Product Description

Olga Chekhova was a stunning Russian beauty and a famous Nazi-era film actress who Hitler counted among his friends; she was also the niece of Anton Chekhov. After fleeing Bolshevik Moscow for Berlin in 1920, she was recruited by her composer brother Lev, to work for Soviet intelligence. In return, her family were allowed to join her. The extraordinary story of how the whole family survived the Russian Revolution, the civil war, the rise of Hitler, the Stalinist Terror, and the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union becomes, in Antony Beevor's hands, a breathtaking tale of compromise and survival in a merciless age.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #79029 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Evening Standard
‘A fascinating spy story, a delicious entertainment, a compelling investigation’

Guardian
‘Compelling … as engaging a read as Stalingrad and Berlin’

Independent
‘An extraordinary drama of exile and espionage’

Customer Reviews

A mystery that hasn't been solved
I'm sure there was a mystery behind Olga's success in staying in Germany during the war, despite being a Russian (albeit of German extraction). And somehow her family survived at a time when even to surrender to the Germans was tantamount to a death sentence.
But the author didn't really come up with any answers as to why they all survived. He hints there may have been things going on under the surface, but can't shed any light on them. I finished the book thinking that it had more been a log of their lives rather than any explanation. A little frustrating!

Well Done Exploration of a Little Known Life
Anthony Beevor's "Mystery of Olga Chekhova" is a fascinating book. Beevor has taken a little known episode in Soviet (and German) history and managed to create a book that reads more like a novel. As I read "Olga" I was constantly reminded of the noir-like novels of Alan Furst, whose tales of Soviet espionage and counter-espionage center on tales of similar acts of espionage taken on by Russian and other East European émigrés in the 1930's and 1940's.

"Olga" is about the life of one "Olga Chekhova and her family. A niece, by marriage, of the great Anton Chekhov, Olga left the Soviet Union under mysterious circumstances to pursue an acting career in Berlin. Olga's family, mostly actors and musicians stayed behind. Olga went on to become a famous film star in Germany and was highly regarded by Hitler, Goering, Goebels, and the rest of the Nazi leadership. She married a Luftwaffe pilot (later killed in action) and performed for the troops during the war. In the meantime, her family continued to thrive in the USSR. This alone was a remarkable and mysterious achievement when one considers the fact that the families of so-called enemies of the state generally suffered far worse. The question addressed by Beevor is simple: Was Olga a Soviet spy and, if so, what did she do and how did she do it?

Beevor traces Olga's life and her relationship with the Chekhov family. His descriptions of Russian and Soviet Theater, particularly his overview of the family's relationship with Stanislavski and the Bohemian and lurid life-style common to the period are particularly interesting. Given the nature of the book and novel-like story line I think it would be inappropriate to reveal much in the way of details. Unlike Beevor's other works, such as Stalingrad, the events and final outcome of the story are not well known and it would be unfair to spoil the story. Needless to say, the story of Olga Chekhova is fascinating.

Last, this book is something of a departure for Beevor. Previously, he has focused on grand events, Stalingrad, the Fall of Berlin, and the Spanish Civil War. Here he covers less familiar and far more intimate ground. Despite the fact that Beevor cannot answer all the questions he raises in "Olga" he carries off this micro-history with aplomb. His writing style is not overly academic and the book is accessible to any reader. Further, Beevor sets out sufficient general background information such that the reader does not need to have a background in Russian or German history in order to make the book enjoyable.

Beevor has done an excellent job and I think "Olga" is well worth reading.

Who cares?
The author is trying to make something out of nothing. There is no clear evidence about anything, just a sorry excuse to write a book. I finished the book and wondered why I had spent time reading it.