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Anthony Blunt: His Lives
The first full biography of the notorious spy — and an X-ray of the British ruling class that produced him.
Once an untouchable member of England's establishment—a world-famous art historian and a man knighted by the Queen of England—in a single stroke Anthony Blunt became an object of universal hatred when, in 1979, Margaret Thatcher exposed him as a Soviet spy.
In Anthony His Lives , Miranda Carter shows how one man lived out opposing trends of his century—first as a rebel against his class, then as its epitome—and yet embodied a deeper paradox. In the 1920s, Blunt was a member of the Bloomsbury circle; in the 1930s he was a left-wing intellectual; in the 50s and 60s he became a camouflaged member of the Establishment. Until his treachery was made public, Blunt was a world-famous art historian, recognized for his ground-breaking work on Poussin, Italian art, and old master drawings; at the Courtauld Institute he trained a whole generation of academics and curators. And yet even as he ascended from rebellion into outward conformity, he was a homosexual when homosexuality was a crime, and a traitor when the penalty was death.
How could one man contain so many contradictions? The layers of secrecy upon which Blunt's life depended are here stripped away for the first time, using testimony from those who knew Blunt well but have until now kept silent and documents from sealed Russian archives, including a secret autobiography Blunt wrote for his controllers. Miranda Carter's Anthony Blunt is the first full biography of the mythical Cold War warrior, and is at once an astonishing history of one the century's greatest deceits and a deeply nuanced account of fifty years in the British power elite, as experienced by one deep inside who wished to bring it down.
Once an untouchable member of England's establishment—a world-famous art historian and a man knighted by the Queen of England—in a single stroke Anthony Blunt became an object of universal hatred when, in 1979, Margaret Thatcher exposed him as a Soviet spy.
In Anthony His Lives , Miranda Carter shows how one man lived out opposing trends of his century—first as a rebel against his class, then as its epitome—and yet embodied a deeper paradox. In the 1920s, Blunt was a member of the Bloomsbury circle; in the 1930s he was a left-wing intellectual; in the 50s and 60s he became a camouflaged member of the Establishment. Until his treachery was made public, Blunt was a world-famous art historian, recognized for his ground-breaking work on Poussin, Italian art, and old master drawings; at the Courtauld Institute he trained a whole generation of academics and curators. And yet even as he ascended from rebellion into outward conformity, he was a homosexual when homosexuality was a crime, and a traitor when the penalty was death.
How could one man contain so many contradictions? The layers of secrecy upon which Blunt's life depended are here stripped away for the first time, using testimony from those who knew Blunt well but have until now kept silent and documents from sealed Russian archives, including a secret autobiography Blunt wrote for his controllers. Miranda Carter's Anthony Blunt is the first full biography of the mythical Cold War warrior, and is at once an astonishing history of one the century's greatest deceits and a deeply nuanced account of fifty years in the British power elite, as experienced by one deep inside who wished to bring it down.
592 pages, Hardcover
First published November 9, 2001
31 people are currently reading
567 people want to read
About the author
Miranda Carter
12 books43 followersBiographer/historian/thriller writer. Also goes under M.J. Carter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
December 25, 2015
There were many facets to the glittering career of Anthony Blunt; art historian, director of Courtauld, international art expert, spy, Surveyor of the Queens Pictures and establishment figure. But what he is best remembered for is his betrayal; for he was a traitor.
In this book, Carter has written a forensic dissection of his life, from the privileged education at Marlborough and Cambridge, his early career in the art world, courtier to the royal family and war work in the intelligence services and post war activities where he built his reputation as an academic in the art world. In his early days he held very Marxist views and these were reflected in his articles and writing. A contemporary of Burgess, Maclean and Philby he was one of those recruited whilst at Cambridge by the Soviets. He passed a number of secrets to them during and after the war, nothing to the level of Philby, but crucial information nonetheless. Rather than this being just a principled ideology, he accepted a number of payments from them. After leaving MI5 he was passed papers from Burgess to courier to them.
Burgess and Maclean defected and slowly the net closed in. Philby was sacked from MI6 and the investigations were started on those that knew or were associated with these spies. Blunt was one of those suspected, but there was no evidence initially, but slowly through the smoke and mirrors came the evidence that they needed. The spies extracted a confession from Blunt, and quietly brushed the scandal under the carpet, with the intention of releasing the story after he had died. In 1979 though his treachery was revealed in Parliament by Thatcher. All his honours and knighthoods were stripped and he was hounded by the press.
This was a fascinating book to read in lots of ways. The amount of detail in here is immense too, even covering his visits to post war Germany to recover letters and artworks for the King. Carter has covered with almost clinical precision probably everything that you could ever want to know about Blunt; the others from the Cambridge ring play second fiddle in the book to Blunt as well, making the focus mostly on him. Blunt could have so easily not been a spy, if the right opportunity had presented itself at the time, but his Marxist sympathies and Cambridge contacts meant that he became one. It was not done out of principle either, he was paid for some of the material that he supplied showing that he was committed to these actions. The spy agencies at the time never thought that people from the establishment would ever betray their country. How wrong they were.
And having been betrayed, the establishment then sought to protect their own.
In this book, Carter has written a forensic dissection of his life, from the privileged education at Marlborough and Cambridge, his early career in the art world, courtier to the royal family and war work in the intelligence services and post war activities where he built his reputation as an academic in the art world. In his early days he held very Marxist views and these were reflected in his articles and writing. A contemporary of Burgess, Maclean and Philby he was one of those recruited whilst at Cambridge by the Soviets. He passed a number of secrets to them during and after the war, nothing to the level of Philby, but crucial information nonetheless. Rather than this being just a principled ideology, he accepted a number of payments from them. After leaving MI5 he was passed papers from Burgess to courier to them.
Burgess and Maclean defected and slowly the net closed in. Philby was sacked from MI6 and the investigations were started on those that knew or were associated with these spies. Blunt was one of those suspected, but there was no evidence initially, but slowly through the smoke and mirrors came the evidence that they needed. The spies extracted a confession from Blunt, and quietly brushed the scandal under the carpet, with the intention of releasing the story after he had died. In 1979 though his treachery was revealed in Parliament by Thatcher. All his honours and knighthoods were stripped and he was hounded by the press.
This was a fascinating book to read in lots of ways. The amount of detail in here is immense too, even covering his visits to post war Germany to recover letters and artworks for the King. Carter has covered with almost clinical precision probably everything that you could ever want to know about Blunt; the others from the Cambridge ring play second fiddle in the book to Blunt as well, making the focus mostly on him. Blunt could have so easily not been a spy, if the right opportunity had presented itself at the time, but his Marxist sympathies and Cambridge contacts meant that he became one. It was not done out of principle either, he was paid for some of the material that he supplied showing that he was committed to these actions. The spy agencies at the time never thought that people from the establishment would ever betray their country. How wrong they were.
And having been betrayed, the establishment then sought to protect their own.
January 16, 2025
An engrossing account of an enigmatic character.
Overall, really solid scholarship and a fine job of digging out hard-to-pin-down facts and impressions. Interviews and primary sources bolster what otherwise could be a secondary-source review, as dealing with facts stuck away in secret archives is always a challenge. (One wonders if perhaps more has been opened up in Russia and the UK in the years since the publication of this book.)
Beyond the scholarship, the writing is bright and clear. The author has a viewpoint without being dogmatic. While the book's focus is on Blunt, there's much to learn about British social fabric of the 1920s and 1930s and life in general between WW I and WW II (of a certain class of folks, that is). One can appreciate the Depression-era appeal of the apparent rapid advances in the economy of the USSR -- too bad it was mostly a brutal lie!
The later stages of the book focusing on Blunt's art-history work also were quite interesting to me, although I could understand if one coming to the book looking just for the "spy story" would not find it as compelling. However, the author is very clear in her introductory material that she is writing much more than a "spy story."
NOTE: See the Goodreads review by some other "DAVID" for many great quotes pulled from this book.
Overall, really solid scholarship and a fine job of digging out hard-to-pin-down facts and impressions. Interviews and primary sources bolster what otherwise could be a secondary-source review, as dealing with facts stuck away in secret archives is always a challenge. (One wonders if perhaps more has been opened up in Russia and the UK in the years since the publication of this book.)
Beyond the scholarship, the writing is bright and clear. The author has a viewpoint without being dogmatic. While the book's focus is on Blunt, there's much to learn about British social fabric of the 1920s and 1930s and life in general between WW I and WW II (of a certain class of folks, that is). One can appreciate the Depression-era appeal of the apparent rapid advances in the economy of the USSR -- too bad it was mostly a brutal lie!
The later stages of the book focusing on Blunt's art-history work also were quite interesting to me, although I could understand if one coming to the book looking just for the "spy story" would not find it as compelling. However, the author is very clear in her introductory material that she is writing much more than a "spy story."
NOTE: See the Goodreads review by some other "DAVID" for many great quotes pulled from this book.
April 16, 2018
This is the second time I have read this book about a man who is from top to bottom a total puzzle; perhaps two men in one body, one wonders how a perfect English gentleman (and keeper of the Queens pictures) could ever have been so crazy as to sell secrets to the Russians, even if he had been influenced by communist ideology at Cambridge in the 30s. The author, Miranda Carter, has done such a thorough job on his life and the times, one wonders if anything could ever be added. Scholarship of the highest order.
October 13, 2009
"Anglican parishes abroad are often disconcertingly large: when the Bishop of Gibraltar described the extent of his diocese to Pope Pius VI, His Holiness observed, 'Then I’m a parishioner.'"
Public school sex education in the 1920s:
"You might find some white matter exuding from your private parts. Don’t worry about it. It’s only a sort of disease like measles."
Blunt review:
"Mr Wilneski has clearly attempted the impossible. But he need not have failed so grossly."
Burgess on Blunt:
"The trouble with you, Anthony, is that you want to have your cake and eat it and give the impression that you're feeding it to the poor."
Blunt's secret mission to Germany:
"The Duke of Brunswick would open a drawer and sigh, 'Oh no, not another golden fleece…'"
Blunt on women:
"Women had very little influence on art. And the influence that they did have was perfectly wretched."
A poor old chap:
"...and Hugh Benham, an old Harrovian from a rich East Anglian family who had a disfiguring skin disease and spent much of his time in his pyjamas. (Benham eventually died in Tangier, apparently so drunk he fell out of a hotel bedroom.)"
"Those (guardsmen) who liked to make themselves 'available' were to be found in certain pubs around Buckingham Palace and the West End, including the Bag o' Nails near the Wellington Barracks."
NB: We used to go to the Bag o' Nails after work! It was full of civil servants in those days.
Blunt on holiday 1:
"He had driven the battered old Railton, given to him by Burgess's old boyfriend Peter Pollock, to Rome with the handbrake on. He had been so exasperated by its overheating that he abandoned it on the via del Corso"
Blunt on holiday 2:
"Within a few hours of their meeting, Blunt asked King, who was himself homosexual, about 'queer' life in Athens. Was it easy to find sex? What was the going rate? His specification was 'big, butch, good teeth'. Rather embarrassingly – 'I was surprised by his lack of discretion' – King found him a young man, discovering in the process that picking up a young man in Athens was 'far easier than finding a taxi'. Afterwards Blunt seemed happy and relaxed. 'Oh, I am grateful to you. That was just what I needed. I feel much, much better now.' That night King was woken by Blunt screaming. He had had a nightmare."
Public school sex education in the 1920s:
"You might find some white matter exuding from your private parts. Don’t worry about it. It’s only a sort of disease like measles."
Blunt review:
"Mr Wilneski has clearly attempted the impossible. But he need not have failed so grossly."
Burgess on Blunt:
"The trouble with you, Anthony, is that you want to have your cake and eat it and give the impression that you're feeding it to the poor."
Blunt's secret mission to Germany:
"The Duke of Brunswick would open a drawer and sigh, 'Oh no, not another golden fleece…'"
Blunt on women:
"Women had very little influence on art. And the influence that they did have was perfectly wretched."
A poor old chap:
"...and Hugh Benham, an old Harrovian from a rich East Anglian family who had a disfiguring skin disease and spent much of his time in his pyjamas. (Benham eventually died in Tangier, apparently so drunk he fell out of a hotel bedroom.)"
"Those (guardsmen) who liked to make themselves 'available' were to be found in certain pubs around Buckingham Palace and the West End, including the Bag o' Nails near the Wellington Barracks."
NB: We used to go to the Bag o' Nails after work! It was full of civil servants in those days.
Blunt on holiday 1:
"He had driven the battered old Railton, given to him by Burgess's old boyfriend Peter Pollock, to Rome with the handbrake on. He had been so exasperated by its overheating that he abandoned it on the via del Corso"
Blunt on holiday 2:
"Within a few hours of their meeting, Blunt asked King, who was himself homosexual, about 'queer' life in Athens. Was it easy to find sex? What was the going rate? His specification was 'big, butch, good teeth'. Rather embarrassingly – 'I was surprised by his lack of discretion' – King found him a young man, discovering in the process that picking up a young man in Athens was 'far easier than finding a taxi'. Afterwards Blunt seemed happy and relaxed. 'Oh, I am grateful to you. That was just what I needed. I feel much, much better now.' That night King was woken by Blunt screaming. He had had a nightmare."
April 6, 2013
Just add one more voice to the praise for this very well researched book. I knew nothing really about this man other than he was some sort of spy for the Russians. Having read the book - and it is the best part of 500 pages - I feel I not only know the man (in as much as he could ever allow himself to be known) but I also know about the culture and background which inspired men like him to pass information to the Russians during the war and feel that they were in fact contributing to the fall of Fascism.
The Art World itself was also a closed book to me but is a lot more understandable now. Although the book is very well researched and annotated you do feel that there are still wide areas left untouched or glossed over but I presume this is because of Official Secrets or the unwillingness of so many people not to become involved or speak out. Blunt himself was notoriously compartmentalised and kept one side of him hidden from the other so that even those close to him had no idea he had other sides to his character. A definitive book no doubt and would form the basis for any further research on the man and his work as more information becomes available from the archives. It is also rare that such scholarship and fluid writing blend in the one book.
The Art World itself was also a closed book to me but is a lot more understandable now. Although the book is very well researched and annotated you do feel that there are still wide areas left untouched or glossed over but I presume this is because of Official Secrets or the unwillingness of so many people not to become involved or speak out. Blunt himself was notoriously compartmentalised and kept one side of him hidden from the other so that even those close to him had no idea he had other sides to his character. A definitive book no doubt and would form the basis for any further research on the man and his work as more information becomes available from the archives. It is also rare that such scholarship and fluid writing blend in the one book.
April 13, 2025
Quite simply one of the best biographies I've ever read. Initially I intended to skim-read part of this ignoring the bits that I did not expect to be of interest only to find myself devouring the whole thing. Balanced, impeccably well researched, and written in an accessible style, this is the extraordinary story of a man at the top of the British establishment who was found to have spied for the Russians during World War 2 and yet went on to become Surveyor of the Queen's pictures.
Carter gives context to the events of that time and brings the principal characters vividly to life. Blunt saw himself as something of a rebel and it was his misfortune to come under the spell of Guy Burgess at Cambridge. With the rise of Fascism across Europe it is at least understandable that its opposite, Communism, should hold some appeal for liberal aesthetes all the more so once Russia became our ally.
Blunt's "lives" were neatly compartmentalised, with little overlap between the world of art, and the underworld (at that time) of homosexuality. He is revealed to have been a man of many facets often tellingly only displaying a freer, more playful character when abroad.
For someone who was clearly an enigma to many, Carter creates a very vivid picture of a man whose name still arouses strong feelings to this day.
Carter gives context to the events of that time and brings the principal characters vividly to life. Blunt saw himself as something of a rebel and it was his misfortune to come under the spell of Guy Burgess at Cambridge. With the rise of Fascism across Europe it is at least understandable that its opposite, Communism, should hold some appeal for liberal aesthetes all the more so once Russia became our ally.
Blunt's "lives" were neatly compartmentalised, with little overlap between the world of art, and the underworld (at that time) of homosexuality. He is revealed to have been a man of many facets often tellingly only displaying a freer, more playful character when abroad.
For someone who was clearly an enigma to many, Carter creates a very vivid picture of a man whose name still arouses strong feelings to this day.
November 2, 2012
A fair-minded, interesting assessment of a great art historian with a well-hidden personal history.
August 1, 2020
Anthony Blunt: His Lives, authored by: Miranda Carter.
This biography of Anthony Blunt helped me to understand once and for all the pressing question I've had in my mind "Did Blunt betray Britain of his own accord? or was he coerced by his lover Guy Burgess?". The answer turned out to be that Blunt betrayed of his own accord. He was in fact the chief organizer of the "Cambridge Five" spy ring.
Blunt's decision to betray Britain is still a perplexing one. The most explanation that is provided is that he was a fond supporter of communism during Britain's difficult economic time.
Blunt had it all though. His mother had connections with the Queen. Blunt was a savvy academic and he became known as a brilliant art historian and critic. He was knighted by the Queen. Upon his discovery of him being a mole for the KGB, he was stripped of his knighthood.
This biography of Anthony Blunt helped me to understand once and for all the pressing question I've had in my mind "Did Blunt betray Britain of his own accord? or was he coerced by his lover Guy Burgess?". The answer turned out to be that Blunt betrayed of his own accord. He was in fact the chief organizer of the "Cambridge Five" spy ring.
Blunt's decision to betray Britain is still a perplexing one. The most explanation that is provided is that he was a fond supporter of communism during Britain's difficult economic time.
Blunt had it all though. His mother had connections with the Queen. Blunt was a savvy academic and he became known as a brilliant art historian and critic. He was knighted by the Queen. Upon his discovery of him being a mole for the KGB, he was stripped of his knighthood.
January 17, 2023
One of my great-grandmothers was one of Anthony Blunt's maternal aunts . My family thought of him as a shy but charming man who had deep knowledge of old masters & never knew about his politics or his secret activities , esp in MI5 . The revelation in 1979 of his espionage was shocking .
I gather from the late Monsignor Alfred Gilbey
that he was an open Communist at Cambridge ,
keeping company of the CambridgevApostles' Club ,
but that the University authorities were more concerned about Fascism including the Fascism promoted by Blunt's 3rd cousin Sir Oswald Mosley Bt . Miranda Carter mentions that they were related to the late Queen Mother .
The book mentions my gt-gt-grandparents
& their residence at Petersham , setting a context f Blunt's parents . Miranda Carter mentions that Blunt's mother shared a governess with the late Queen Mary .
I gather from the late Monsignor Alfred Gilbey
that he was an open Communist at Cambridge ,
keeping company of the CambridgevApostles' Club ,
but that the University authorities were more concerned about Fascism including the Fascism promoted by Blunt's 3rd cousin Sir Oswald Mosley Bt . Miranda Carter mentions that they were related to the late Queen Mother .
The book mentions my gt-gt-grandparents
& their residence at Petersham , setting a context f Blunt's parents . Miranda Carter mentions that Blunt's mother shared a governess with the late Queen Mary .
July 25, 2020
Very interesting life story of a controversial man. I felt sorry for Anthony Blunt when he was exposed. Whatever he had done wrong he regretted. He was also a minor figure in the Cambridge spy ring compared to the other three, Burgess, Philby and Maclean. He was active in World War II when the USSR was an allied nation, not the Cold War when it become the enemy. When he was berated by the Prime minister and the press it had been over thirty years since he was a Soviet agent. The story is a textbook example of how heartless and cruel the mainstream media can be. How many people just believe it unquestioningly and join what is effectively a lynch mob. Many people have done far worse than Blunt and the press leaves them in peace, or even celebrates them! Look at Jimmy Savile.
March 15, 2024
A tedious read. Blunts comes out of it as an ordinary person with good social skills. It is the time that he is in and the people around him that make for a potentially interesting read. This book fails to be that.
Lots of research. Not much analysis and structuring. Lots of speculation. Has more detail around his homosexuality than his actual spying activities. Obsessing on the theme to the point of characterising more than one person as a non-practising homosexual.
Towards the end I could only manage half a dozen pages at a time.
Lots of research. Not much analysis and structuring. Lots of speculation. Has more detail around his homosexuality than his actual spying activities. Obsessing on the theme to the point of characterising more than one person as a non-practising homosexual.
Towards the end I could only manage half a dozen pages at a time.
February 10, 2020
This was a reread for me -- I originally read it when it was first released, and then felt an urge to reread after the Blunt episode of the new season of The Crown (which totally screwed up the timeline, but that is a side issue). This is a great biography and again left me with a lot of sympathy for Blunt. He remains a bit of an enigma, though -- what motivated him? Who was he, really? Did he even know himself?
September 17, 2021
An interweaving of lives, brilliantly told.
What a cast of characters, what shambles, what erudition! Miranda Carter brings these elements together conveying the complexities of a generation where sexual orientation and political beliefs could divide men and women so divisively. The man at the heart of this long story embodies so much the conflicts of the 20th century. I recommend this account wholeheartedly.
What a cast of characters, what shambles, what erudition! Miranda Carter brings these elements together conveying the complexities of a generation where sexual orientation and political beliefs could divide men and women so divisively. The man at the heart of this long story embodies so much the conflicts of the 20th century. I recommend this account wholeheartedly.
January 25, 2019
Really, really good book about Anthony Blunt Englishman who was spy for the Russians, a homosexual at the time when that was a crime, a world-famous art historian and knighted by Queen Elizabeth.
This book was incredibly well researched and at 500 pages, a wee bit of a slog but a brilliant picture of such a complex and inexplicable man.
This book was incredibly well researched and at 500 pages, a wee bit of a slog but a brilliant picture of such a complex and inexplicable man.
July 24, 2024
A heavy read in weight and length of the book.my first foray into the cambridge spy group.it seemed to me the author was willing to blame anybody bar her subject Mr blunt.for every turn there was an excuse for what he did,maybe so but he should have had the code name teflon as nothing stuck.hard going with a few glimpses of what might have been.
September 16, 2017
The true story of Anthony Blunt, Oxford-educated English spy, famous art historian, prolific author, keeper of the Queen's paintings, director of London's Courtauld Institute and homosexual. Fascinating.
December 11, 2019
I really wanted to learn more about Anthony Blunt after learning about him on The Crown, however this book went into too many details for my liking. If I could get a 200 page summary of this book I would give it another chance. Just not to my liking
October 21, 2020
I've read quite a few biographies of the Cambridge Spy ring over the years. This is the first to put the man before the spy. The story of Blunt's career as an influential critic, writer and teacher is as important as that of the traitor.
July 4, 2018
I really wanted to like this book but it felt a little tough to get through.
August 3, 2019
Grandísimo ensayo muy bien documentado pero su faceta de espía, si bien lo trata a pinceladas a lo largo de todo el libro, no es como para subtitularlo como un libro de espías.
January 19, 2024
Well researched, thorough and objective - an excellent biography of an intriguing figure.
October 4, 2025
I liked this. Miranda is a decent writer and researcher in my opinion. Anthony Blunt was a monster.
February 2, 2013
Quite a few books have been written about the Cambridge spies, and there are other books about Anthony Blunt. All that I have read focus on espionage and tend to the polemical. Carter's treatment of Blunt it different. Painstakingly researched, this book delves into much more than Blunt's treason, discussing in depth his academic career, personal relationships, and much more. What results is a detailed portrait of a very enigmatic man; still not a particularly flattering portrait, in my opinion. Along the way, the reader meets quite an assortment of the odd people who made up much of England's academic and intelligence communities in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Carter's occasional comments on trying to sort through the various accounts of events offered up by these people is illuminating: apparently it is quite difficult to ascertain facts from the mish-mash of ego-driven screeds, gin- and whiskey-besotted commentaries, and government disinformation that make up so much of the literature about this period. Carter does an admirable job of parsing the data into an interesting biography. Many readers may find the length and detail of this book overwhelming. Those interested in Cold War espionage and the larger context within which it existed will find it worth the effort.
December 1, 2008
Most people may well be able to associate with multiple lives rather than one life when considering an autobiography, or when someone chooses to write a biography of them, but it is doubtful that many such lives will be quite so diverse as those of Sir Anthony Blunt.
Miranda Carter captures them all perfectly from Cambridge student, through not-so-good military man, to MI5 representative, to spy for the Russians, to art historian, to art expert, to curator of the Queen's pictures, to Knighthood. How did Sir Anthony do it? He must have been a marvel to comparmentalise the treachery with his honest working life. He is quoted as saying that it was due to plenty of "whisky" and "work, work, work".
He was much disliked by some, much loved by others and many of those in the latter category stuck with him once he had been revealed as a spy, which in itself, arguably, took too long considering that he was suspected and interviewed some 20 years or more before he was outed.
A warts and all bigraphy, not surprisingly, that gets better as it progresses. Worth a read for those with a spying bent and also for those Poussain aficiandos!
Miranda Carter captures them all perfectly from Cambridge student, through not-so-good military man, to MI5 representative, to spy for the Russians, to art historian, to art expert, to curator of the Queen's pictures, to Knighthood. How did Sir Anthony do it? He must have been a marvel to comparmentalise the treachery with his honest working life. He is quoted as saying that it was due to plenty of "whisky" and "work, work, work".
He was much disliked by some, much loved by others and many of those in the latter category stuck with him once he had been revealed as a spy, which in itself, arguably, took too long considering that he was suspected and interviewed some 20 years or more before he was outed.
A warts and all bigraphy, not surprisingly, that gets better as it progresses. Worth a read for those with a spying bent and also for those Poussain aficiandos!
April 30, 2010
Having just read The Untouchable by John Banvile, a roman a clef, in which the book's central character is based on the art historian and notorious spy, Anthony Blunt, I had to know more about the latter. And so I went to Miranda Carter's award winning biography.
It is a longish book and I am dipping into different chapters rather than starting at the beginning. So far it is proving very absorbing and informative.
It is a longish book and I am dipping into different chapters rather than starting at the beginning. So far it is proving very absorbing and informative.
May 25, 2010
I used to read a lot of spy non-fiction, but decades ago. Picked this up on a whim. It's very well-researched and reasonably well-written. Quite an enjoyable and informative read, although I must admit that I find Blunt and his whole milieu more than a little distasteful (I've read little about the whole Bloomsbury circus).
March 21, 2016
Biography
March 9, 2016
A well written and researched book on a man well documented.
March 25, 2016
Fascinating story about an art historian I own books by, and studied. He directed the Queens Gallery among many prestigious jobs, only to have been uncovered as one of the Cambridge Five.
January 5, 2013
One of the best and most surprising biographies I ever read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews