The Russian Interpreter

Raya is a mercurial Moscow blonde who speaks no English, and the affair she is embarking upon is with Gordon Proctor-Gould, a visiting British businessman who speaks no Russian. So they need an interpreter. Which is how Paul Manning is diverted from writing his thesis at Moscow University to become involved in all the deceptions of love and East-West relations.


Featuring an unusual blend of humor and suspense, Michael Frayn’s The Russian Interpreter (1966) was inspired in part by the author’s own experiences in Communist Russia and won the Hawthornden Prize as the best work of imaginative fiction published that year. This edition includes a new introduction by the author.


“Imaginative and delightful – zany characters who stick in the memory and have a genuine life of their own. Frayn juxtaposes the humorous and the frankly sinister into a satisfying and witty picture.” – Sunday Telegraph


“Altogether a notable book . . . very sane and very funny.” – Times Literary Supplement


“Full of quirky, quixotic surprises.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)