(original recording made in 1999)
In 1999 Joseph Kanon made his second appearance on the program to
introduce his second novel, "The Prodigal Spy." During WWII, the Soviet
Union had formed an alliance with the United States after the USSR's
ill-fated alliance with Nazi Germany collapsed.
The Soviet Red Army had swept through German occupied territories and were the first to make it to Berlin. After the German surrender much of that territory became locked down under Soviet (communist) control under what became known as the Iron Curtain.
Our former ally had become our enemy-the nuclear arms race was underway.
Places like Berlin and Prague were crawling with spies. Kanon sets this
novel during this period when some members of Congress like Joseph
McCarthy and Richard Nixon were determined to unmask communist spies.
During the 1950s the term communist became a slur in the United States.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union that pejorative term seemed to
fade away. Then recently, during the last few months, here it is again;
some American politicians are calling their opponents
communists again.
The Book Nook airs Saturdays at 7 a.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on WYSO 91.3 FM and streams at WYSO.org or wherever you get your podcasts.The Book Nook on WYSO is presented by the Greene County Public Library with additional support from Washington-Centerville Public Library, Clark County Public Library, Dayton Metro Library, Wright Memorial Public Library, and Tipp City Public Library.
