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The nightmare of fascism is something we would all rather forget, yet the horrors of the last war and the men who combated the evils of fascism must never be forgotten. Those heroes whose exploits for various reasons were unknown until recently must also be accorded their rightful place in history.
Yulian Semyonov's new novel Seventeen Moments of Spring brings us the largely documentary story of one of those heroes, Maxim Isaev, alias SS Standartenfuhrer Stirlitz, known as Justas to those in charge of Soviet Intelligence. He has access to top military and political secrets and ejoyed the confidence of Schellenberg, Martin Bormann and Himmler.
The action of the novel is set in 1945, by which time Maxim Isaev has behind him many years' experience of harrowing intelligence work, involving a constant gamble with death. He is almost at the end of his tether, and is planning to leave the fray after successfully completing a mission from Center when he goes back into the enemy's lair once again, ready to face risks greater than ever, knowing that there he can best serve his people...
In answer to countless readers' questions as to whether Maxim Isaev was a fictitious character Semyonov replies: No, this particular Soviet agent combines traits of several heroic men now living, to whom I should like to express my gratitude for their brave, noble and inspiring lives...
316 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1968
29 people are currently reading
879 people want to read
About the author
Yulian Semyonov
84 books32 followersYulian Semyonovich Semyonov (Russian: Юлиа́н Семёнович Семёнов, pen-name of Yulian Semyonovich Lyandres (Russian: Ля́ндрес) was a Soviet and Russian writer of spy fiction and detective fiction, also scriptwriter and poet.
The father of Semyonov was Jewish, the editor of the newspaper “Izvestia”, Semyon Alexandrovich Lyandres. In 1952 he was arrested as "an accomplice of the Bukharin counterrevolutionary conspiracy" and severely beaten during the interrogations; he became partially paralyzed as the result. His mother was Russian, Galina Nikolaevna Nozdrina, a history teacher.
His wife Ekaterina Sergeevna was a step-daughter of Sergey Vladimirovich Mikhalkov (the wedding took place on 12 April 1955). Though their family life was quite complicated, Ekaterina Sergeevna devotedly kept looking after her husband after the stroke which happened to him in 1990.
They had two daughters – Daria and Olga. The elder one, Daria, is an artist, and the younger, Olga Semyonova, is a journalist and a writer, an author of the autobiographical books about her father.
In 1953 Semyonov graduated from Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies, the Middle-East department. Then he taught the Afghan language (Pashto) in Moscow State University and simultaneously studied there in the faculty of history.
After gaining a degree of an interpreter in the University, Semyonov had diplomatic business in East Asia countries, continuing at the same time his scientific studies in Moscow State University (specializing in Persian history and politics).
Since 1955 he started to try his hand in journalism: he was published in key Soviet newspapers and magazines of that time: “Ogoniok”, “Pravda”, “Literaturnaya Gazeta”, “Komsomolskaya Pravda”, “Smena” etc.
In 1960s – 1970s Semyonov worked abroad a lot as a reporter of the said editions (in France, Spain, Germany, Cuba, Japan, the USA, Latin America). His journalist activity was full of adventures, often dangerous ones – at the moment he was in the taiga with tiger hunters, or at the polar station, at the next he was at the Baikal-Amur Mainline construction and diamond pipe opening. He was constantly in the centre of the important politic events of those years – in Afghanistan, Francoist Spain, Chile, Cuba, Paraguay, tracing the Nazi, who sought cover from punishment, and Sicilian mafia leaders; taking part in the combatant operations of the Vietnamese and Laotian partisans.
Semyonov was one of the pioneers of “Investigative journalism” in the Soviet periodicals. Thus, in 1974 in Madrid he managed to interview a Nazi criminal, the favourite of Hitler Otto Skorzeny, who categorically refused to meet any journalist before. Then, being the “Literaturnaya Gazeta” newspaper correspondent in Germany, the writer succeeds in interviewing the reichsminister Albert Speer and one of the SS leaders Karl Wolff.
The conversations with such people, as well as holding the investigation regarding the searches for the Amber Room and other cultural values moved abroad from Russia during World War II were published by Semyonov in his documentary story “Face to Face” in 1983.
In 1986 Semyonov became the President of the International Association of Detective and Political Novel (Russian: МАДПР), which he himself initiated to create, and the editor-in-chief of the collected stories edition “Detective and Politics” (the edition was published by the said Association together with the Press Agency “Novosti” and played an important role in popularization of the detective genre in the USSR.
Semyonov’s participation in searching for the famous Amber Room together with Georges Simenon, James Aldridge, baron von Falz-Fein and other famous members of the International Amber Room Searching Committee achieved wide renown.
Yulian Semyonov and his friends, Andrei Mironov (right) and Lev Durov (Crimea, date unknown)
Semyonov, together with baron Eduard von Falz-Fein, a Russian aristocrat and first wave émig
The father of Semyonov was Jewish, the editor of the newspaper “Izvestia”, Semyon Alexandrovich Lyandres. In 1952 he was arrested as "an accomplice of the Bukharin counterrevolutionary conspiracy" and severely beaten during the interrogations; he became partially paralyzed as the result. His mother was Russian, Galina Nikolaevna Nozdrina, a history teacher.
His wife Ekaterina Sergeevna was a step-daughter of Sergey Vladimirovich Mikhalkov (the wedding took place on 12 April 1955). Though their family life was quite complicated, Ekaterina Sergeevna devotedly kept looking after her husband after the stroke which happened to him in 1990.
They had two daughters – Daria and Olga. The elder one, Daria, is an artist, and the younger, Olga Semyonova, is a journalist and a writer, an author of the autobiographical books about her father.
In 1953 Semyonov graduated from Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies, the Middle-East department. Then he taught the Afghan language (Pashto) in Moscow State University and simultaneously studied there in the faculty of history.
After gaining a degree of an interpreter in the University, Semyonov had diplomatic business in East Asia countries, continuing at the same time his scientific studies in Moscow State University (specializing in Persian history and politics).
Since 1955 he started to try his hand in journalism: he was published in key Soviet newspapers and magazines of that time: “Ogoniok”, “Pravda”, “Literaturnaya Gazeta”, “Komsomolskaya Pravda”, “Smena” etc.
In 1960s – 1970s Semyonov worked abroad a lot as a reporter of the said editions (in France, Spain, Germany, Cuba, Japan, the USA, Latin America). His journalist activity was full of adventures, often dangerous ones – at the moment he was in the taiga with tiger hunters, or at the polar station, at the next he was at the Baikal-Amur Mainline construction and diamond pipe opening. He was constantly in the centre of the important politic events of those years – in Afghanistan, Francoist Spain, Chile, Cuba, Paraguay, tracing the Nazi, who sought cover from punishment, and Sicilian mafia leaders; taking part in the combatant operations of the Vietnamese and Laotian partisans.
Semyonov was one of the pioneers of “Investigative journalism” in the Soviet periodicals. Thus, in 1974 in Madrid he managed to interview a Nazi criminal, the favourite of Hitler Otto Skorzeny, who categorically refused to meet any journalist before. Then, being the “Literaturnaya Gazeta” newspaper correspondent in Germany, the writer succeeds in interviewing the reichsminister Albert Speer and one of the SS leaders Karl Wolff.
The conversations with such people, as well as holding the investigation regarding the searches for the Amber Room and other cultural values moved abroad from Russia during World War II were published by Semyonov in his documentary story “Face to Face” in 1983.
In 1986 Semyonov became the President of the International Association of Detective and Political Novel (Russian: МАДПР), which he himself initiated to create, and the editor-in-chief of the collected stories edition “Detective and Politics” (the edition was published by the said Association together with the Press Agency “Novosti” and played an important role in popularization of the detective genre in the USSR.
Semyonov’s participation in searching for the famous Amber Room together with Georges Simenon, James Aldridge, baron von Falz-Fein and other famous members of the International Amber Room Searching Committee achieved wide renown.
Yulian Semyonov and his friends, Andrei Mironov (right) and Lev Durov (Crimea, date unknown)
Semyonov, together with baron Eduard von Falz-Fein, a Russian aristocrat and first wave émig
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
June 24, 2016
Description: The nightmare of fascism is something we would all rather forget, yet the horrors of the last war and the men who combated the evils of fascism must never be forgotten. Those heroes whose exploits for various reasons were unknown until recently must also be accorded their rightful place in history.
Yulian Semyonov's new novel Seventeen Moments of Spring brings us the largely documentary story of one of those heroes, Maxim Isaev, alias SS Standartenfuhrer Stirlitz, known as Justas to those in charge of Soviet Intelligence. He has access to top military and political secrets and ejoyed the confidence of Schellenberg, Martin Bormann and Himmler.
The action of the novel is set in 1945, by which time Maxim Isaev has behind him many years' experience of harrowing intelligence work, involving a constant gamble with death. He is almost at the end of his tether, and is planning to leave the fray after successfully completing a mission from Center when he goes back into the enemy's lair once again, ready to face risks greater than ever, knowing that there he can best serve his people...
In answer to countless readers' questions as to whether Maxim Isaev was a fictitious character Semyonov replies: "No, this particular Soviet agent combines traits of several heroic men now living, to whom I should like to express my gratitude for their brave, noble and inspiring lives..."
Watch here
From page 246 of The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War:
The story opens up with a comparison between an upbeat Western allies news reel showing Nazism in retreat with Russia squeezing them from the east, which Goebbels calls propaganda, and a Nazi film about glorious and effective Germans fighting on the front, which is not called propaganda, followed by a screening from the Yalta conference 1945.
Don't forget, Seventeen Moments of Spring is a propaganda film made by the Russians for the populace, to forge a new view of prowess - the invention of Russia.
Confusing.
Some Stierlitz jokes:
Stirlitz and Kathe are walking through the park. A gunshot rings out. Kathe falls. Blood flows. Stirlitz, relying on his keen instincts, immediately gets suspicious.
On May Day, Stirlitz put on his Red Army cap, grabbed a red banner and marched up and down the corridors of the Reich Security Office singing the Internationale and other revolutionary songs. Never before had Stirlitz been so close to failure.
In the Reich Security Office, Müller, Himmler, and Bormann are all standing in the cafeteria line, patiently waiting their turn. Stirlitz enters and passes everyone as he strides directly to the head of the queue. He is served immediately. Müller, Himmler and Bormann are baffled. What they didn’t know is that a Hero of the Soviet Union has the right to receive service without having to stand in line.
Bormann wakes up at 03:00 at the sound of someone bashing on his door. When he opened the door, he sees a man in snowsuit with ski-equipment and parachute on his back.
– The elephants are going to the north!!! said the stranger with a strong Russian accent.
– The elephants are going to the Hell! replied Bormann angrily. Stirlitz lives one story upstairs!
Stirlitz blasted the door open with a mighty kick and discreetly tiptoed toward Müller who was reading a paper.
The end of the war. In the Reichstag everybody sits in depression. Hitler walks around in the building desperately, but no one gives a damn about him. Finally he enters in Stirlitz’s office. Stirlitz jumps up:
Heil, Hitler!
Hitler, replies in a tired voice:
At least YOU don’t bully me, Maximovich!
Stirlitz wakes up to find out he has been arrested. “Who got me? Which name should I use?” he wonders. “Let’s see. If they wear black uniforms, I’ll say I’m Standartenführer Stirlitz. If they wear green uniforms, I’m Colonel Isayev”. The door opens and a policeman in a blue uniform comes in saying: “You really should ease up on the vodka, Comrade Tikhonov!”
Yulian Semyonov's new novel Seventeen Moments of Spring brings us the largely documentary story of one of those heroes, Maxim Isaev, alias SS Standartenfuhrer Stirlitz, known as Justas to those in charge of Soviet Intelligence. He has access to top military and political secrets and ejoyed the confidence of Schellenberg, Martin Bormann and Himmler.
The action of the novel is set in 1945, by which time Maxim Isaev has behind him many years' experience of harrowing intelligence work, involving a constant gamble with death. He is almost at the end of his tether, and is planning to leave the fray after successfully completing a mission from Center when he goes back into the enemy's lair once again, ready to face risks greater than ever, knowing that there he can best serve his people...
In answer to countless readers' questions as to whether Maxim Isaev was a fictitious character Semyonov replies: "No, this particular Soviet agent combines traits of several heroic men now living, to whom I should like to express my gratitude for their brave, noble and inspiring lives..."
Watch hereFrom page 246 of The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War:The film was part of a propaganda campaign launched by Yuri Andropov, who became head of the KGB in the late 1960s. Its aim was to improve the image of the KGB from a dark, secret police - a synomyn of political repression - and to attract young, bright recruits into a 'glamourous' secret service. The novel by Yulian Semyonov, on which the film was based, was commissioned personally by Andropov to glorify Soviet secret agents serving abroard.
The story opens up with a comparison between an upbeat Western allies news reel showing Nazism in retreat with Russia squeezing them from the east, which Goebbels calls propaganda, and a Nazi film about glorious and effective Germans fighting on the front, which is not called propaganda, followed by a screening from the Yalta conference 1945.
Don't forget, Seventeen Moments of Spring is a propaganda film made by the Russians for the populace, to forge a new view of prowess - the invention of Russia.
Confusing.
Some Stierlitz jokes:Stirlitz and Kathe are walking through the park. A gunshot rings out. Kathe falls. Blood flows. Stirlitz, relying on his keen instincts, immediately gets suspicious.
On May Day, Stirlitz put on his Red Army cap, grabbed a red banner and marched up and down the corridors of the Reich Security Office singing the Internationale and other revolutionary songs. Never before had Stirlitz been so close to failure.
In the Reich Security Office, Müller, Himmler, and Bormann are all standing in the cafeteria line, patiently waiting their turn. Stirlitz enters and passes everyone as he strides directly to the head of the queue. He is served immediately. Müller, Himmler and Bormann are baffled. What they didn’t know is that a Hero of the Soviet Union has the right to receive service without having to stand in line.
Bormann wakes up at 03:00 at the sound of someone bashing on his door. When he opened the door, he sees a man in snowsuit with ski-equipment and parachute on his back.
– The elephants are going to the north!!! said the stranger with a strong Russian accent.
– The elephants are going to the Hell! replied Bormann angrily. Stirlitz lives one story upstairs!
Stirlitz blasted the door open with a mighty kick and discreetly tiptoed toward Müller who was reading a paper.
The end of the war. In the Reichstag everybody sits in depression. Hitler walks around in the building desperately, but no one gives a damn about him. Finally he enters in Stirlitz’s office. Stirlitz jumps up:
Heil, Hitler!
Hitler, replies in a tired voice:
At least YOU don’t bully me, Maximovich!
Stirlitz wakes up to find out he has been arrested. “Who got me? Which name should I use?” he wonders. “Let’s see. If they wear black uniforms, I’ll say I’m Standartenführer Stirlitz. If they wear green uniforms, I’m Colonel Isayev”. The door opens and a policeman in a blue uniform comes in saying: “You really should ease up on the vodka, Comrade Tikhonov!”
November 13, 2018
داستان کتاب در مورد یک جاسوس اتحاد جماهیر شوروی سوسیالیستی به نام ماکزیم ایسائف است که در سیستم اطلاعاتی آلمان نازی رخنه کرده است و با نام ماکس اتو فن اشترلیتس شناخته میشود.
سریال تلویزیونی به همین نام در روسیه در ۱۲ قسمت در سال ۱۹۷۳ توسط تاتیانا لیوژنوا کارگردانی شده است.
ویاچسلاو تیخونوف نقش جاسوس را بازی کرده است. سریال تلویزیونی لحظات هفدهگانه بهاری یکی از معروفترین و پربینندهترین سریالهای تلویزیونی در تاریخ روسیه محسوب میشود.
از متن کتاب:
ابتدا که اشتیرلیتز بلبل را در باغ شنید.باور نکرد هوا سرد و نیلگون غرق در سکن و آرامش بهاری بود و به ظرف شیشه ای ظریفی می ماند که در آب راکد آن ماهی های کوچک بی حرکت نفس میکشیدند،ولی سطح زمین را هنوز قشر فشرده ای از برف پوشانده بود و از آن کبودی مات و رنگ پریده ای که همیشه از درون برف پوک بهاری پیش از آب شدن شبانه متشعشع میشود اثری نبود...
سریال تلویزیونی به همین نام در روسیه در ۱۲ قسمت در سال ۱۹۷۳ توسط تاتیانا لیوژنوا کارگردانی شده است.
ویاچسلاو تیخونوف نقش جاسوس را بازی کرده است. سریال تلویزیونی لحظات هفدهگانه بهاری یکی از معروفترین و پربینندهترین سریالهای تلویزیونی در تاریخ روسیه محسوب میشود.
از متن کتاب:
ابتدا که اشتیرلیتز بلبل را در باغ شنید.باور نکرد هوا سرد و نیلگون غرق در سکن و آرامش بهاری بود و به ظرف شیشه ای ظریفی می ماند که در آب راکد آن ماهی های کوچک بی حرکت نفس میکشیدند،ولی سطح زمین را هنوز قشر فشرده ای از برف پوشانده بود و از آن کبودی مات و رنگ پریده ای که همیشه از درون برف پوک بهاری پیش از آب شدن شبانه متشعشع میشود اثری نبود...
May 17, 2016
Ten out of five.
What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said about generations of Russian readers? It's about a Soviet spy embedded in Hitler's inner circle towards the end of World War II. That's the 5-second summary.
More importantly, about what it means to be a good person in the face of evil, about dealing with moral ambivalence, about having to carry the weight of an entire country on your shoulders, about what it means to be a mother, a father, a husband, a complete human being. It's also about understanding how to read people, about the cynicism of world politics, about the way our world is structured.
The first couple chapters were extremely slow going trying to understand all the politics and relationships, and Stirliz comes across as moody, petulant. And then you get to know him, what kind of person he is, and what kind of environment he is operating in, and the book just takes off and doesn't leave you.
There were moments when I had to stop and pause because it was so stressful to read - almost all the moments with Kat were heartbreaking and terrifying. There were moments when the author demonstrated unyielding, blindingly beautiful human kindness.
This is pitched as a spy book, but really it's a book about understanding human nature and human relationships. And a book where you are cheering for the main character the whole way and hoping, feverishly hoping, that he gets some sleep and rest.
What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said about generations of Russian readers? It's about a Soviet spy embedded in Hitler's inner circle towards the end of World War II. That's the 5-second summary.
More importantly, about what it means to be a good person in the face of evil, about dealing with moral ambivalence, about having to carry the weight of an entire country on your shoulders, about what it means to be a mother, a father, a husband, a complete human being. It's also about understanding how to read people, about the cynicism of world politics, about the way our world is structured.
The first couple chapters were extremely slow going trying to understand all the politics and relationships, and Stirliz comes across as moody, petulant. And then you get to know him, what kind of person he is, and what kind of environment he is operating in, and the book just takes off and doesn't leave you.
There were moments when I had to stop and pause because it was so stressful to read - almost all the moments with Kat were heartbreaking and terrifying. There were moments when the author demonstrated unyielding, blindingly beautiful human kindness.
This is pitched as a spy book, but really it's a book about understanding human nature and human relationships. And a book where you are cheering for the main character the whole way and hoping, feverishly hoping, that he gets some sleep and rest.
November 19, 2016
The novel provides the structure and basic plot for the TV series but lacks the warmth that the latter features, thanks to its neat adaption, beautiful score of soundtrack, and the flawless performance of the best actors of an amazing era. Several of the most touching moments in the TV series (such as Stirlitz's silent reunion with his wife after ten years of separation at a cafe?? Did I miss it since I read it a while ago so I can't recall?? And the conversation between Stirlitz and Kathe(Katya) after he rescued her and escaped from Berlin together) are missing from the book.
August 12, 2017
Me ha encantado, toda una sorpresa.
July 18, 2021
Pues ha sido toda una grata sorpresa, un espia soviético infiltrado como espía en el corazón del regimen hitleriano, está a la altura de Le Carré o Graham Green, cierto que el personaje principal Stirlitz es inventado, pero todos los demás personajes con los que trata o depende, son reales, desde Hitler hasta Himmler pasando por el resto de la camarilla del líder.
La novela es muy interesante ya que plantea los acercamientos de los nazis a una paz consensuada, pero siempre buscando el beneficio propio y sin importarles un ápice el pueblo.
Stirlitz como agente doble tiene que lidiar con la máscara ante los nazis y su propia vida personal ante Moscú y sobre todo ante sí mismo.
Se merece las cuatro estrellas y puede que algo más, casi rozaría las cinco, tanto la forma de narrar esos últimos días del nazismo, la egolatría de los jerarcas nazis buscando alianzas a espaldas de sus superiores, el terror a los soviéticos que están a las puertas de Berlín, las purgas internas, los enfrentamientos entre las distintas unidades, las conversaciones entre las distintas potencias.
Muy interesante el leer sobre esta época y de la otra parte.
La novela es muy interesante ya que plantea los acercamientos de los nazis a una paz consensuada, pero siempre buscando el beneficio propio y sin importarles un ápice el pueblo.
Stirlitz como agente doble tiene que lidiar con la máscara ante los nazis y su propia vida personal ante Moscú y sobre todo ante sí mismo.
Se merece las cuatro estrellas y puede que algo más, casi rozaría las cinco, tanto la forma de narrar esos últimos días del nazismo, la egolatría de los jerarcas nazis buscando alianzas a espaldas de sus superiores, el terror a los soviéticos que están a las puertas de Berlín, las purgas internas, los enfrentamientos entre las distintas unidades, las conversaciones entre las distintas potencias.
Muy interesante el leer sobre esta época y de la otra parte.
August 14, 2023
Me ha encantado: final de la guerra desde una perspectiva que no nos cuentan, me ha resultado muy interesante e intrigante, lo he devorado.
October 3, 2018
What is truly fascinating about the novel is its humility and unbiased objective portrayal of human beings for what they are - exactly and simply human beings, with all their faults and virtues.
Which is very refreshing in our current day and age where political bias seems to have poisoned everything from pop culture, arts, literature and TV, to adverts, marketing, and even daily interactions between people.
It's funny - and sad - thinking how Goebbels (one of the many characters brilliantly portrayed by Semyonov in his novel), the mastermind behind the Third Reich's propaganda machine, probably would have been both thrilled to see and deeply scared to experience the extent to which systematic propaganda has truly and profoundly affected our society today. Much more than he ever managed to do in Germany in the 40s.
Nowadays, wherever we look, identity politics and culturally marxist symptoms are bound to be present. Passive and active propaganda, mixed with socially engineered and socially (unconsciously) enacted forms of marxism such as censuring freedom of speech masked with social justice bombastic taboo words, make up for a dystopian society not even part of Goebbel's wildest dreams.
Hence - to repeat myself - Seventeen Moments of Spring is indeed a deeply satisfying read and a great reminder of a time when literature wasn't soaked with and damaged by politics, but was rather commenting objectively on society and its building blocks, through the best means possible - honest storytelling.
I admit I expected the book, written during the Cold War, to be leaning heavily towards the Soviet spectrum - which I would have been okay with, to read something non-Allies-centric, for a change. But what I experienced was even better - a well-balanced - for the most part - portrayal of all three major sides of the War: the Allies, the Axis powers and the Soviet Union.
There was no politicised glorification of neither the East, nor the West, but rather both sides were shown with equal amounts of objective commentary, with conclusions left exclusively for the reader, much in the same way that Stierlitz (the main protagonist) was making his own conclusions based on brutal naked facts. No agenda was pushed at any time.
Furthermore, there wasn't any unnecessary demonising of the Nazis too. The highest standing officials were shown as human beings, affected to a different extent by a dangerous ideology, and riding a fast train with no brakes.
The objectiveness and the raw power of the often stripped of emotions bare factual and observational writing was striking, much more than a modern "spy" novel filled with action, dramatic techniques and Hollywood-esque tropes would ever be able to achieve.
The truth is that the fictional reality that Standartenführer Max Otto von Stierlitz is living in is the antithesis of the pop cultural jokes phenomenon from the very recent past - jokes especially popular in the East for those familiar with it (if not, I encourage you to Google it - the jokes are funny).
As with the best writing out there, Seventeen Moments of Spring is an honest and compact piece of strong mature literature.
Which is very refreshing in our current day and age where political bias seems to have poisoned everything from pop culture, arts, literature and TV, to adverts, marketing, and even daily interactions between people.
It's funny - and sad - thinking how Goebbels (one of the many characters brilliantly portrayed by Semyonov in his novel), the mastermind behind the Third Reich's propaganda machine, probably would have been both thrilled to see and deeply scared to experience the extent to which systematic propaganda has truly and profoundly affected our society today. Much more than he ever managed to do in Germany in the 40s.
Nowadays, wherever we look, identity politics and culturally marxist symptoms are bound to be present. Passive and active propaganda, mixed with socially engineered and socially (unconsciously) enacted forms of marxism such as censuring freedom of speech masked with social justice bombastic taboo words, make up for a dystopian society not even part of Goebbel's wildest dreams.
Hence - to repeat myself - Seventeen Moments of Spring is indeed a deeply satisfying read and a great reminder of a time when literature wasn't soaked with and damaged by politics, but was rather commenting objectively on society and its building blocks, through the best means possible - honest storytelling.
I admit I expected the book, written during the Cold War, to be leaning heavily towards the Soviet spectrum - which I would have been okay with, to read something non-Allies-centric, for a change. But what I experienced was even better - a well-balanced - for the most part - portrayal of all three major sides of the War: the Allies, the Axis powers and the Soviet Union.
There was no politicised glorification of neither the East, nor the West, but rather both sides were shown with equal amounts of objective commentary, with conclusions left exclusively for the reader, much in the same way that Stierlitz (the main protagonist) was making his own conclusions based on brutal naked facts. No agenda was pushed at any time.
Furthermore, there wasn't any unnecessary demonising of the Nazis too. The highest standing officials were shown as human beings, affected to a different extent by a dangerous ideology, and riding a fast train with no brakes.
The objectiveness and the raw power of the often stripped of emotions bare factual and observational writing was striking, much more than a modern "spy" novel filled with action, dramatic techniques and Hollywood-esque tropes would ever be able to achieve.
The truth is that the fictional reality that Standartenführer Max Otto von Stierlitz is living in is the antithesis of the pop cultural jokes phenomenon from the very recent past - jokes especially popular in the East for those familiar with it (if not, I encourage you to Google it - the jokes are funny).
As with the best writing out there, Seventeen Moments of Spring is an honest and compact piece of strong mature literature.
February 26, 2023
Una aventura emocionante por los últimos días de la segunda guerra mundial en torno a un personaje ficticio, pero en un contexto histórico real. Se devora solo.
January 23, 2016
کتاب با داستانهایی مستند از دوران هتلر. هیجان انگیز و خواندنی.
August 3, 2016
Очень интересная и весьма захватывающая работа автора.
Штирлицу просто суждено было стать народным героем советских жителей, а особенно среди юношей и мужчин!
Штирлицу просто суждено было стать народным героем советских жителей, а особенно среди юношей и мужчин!
April 18, 2018
Въпреки, че известният съветски сериал е озаглавен 17 мига от пролетта, книгата с това име всъщност не е самостоятелна, а е осма част от поредицата за съветския таен агент Щирлиц. Налага се да кажа, че ме остави разочарован, тъй като се състои основно от няколкостранични монолози на героите, в които те говорят на някакви философско-идеологически теми, естествено свързани с хитлеризма, комунизма и съветската власт. Въпреки че трябва да е шпионска книга, екшън почти липсва.
June 26, 2022
– Это тоже серьезно, – возразил Даллес, – даже серьезнее, чем вы думаете. Гиммлер еще в тридцать четвертом году совершил первую крупную ошибку: он бросил в концлагерь лауреата Нобелевской премии фон Осецкого. Он создал образ мученика. А этого самого мученика, вместо того чтобы сажать в концлагерь, надо было купить: славой, деньгами, женщинами… Никто так не продажен, как актер, писатель, художник. Их надо умело покупать, ибо покупка – это лучший вид компрометации.
December 22, 2025
Cómo no pusieron a Tijonov en la portada!!
La edición cubana era mejor.
la traducción de Zoia, impecable.
La edición cubana era mejor.
la traducción de Zoia, impecable.
March 14, 2019
Эта очень хорошая книга. Странно произносить вслух такое про произведение Юлиана Сёменова, но это так. Она совсем не идеальна и тут можно было бы много к чему придраться, но совсем не хочется. Самое интересное, что в "Мгновениях" Семёнов делает всё тоже самое , что и в остальных своих книгах: горы персонажей, бесконечные исторические справки, куча неочевидно связанных сюжетных линий, не все из которых закроются, но только тут это все работает, и поскольку не испытываешь чувства усталости и раздражения как при прочтении какой-нибудь , прости господи, "Экспансии", начинаешь ценить уникальный стиль автора. Я уж не говорю, что только тут ему удалось выдумать десяток перлов типа " Куришь американские сигареты - решат, что продал родину", "Отец провокаторов не может быть честным человеком" или "Верить никому нельзя. Мне можно", которые потом обессмертил сериал. "17 мгновений" - единственная причина, по которой я изнасиловал себя дюжиной романов про Штирлица, в надежде откопать в этой куче ещё один алмаз, но ни одна его книга близко не выходила на такой же уровень качества. А жаль.
July 17, 2020
I finished this three days ago. My initial thought was to allow myself the luxury of reading along with the miniseries, of which I am a happy owner. The miniseries and the book are almost word-for-word duplicates. But I tired of trying to find the time to watch the next part of the series, so I started to dig into the book.
It's a fairly uncomplicated book from a linguistic (non-native Russian) POV, but the complications come in trying to place yourself into the mind of the Soviet counterspy, Shtirlitz. All of the characters, whether famous, infamous, less well-known, or fabrications, are well fleshed out. The dialogue between characters, the inner dialogue of Shtirlitz, and the dossier material providing background information on the various characters, come together to make a highly readable and entertaining slow burn of a spy "thriller".
I have the other books in the series, but it will be a while before I pick them up to read. This reading was aided by my familiarity with the story through the miniseries, which I'd seen in the 90s.
It's a fairly uncomplicated book from a linguistic (non-native Russian) POV, but the complications come in trying to place yourself into the mind of the Soviet counterspy, Shtirlitz. All of the characters, whether famous, infamous, less well-known, or fabrications, are well fleshed out. The dialogue between characters, the inner dialogue of Shtirlitz, and the dossier material providing background information on the various characters, come together to make a highly readable and entertaining slow burn of a spy "thriller".
I have the other books in the series, but it will be a while before I pick them up to read. This reading was aided by my familiarity with the story through the miniseries, which I'd seen in the 90s.
November 23, 2016
I have read this book many years ago, but decided to refresh my mind in order to write a more accurate review. The result is that my first impressions have not changed. This is still a great book, thrilling and exciting. I find it to be a little more soviet biased but then it was written for a certain public at a particular time in history when writing these books was commanded by the higher echelons of political power. The plot itself fits a political purpose. Apart from that it is a quite remarkable work of literature in which the psychological standoff between Stierlitz and Muller is the summit of suspense.
February 23, 2019
انز این کتاب جاسوسی هست و خب باید علاقه مند باشید تا ازش لذت ببرید ، رمان ریتم پایینی داره هرچند با توجه به قلم و ترجمه خوب خیلی حس نمیشه ، از این کتاب سریالی هم ساخته شده که در ایران به نام جنگ سرد در اوایل دهه هفتاد ازتلویزیون ایران پخش شده . نکته ای که هست تاثیر شمایل و شیوه نویسندکان روس در این کتاب محسوس هست یعنی درازگویی و قلم پخته نویسنده جایگاه کتاب رو بین دیگر رمان های جاسوسی که مثلا در انگلیس یا سوئد یا آمریکا نوشته شده دقیقا محسوس هست . رمان به نظرم اگر در امریکا نوشته شده بود خیلی بیشتر سر زبان ها می افتاد
October 26, 2019
A beautiful and thrilling spy novel, Maxim Isayev doesn't use 007 gadgets or has the certainties of a Hercule Poirot, but he's much more human. He has doubts, he suffers, all while keeping a stone-cold face to the outside enemy world. I would definitely recommend it to someone who likes the noir atmosphere of a Spy novel and the twists and turns of war based scenarios.
October 23, 2015
Now I finally get the Stierlitz jokes! :P
July 29, 2020
What a good thriller!
I got super attached to the characters, hoped for Stierlitz's and Kathe's success, DESPISED Müller and all of the SS agents who worked against Stierlitz and really liked Schellenberg. What a great book it was! It did seem a bit boring for the first 30-ish pages, but then it became so interesting I was practically glued to it!
I loved the philosophical side of the book: it asked questions such as "What is the right way to rule a country?", "Is there an excuse for violence, and is religion an excuse? Can we compare Nazi genocide to the Spanish Inquisition?", etc. This is the first spy book I've read that asked such questions, and it was quite a change from the hyper-popular spy fiction I usually read.
I've always wanted to read a book written from the perspective of a Russian spy. The KGB gets demonised in the works by western authors, and it was interesting to see a book that depicted a Russian agent as someone with thoughts and feelings, and not just a stock character with a gun and an alcohol problem.
"Seventeen Moments of Spring" is one of those thrillers, that, although scarce in action and shots fired, chills you to the core, and leaves an impact in you even bigger than the ones who thrive of gory scenes and quick incidents, and this psychological aspect makes you feel way more than imagery ever would.
I got super attached to the characters, hoped for Stierlitz's and Kathe's success, DESPISED Müller and all of the SS agents who worked against Stierlitz and really liked Schellenberg. What a great book it was! It did seem a bit boring for the first 30-ish pages, but then it became so interesting I was practically glued to it!
I loved the philosophical side of the book: it asked questions such as "What is the right way to rule a country?", "Is there an excuse for violence, and is religion an excuse? Can we compare Nazi genocide to the Spanish Inquisition?", etc. This is the first spy book I've read that asked such questions, and it was quite a change from the hyper-popular spy fiction I usually read.
I've always wanted to read a book written from the perspective of a Russian spy. The KGB gets demonised in the works by western authors, and it was interesting to see a book that depicted a Russian agent as someone with thoughts and feelings, and not just a stock character with a gun and an alcohol problem.
"Seventeen Moments of Spring" is one of those thrillers, that, although scarce in action and shots fired, chills you to the core, and leaves an impact in you even bigger than the ones who thrive of gory scenes and quick incidents, and this psychological aspect makes you feel way more than imagery ever would.
September 6, 2025
Creo que es mi primer contacto con la literatura de espías, y de los pocos con la literatura policíaca. Desde luego me ha llamado la atención porque me esperaba una cosa como "Misión imposible" o las pelis de James Bond (de hecho la solapa de la edición de 1977 de Plaza & Janes lo nombra como "el James Bond soviético") pero en papel. Y resulta que puedes contar los tiros de la acción con los deos de la mano. Me ha gustado mucho este acercamiento supongo que más realista al espionaje y el contraespionaje como diversos duelos entre intelectos, máscaras y espejos en un mundo que se desmorona en el que cualquier cosa que pase puede tener implicaciones inadvertidas, ¡aquí también, como en tantas ficciones de espionaje, juegan un papel importante la suerte y la casualidad!
Llama la atención al lector alejado en el tiempo y el espacio el tratamiento del enemigo, tanto individual como colectivo, del gran enemigo, del Imperio Nazi y sus gerifaltes, como personajes complejos e inteligentes, malvados de un modo que no es mitológico sino maquiavélico y hasta cínico. Aprovecha esto el autor para hacer algunas semblanzas sobre la sociedad nacionalsocialista y para advertir de que nunca se enterró el nazismo.
Llama la atención al lector alejado en el tiempo y el espacio el tratamiento del enemigo, tanto individual como colectivo, del gran enemigo, del Imperio Nazi y sus gerifaltes, como personajes complejos e inteligentes, malvados de un modo que no es mitológico sino maquiavélico y hasta cínico. Aprovecha esto el autor para hacer algunas semblanzas sobre la sociedad nacionalsocialista y para advertir de que nunca se enterró el nazismo.
December 20, 2018
A spy thriller that reads like historical fiction. This book gave me an interesting perspective from a Soviet author. The author fills in a good deal of history and works in the plot of the hero Stirlitz who is a Soviet spy in the higher ranks of the Nazi party/SS. The war is winding down and the Soviets fear a truce between the Western Allies and Germany. Stirlitz's mission is to find out what is going on in Switzerland and to stop it. There are side plots of rescuing the wife and co conspirator. I started feeling bogged down in the end and didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Some genuinely exciting moments.
February 17, 2019
—Seventeen Moments of Spring—
This is classic, textbook, KGB entrapment with Valhalla and Gehenna damnations, Kompromat, properly applied to devastate the enemy. Stirlitz, is closer to the Odysseus protagonist than the thunderbolts and lightening, Achilles, broken mold. Entire book excellent novel research per the Great Patriotic War led into the Cold War of geopolitical chessboards.
Up-and-comer Amerkanitsi and, the English lion with less teeth in its bite make strange bedfellows with the Sovs gangbanging the Nazis and, the Empire of Japan . Excellent detail down to the exact brand of cigarettes smoken by some orbital character.
eye of the tiger
fine (̅_̅_̅(̅(̅_̅_̅_̅_̅_̅̅()ڪ fine 🚬
This is classic, textbook, KGB entrapment with Valhalla and Gehenna damnations, Kompromat, properly applied to devastate the enemy. Stirlitz, is closer to the Odysseus protagonist than the thunderbolts and lightening, Achilles, broken mold. Entire book excellent novel research per the Great Patriotic War led into the Cold War of geopolitical chessboards.
Up-and-comer Amerkanitsi and, the English lion with less teeth in its bite make strange bedfellows with the Sovs gangbanging the Nazis and, the Empire of Japan . Excellent detail down to the exact brand of cigarettes smoken by some orbital character.
eye of the tiger
fine (̅_̅_̅(̅(̅_̅_̅_̅_̅_̅̅()ڪ fine 🚬
May 13, 2024
Обичам сериала, затова не е изненада, че книгата получава 5 звезди. Юлиан Семьонов представя една обективна картина на последните години от Втората Световна война, в която поставя всички политици в лагера на злото, а обикновените хора, в това число редовите служители Гестапо, на жертвите. Пишейки за режима на Хитлер, негласно Семьонов характеризира диктатурата в собствената си страна, което със сигурност го е превърнало в неудобна фигура. И въпреки опитите да превърнат филма в съветска пропаганда, за опитното око не остава скрито, че "17 мига от пролетта" е преди всичко човешка история, заклеймяваща войната и егоистичните политически амбиции.
October 18, 2024
Soviet spy novel that introduces the character of Stirlitz, a Soviet spy in Hitler's Germany sometimes called the "Russian James Bond" thanks to a 1970s tv adaptation that apparently is still popular today. I enjoyed it but didn't find it amazing. It's more interesting as a piece of propaganda -- the plot, for example, revolves around Stirlitz trying to sabotage back-channel talks where the US and British are trying to negotiate a separate peace with Nazis that excludes the USSR -- than as a super engrossing spy story in its own right. The tv adaptation I think is more famous and has more to it so I would be interested enough to give that a go after reading this.
March 3, 2020
Это хорошая книга. От нее просто невозможно оторватся. Автор явно был очень одаренным писателем. Эту книгу было бы невозможно сочинить и перенести на бумагу без высокой эрудиции и колоссального знания во многих аспектах истории и вообще жизни того времени. Уверен, автор мог сделать ее еще сильным, еще менее "коммунистическим", менее идеализированным, более приземленным, живи и твори он в свободное время, свободное от лживого, отвратительно-тоталитарного, империалистического режима.
January 2, 2021
The novel features the exploits of an heroic Soviet spy whose alter identity is a German colonel stationed in Berlin in the last weeks before the city's fall to the allied forces. He is assisted by various equally heroic though in some cases less efficient associates. At times the action is far-fetched and hard to believe, but the narrative has realistic and insightful dialogue and observations that keep it within bounds. The novel is very close to the classic 12-part TV series.
January 25, 2018
Очевидно, що фільм більш відомий ніж книга, завдяки грі акторів та режисурі. Але книга теж заслуговує високої оцінки, адже чи не вперше очільники гітлерівської Німеччини зображені не карикатурними персонажами, а достойними противниками. Досить реалістично зображені події у Берліні в останні місяці війни. Сюжет цікавий.
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June 11, 2025Bormann wakes up at 03:00 at the sound of someone bashing on his door. When he opened the door, he sees a man in snowsuit with ski-equipment and parachute on his back.
– The elephants are going to the north!!! said the stranger with a strong Russian accent.
– The elephants are going to the Hell! replied Bormann angrily. Stirlitz lives one story upstairs!
– The elephants are going to the north!!! said the stranger with a strong Russian accent.
– The elephants are going to the Hell! replied Bormann angrily. Stirlitz lives one story upstairs!
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