This introspective and candid memoir makes for some chilling reading. It chronicles the author’s life in the Soviet Union under Stalinist rule until his defection to the West. It’s a harrowing insider’s perspective, the perspective of a man who early on embraced communism, believing in the revolutionary ideals that promised equality and justice for all, but who soon witnessed first-hand the corruption, betrayal and brutality that characterised the era. He himself was arrested during one of the purges and describes his experience in the gulag. Once released he became more and more disillusioned with the regime and eventually fled. The writing is remarkably restrained, cool and spare, dispassionate even in spite of the horrors he depicts, and I found this had quite an alienating effect on me. He doesn’t hide his collaboration or willingness to turn a blind eye when it was to his advantage, in order to simply survive. It’s a truly fascinating account of someone who lived to tell the tale in spite of the dangers that were part of his daily life as a scientist, indeed a trusted scientist, and a vivid account of life in Stalinist times. First published in 1955, it’s a unique document and a must read for anyone interested in Russia and its history. There is little known about his subsequent life and career, mainly in the US, although he became a fervent Christian, and spoke against totalitarianism. Certainly he is far less well known than other defectors and seemed to avoid a life in the limelight, which makes this book even more important.

One Man in His Time is a harrowing memoir; perfect for annotative readers who like to comb through text to decide what’s fact or fiction.