“The book presses ever forward down a path of historical marvels and astonishing facts. The effect is like a master class that’s accessible to anyone; and Agent Garbo often reads as though it were written in a single; perfect draft.â€â€”The AtlanticBefore he remade himself as the master spy known as Garbo; Juan Pujol was nothing more than a Barcelona poultry farmer. But as Garbo; he turned in a masterpiece of deception that changed the course of World War II. Posing as the Nazis’ only reliable spy inside England; he created an imaginary million-man army; invented armadas out of thin air; and brought a vast network of fictional subagents to life. The scheme culminated on June 6; 1944; when Garbo convinced the Germans that the Allied forces approaching Normandy were just a feint—the real invasion would come at Calais. Because of his brilliant trickery; the Allies were able to land with much less opposition and eventually push on to Berlin.As incredible as it sounds; everything in Agent Garbo is true; based on years of archival research and interviews with Pujol’s family. This pulse-pounding thriller set in the shadow world of espionage and deception reveals the shocking reality of spycraft that occurs just below the surface of history.“Stephan Talty’s unsurpassed research brings forth one of the war’s greatest agents in a must-read book for those who think they know all the great World War II stories.†—Gregory Freeman; author of The Forgotten 500
#3487546 in Books Cambridge University Press 2006-04-24Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.98 x .98 x 5.98l; 3.15 #File Name: 0521831628360 pages
Review
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Seamless art and lifeBy S. Smith-PeterThis well-written; interesting; and beautifully designed book deals with the career of Natal'ia Goncharova; one of the main modernist artists in Russia. Jane Ashton Sharp provides an impressive overview of the scholarship on Goncharova and puts forth her own interpretation of the artist's work as providing a new way forward for Russian art via a synthesis of East and West.As Sharp notes; "Goncharova managed her identity by recognizing and activating existing stereotypes; including that of Russia as Orient and the decorative as feminine." This "strategy for reclaiming agency" (p. 4) runs through Goncharova's work; according to Sharp. Like Dostoevsky; Goncharova was Asia in Europe and European in Asia. By bringing together these various influences; a new synthesis was to emerge that would provide Russia with artistic leadership of Europe.I was impressed by how Sharp places Goncharova into a really wide-ranging cultural context; bringing in much history and historiography; rather than in a narrow art history exploration of artistic influences. The chapter "Orientalisms" could be read with profit by those interested in Russian imperialism more broadly.Gonchareva also drew upon regional artistic traditions to create her modernist art. (pp. 171; 199) This connects with the work by M. Umbach in _Vernacular Modernism_; which traces links between regional forms and modernism.Sharp emphasizes the cyclical nature of Goncharova's work; which brings into question the idea of stages of development of an artists' work. Goncharova saw her work as parallel with the seasons; which for her meant winters in Moscow and summers at her country estate. The cycles of nature were a powerful influence on Goncharova's thinking and art.Goncharova valorized the copy and felt that the object did not have a unique aura. Sharp writes of Goncharova's "insistence on the significance of the copy; and rejection of the fetish of originality." (p. 265) This is interesting; although it's a bit disturbing. Recently I read _Treasures into Tractors_ which traces how the Soviets sold off a great deal of their cultural heritage during the 1930s. They were also very influenced by the same idea. It seems; then; that the Soviet idea of object fetishism; or that the object isn't unique; came from intelligentsia sources.Gonchareva wrote; "Eclecticism? I don't understand it. Eclecticism is a patchwork quilt; all seams. When the seam disappears -- it's mine." (p. 221)In addition to having illustrations of what seems to be all of Goncharova's work; extant and not extant; the book also includes appendices with Goncharova's own artistic statements.This is an interesting and beautiful book those interested in artists; women artists; and Russian artists should take a look at.2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Robert Motherwell AwardBy Anne D. SharpJane Ashton Sharp won the 2007 Robert Motherwell Book Award; given yearly by the Dedalus Foundation for her book Russian Modernism between East and West: Natal'ia Goncharova and the Moscow Avant-Garde. The award recognizes outstanding publications in the history and criticism of modernism in the arts; and comes with a cash prize.3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Excellent study on post-modern russian artBy P. H. van Raalten"Russian Modernism between East and West" gives a complete and description of the influence of Natal'ia Goncharova on her Moscovite colleagues. Best book on this subject!
