Michael Idov on Spy Fiction, OSINT, and Writing The Collaborators

Michael Idov, author of The Collaborators, joins Spybrary to discuss the spy novel everyone in our community is raving about.

In this in-depth conversation, Michael shares how his Soviet upbringing, real-world intelligence events like the Ryanair Belarus 'hijacking' incident and Moscow taxi hacker chaos, and his love for British espionage fiction shaped his gripping debut spy novel.

We also dive into his work on Deutschland 83, Deutschland 89, his admiration for OSINT warriors like Bellingcat, and his love letter to cities like Riga, Berlin, and London.

🎧 Topics include:
Real-world events that feature in The Collaborators
Why Michael sees spy fiction as a milieu, not a genre
The delicate balance between spy realism and cinematic action
OSINT’s influence on modern espionage stories
British vs. American spy fiction traditions
🔗 Show Notes + Links: https://spybrary.com/261
📚 Buy The Collaborators: https://geni.us/V8T5a
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