Franz Taut's "Die russische agentin" (The Russian agent) is a spy novel that follows the adventures of a young French woman who is sent on a secret mission to Russia during World War I.
The protagonist, a civil servant named Marie-Luise von Kluge, is taken prisoner by Bolsheviks after her plane crashes in the middle of Russia. She escapes and joins the resistance, but soon finds herself embroiled in a dangerous game of intrigue and espionage, fighting against both Bolshevism and German imperialism. Along the way, she encounters many characters, both friendly and hostile, while having to choose between loyalty and compassion.
Despite the obvious presence of violence, the book has a light-hearted, optimistic tone throughout. Marie-Luize manages to survive through strong willpower as well as unexpected help from unexpected sources. Her passion for life and interest in everything that goes on around her puts her in an irresistible position of an ordinary girl who has to become a heroine of her own story.
Franz Taut's portrait of Russian folklore and music aid in creating a picture of this exotic country, while the 1920s setting adds a sense of nostalgia and charm. The book is full of suspense and plot twists that keep the reader guessing until the very end. Although some reviewers found the ending unsatisfying, in my opinion, it does create a satisfactory conclusion to the story.
Ulitschek is a train robber and has been for a long time.\nHe always steals money in large notes and runs away non-stop down the Siberian jungles – until he hears of Valentina, a beautiful young Russian agent with expertise in spotting counterfeiters and sharpshooters who travels everywhere hunting down these criminals (and that's an understatement).\nBut finally he needs to take a break, so what better place than Nice? After all, if they look for Ulitschek they won't look there.\nIt doesn't take long for him to find himself falling for Valentina – but it's almost too late for things to change."
The Russian Agent, written by Franz Taut, the man who took to heart the gloomy Maxim Gorky and Nikolai Leskov and shaped the great Swed canon Stening; One can only wonder if Taut follows in their footprints by producing a thick-browed epic that will crown or bury the author's literary future.
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