What makes a Londoner, a Londoner? Is it exclusively by birth? Does one achieve the status after residing there a certain number of years? After working there for a period of time? After studying there or completing a course of study?
It is hard to define; it is an identity, and it’s problematic to dictate parameters of identity to anyone else, or to assign an identity to another person. The issue of identity becomes especially murky when one takes a peak into the world of espionage and treachery.
In this episode, the first of a three-part arc focusing on espionage and intrigue, we will meet Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB Colonel turned British spy. We’ll learn about what motivated him to turn against the country of his birth, and explore the events that inspired the unique trajectory of his life.
We’ll view Gordievsky:
· as a young university student witnessing the rise of the Berlin Wall,
· as a conflicted young adult appalled by the atrocities of the government of his homeland and of his employer, the KGB,
· as a lover and advocate of fine culture,
· as a KGB officer abroad exploring the capitalistic fruits of the West in Copenhagen,
· as a unique man who becomes a double agent for purely ideological reasons.
How did a man born thousands of miles outside of the city become a true Londoner before ever breathing British air? Let’s dig more deeply into the intense and inspiring life of Oleg Gordievsky together.
Additional notes, links, and photos can be found in our show notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-IQca3oK0XUOfMl8OXy3e5jTVLbWLXZLbqKn7C29PJI/edit
Do you like what you hear? Please help us find our audience by spreading some good cheer and rating us 5 stars and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts!
Our website https://yltpodcast.buzzsprout.com/
Follow us on:
Twitter @YLT_Pod
Facebook @Yesterday’s London Times Podcast
Instagram @Yesterday’s London Times Podcast