught and never confessed. In this moving account, Santini pieces together the story of Edith's life, revealing a woman of great energy, determination, and creativity.

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9780300276398

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Reviews

“Impressive. . . . Edith Tudor Hart’s story has never been told in such depth and with such sensitivity.”—Tom Buchanan, University of Oxford “An Austrian émigré to Britain, Edith Tudor Hart was one of the most significant spies and agent-runners in history. Yet she was also a much admired photographer, devoted mother and lover to a string of famous men. In this meticulously researched and sympathetic book, Edith finally gets the biography she deserves.”—Richard Cockett, author of Vienna “A brilliant biography. . . . At last Edith Tudor Hart emerges from the shadows to take her rightful place in the history of espionage. Daria Santini combines the latest revelations from MI5 files with unique access to photo archives.”—Stewart Purvis, coauthor of Guy Burgess: The Spy Who Knew Everyone “Beautifully researched and written. . . . Edith Tudor Hart’s life has been obscured behind her role as ‘the grandmother’ of the Cambridge Five, but she was so much more than that. Santini reveals a compassionate, creative woman, whose life was shaped by the seismic political and social changes in Europe.”—Helen Fry, author of Women in Intelligence

“Impressive. . . . Edith Tudor Hart’s story has never been told in such depth and with such sensitivity.”—Tom Buchanan, University of Oxford “An Austrian émigré to Britain, Edith Tudor Hart was one of the most significant spies and agent-runners in history. Yet she was also a much admired photographer, devoted mother and lover to a string of famous men. In this meticulously researched and sympathetic book, Edith finally gets the biography she deserves.”—Richard Cockett, author of Vienna

“Impressive…Edith Tudor Hart’s story has never been told in such depth and with such sensitivity.”—Tom Buchanan, University of Oxford ""An Austrian émigré to Britain, Edith Tudor Hart was one of the most significant spies and agent-runners in history. Yet she was also a much admired photographer, devoted mother and lover to a string of famous men. In this meticulously researched and sympathetic book, Edith finally gets the biography she deserves.”—Richard Cockett, author of Vienna  “A brilliant biography…At last Edith Tudor Hart emerges from the shadows to take her rightful place in the history of espionage. Daria Santini combines the latest revelations from MI5 files with unique access to photo archives.”—Stewart Purvis, co-author of Guy Burgess: The Spy Who Knew Everyone  “Beautifully researched and written…Edith Tudor Hart’s life has been obscured behind her role as ‘the grandmother’ of the Cambridge Five, but she was so much more than that. Santini reveals a compassionate, creative woman, whose life was shaped by the seismic political and social changes in Europe.”—Helen Fry, author of Women in Intelligence 

Author Information

Daria Santini is an independent scholar and writer. She was lecturer in German language and literature at the University of Oxford for fifteen years and is the author of The Exiles: Actors, Artists and Writers Who Fled the Nazis for London.

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