First published 1998
Sam Tanenhaus presents the first complete biography of Whittaker Chambers, the enigmatic figure who moved from Communist agent to conservative icon. The author draws from forty archives across multiple countries, including classified KGB files, and conducts dozens of interviews to reconstruct Chambers's extraordinary life. Tanenhaus follows his subject from a quiet Long Island town through his years as New York's leading literary Communist, his time as a Soviet operative, and his eventual defection while being hunted by the KGB. The biography reveals new details about Chambers's conversion to Quakerism, his private struggles with sexuality, and his transformative decade at Time magazine, where he evolved from book reviewer to influential anti-Communist voice. The narrative culminates in the pivotal 1948 testimony against Alger Hiss that defined both men's legacies and altered American politics. Tanenhaus offers readers a meticulously researched portrait that illuminates both a fascinating individual and the broader currents of twentieth-century American history.
Genres: biography, history, 20th-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: conversion, defection
Setting: Long Island, New York
Period: 20th Century
661 pages · Paperback · Random House Publishing Group