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Chocolate and Chess is a Holocaust story with a twist that shocked even Elie Wiesel, a Cold War story, with spy vs. spy intrigue, an intellectual story and, alas, also very much a human story. It reads like a thriller, but it is the true tale of Imre Lakatos, the brilliant philosopher of the London School of Economics, who was a mystery to colleagues, friends and lovers - and to Britain's MI5. Surviving the Holocaust, he wanted to start anew and devoted his energies to building the Hungarian Communist Party. Surviving torture and incarceration by his comrades, he left for England for another fresh start. But the secret services of countries on both sides of the Cold War divide remained interested in him and England denied him citizenship despite the backing of esteemed colleagues like Karl Popper. Based on previously classified Western counterintelligence and Hungarian secret police archives, this book endeavors to fill gaps in the knowledge of both cognoscenti and counterspies.
Chocolate and Chess. Unlocking Lakatos Reviews
Chocolate and Chess. Unlocking Lakatos Reviews
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 Extraordinary Whodunnit. Fascinating true story., March 7, 2013 This work discusses the career of Imre Lakatos in Hungary while he was a Communist and his relation to his earlier identify once he went to England and became a right-wing Popperian. The most shocking part, that several Hungarian writers have detailed before, but which has not been accessible in English, is Lakatos' persuading a young woman to commit suicide in order not to give away the identities of her Communist cell in Budapest. The 'Chocolate' in the title is the title of a popular Russian Communist novel that celebrates a similar, fictional situation and that was popular with many Communists, including Lakatos' circle. The 'chess' refers to Margaret Thatcher's claim that in the Cold War the West played monopoly, but the Russians played chess, a surprisingly insightful quip. Lakatos means literally 'locksmith' in Hungarian, so the title reverberates with several of the theme of the book. I unknowingly thought my way in writing my dissertation to something like Lakatos'... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you?   |
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