Stalin’s Englishman: Guy Burgess, the Cold War And the Cambridge Spy Ring

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Stalin's Englishman: Guy Burgess, the Cold War And the Cambridge Spy Ring

A Lecture by Acclaimed Author
Dr. Andrew Lownie

Everyone loves thrilling British spy novels and Andrew Lownie doesn't disappoint as he tells an intriguing tale about the notorious English-born Soviet spy, Guy Burgess. Lownie, arriving in Kansas City direct from London, will present his lecture program on Friday, September 15, 2023. This special lecture program is in partnership with The English-Speaking Union of Kansas City and the International Relations Council and is part of ESU's Evelyn Wrench Lecture Series. The ESU and IRC are pleased to welcome Dr. Andrew Lownie to his first visit to Kansas City.

In his lecture, best-selling author, Andrew Lownie will present the chilling, yet colorful, life story of one of the most fascinating and utterly ruthless men who betrayed his country to the Soviet Union. Burgess rose through academia, the BBC, the Foreign Office, M15, and M16, eventually becoming a member of the infamous Cambridge Spy Ring gaining access to thousands of highly sensitive secret documents which he passed to his Russian handlers. 

Andrew Lownie is a best-selling author, journalist, and one of Britain's most acclaimed biographers. He is currently a visiting professor at the Ulster Literary Biography Research Centre. He has a master's and a PhD in history from the University of Edinburgh.

When: Friday, Sept. 15, 2023
5:45-6:30 pm CT—Registration and Networking
6:30 pm: CT—Lecture followed by Q&A
7:30  pm: CT—Book signing

Where: National World WarI Museum, Auditorium,
2 Memorial Drive, Kansas City, MO and online

Tickets: IRC/ESU Member (in-person): $15
Non-Member (in-person): $20
Livestream (online) attendance: $10
Students: FREE

After the lecture, Andrew will be available to autograph his book, "Stalin's Englishman: Guy Burgess, the Cold War, and the Cambridge Spy Ring." A limited number of books will be available for purchase after the lecture, or you are welcome to bring your own book. 

About Dr. Andrew Lownie

After participating in 1980 as an ESU Exchange Scholar, Andrew Lownie studied at Asheville School, North Carolina, and the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh, where he took his doctorate. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and former visiting fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge, he has run his own literary agency since 1988.

A trustee of the Campaign for Freedom of Information and President of The Biographers Club, Andrew has written for the Times, Telegraph, Wall Street Journal, Spectator and Guardian and formerly served in the Royal Naval Reserve. 

He was part of the six-man team who set up the Spy Museum in Washington, DC, and he sits on the Advisory Committee of Biographers International Organization. He is the author of many books, including Stalin's Englishman (St Martin's Press) and The Mountbattens (Pegasus Books), and is a reviewer for the Wall Street Journal.

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