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Charlie English (@CharlieEnglish1) profile picture

Charlie English

@CharlieEnglish1

Writer of narrative non-fiction. Formerly foreign editor @guardian. Out now: The CIA Book Club.

 London, UK
linktr.ee/charlieenglish
Joined September 2008
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Photo by Charlie English (@CharlieEnglish1)Photo by Charlie English (@CharlieEnglish1)Photo by Charlie English (@CharlieEnglish1)Photo by Charlie English (@CharlieEnglish1)Photo by Charlie English (@CharlieEnglish1)Photo by Charlie English (@CharlieEnglish1)Photo by Charlie English (@CharlieEnglish1)Photo by Charlie English (@CharlieEnglish1)Photo by Charlie English (@CharlieEnglish1)Photo by Charlie English (@CharlieEnglish1)
Highlights of a few of the reviews for The CIA Book Club that have been rolling out over the past week. Thanks to all reviewers & readers #theciabookclub. Available at waterstones.com/book/the-cia…
Image from Charlie English (@CharlieEnglish1)
Image from Charlie English (@CharlieEnglish1)
Image from Charlie English (@CharlieEnglish1)
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The Meyer Book Club will discuss The CIA Book Club: The Secret Mission to Win the Cold War with Forbidden Literature by @CharlieEnglish1 on Oct. 13 at 10 AM Central. Hybrid: Meyer Center & Zoom. Register at: bit.ly/4AAmYmO #CIABookClub #Nonfiction #History #ColdWar
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‘vibrant, beautifully researched and exciting’ — the Guardian picks THE CIA BOOK CLUB as a paperback of the month: theguardian.com/books/ng-int…
This month’s best paperbacks: David Szalay, Han Kang and more

This month’s best paperbacks: David Szalay, Han Kang and more

Looking for a new reading recommendation? Here are some wonderful new paperbacks, from a Booker-winning tale of one man’s life to a gossipy account of the golden age of magazines

theguardian.com
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THE CIA BOOK CLUB is out in paperback today! 🕵️ @CharlieEnglish1 explores how books smuggled across the Iron Curtain helped win the Cold War. 🕵️ 'This book reads like a spy novel' @FT 🕵️ 'Entertaining and vivid' @ObserverUK 🕵️ 'Reads like a thriller' @TheSun
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Charlie English retweeted
Arabella Pike (@ArabellaPike) profile picture
Arabella Pike
@ArabellaPikeMar 12
A gripping story, brilliantly told for the first time by @CharlieEnglish1 And a good example of how books and literature help topple autocracies.
William Collins Books (@WmCollinsBooks) profile pictureWilliam Collins Books@WmCollinsBooksMar 12
THE CIA BOOK CLUB is out in paperback today! 🕵️ @CharlieEnglish1 explores how books smuggled across the Iron Curtain helped win the Cold War. 🕵️ 'This book reads like a spy novel' @FT 🕵️ 'Entertaining and vivid' @ObserverUK 🕵️ 'Reads like a thriller' @TheSun
Image from William Collins Books (@WmCollinsBooks)
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We are delighted to share the paperback cover for @charlieenglish1 THE CIA BOOK CLUB Discover the astonishing true story of the ten million books that were smuggled across the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. Publishing in paperback 12 March 2026.
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"Un ouvrage halentant": Le Monde critique Le Book Club de la CIA lemonde.fr/idees/article/202…
La lecture est une arme de combat : l’histoire du « book club » qui a défié le pouvoir soviétique

La lecture est une arme de combat : l’histoire du « book club » qui a défié le pouvoir soviétique

Pendant la guerre froide, les opposants au régime de Moscou s’organisent, avec le soutien de la CIA, pour faire passer des livres interdits à l’Est, afin d’entretenir l’espoir contre le totalitaris...

lemonde.fr
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Delighted that CIA Book Club has been included in NPR's Books We Love! 📚✨ Each year, NPR's editors and critics curate a list of exceptional books across every genre—and we're thrilled that The CIA Book Club is among them. Thank you to @npr. #NPRBooksWeLove #NPRbooks
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Image from Charlie English (@CharlieEnglish1)
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A new SpyCast episode is out now! 🎧 Watch here: youtu.be/-C7pjgaNeO8 Listen here: spymuseum.org/podcast/ The CIA’s book club, known by the codename QRHELPFUL, was a secret 35-year program born out of the fear that communism would dominate the globe. About 10 million books were smuggled into the Soviet Union during the Cold War, transported by trucks and yachts, in tins and luggage, and even dropped from balloons. The agency believed that the literature could win hearts and minds, turning citizens of the Soviet Bloc into dissidents. In this episode, SpyCast Host @SashaIngber sits down with @CharlieEnglish1, author of The CIA Book Club, the first narrative account of this program. #SpyCast #CIA #ColdWar
Image from The International Spy Museum (@IntlSpyMuseum)
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Sure did love THE CIA BOOK CLUB. @randomhouseinc @CharlieEnglish1
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Charlie English retweeted
Andrew Leigh (@ALeighMP) profile picture
Andrew Leigh
@ALeighMP21 Nov 2025
A true Cold War tale of how brave dissidents smuggled banned books like George Orwell’s “1984” into Poland, helping bring down the autocracy. #auspolreaders @CharlieEnglish1
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Loving my travel reading on the way to my next gig! @CharlieEnglish1 @randomhouseinc
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"Dissident publisher who smuggled presses, dollars, broadcasting equipment, books and audio cassettes into communist Poland" – my obit of Mirek Chojecki for the Guardian theguardian.com/media/2025/o…
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Just been told that Mirosław Chojecki, the central figure in The CIA Book Club, has passed away. Mirek was a hero of Poland's anti-communist opposition, a famous dissident publisher, and formally Solidarity's "minister for smuggling" in the West. He was 76.
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Mirek was a remarkable, extraordinarily brave man, an underground publisher who was persecuted in Poland and spent a lot of time in jail. Trapped in the West by martial law in December 1981, he responded by doing his utmost to help friends and allies in Poland.
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He played a significant but – since he was so good at keeping secrets – undersung role in the Cold War. The Polish author Marian Brandys once described him as "Christlike, only somehow bolder". It's a fitting tribute.
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Charlie English retweeted
Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) profile picture
Donald Tusk
@donaldtusk29 Sep 2025
It took real courage of the Moldovan nation and Maia Sandu personally to win this election. Not only did you save democracy and kept the European course, but you have also stopped Russia in its attempts to take control over the whole region. A good lesson for us all.
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Did books really help to defeat the Soviet Empire? The History Book Buffs examine the fascinating story of the The CIA Book Club by @CharlieEnglish1 youtu.be/9dRvdEkX2z0?si=Ulgg… via @YouTube
Did books defeat the Soviet Empire? The History Book Buffs on The CIA...

Did books defeat the Soviet Empire? The History Book Buffs on The CIA...

In this episode of @TheHistoryBookBuffs Antonia Senior is joined by...

youtube.com
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Fascinating stuff. This is our new @HistoryB00KBuff episode, in which me and @Tonisenior discuss "The CIA Book Club" by @CharlieEnglish1. Give it a listen. We ask the question: Did books defeat the Soviet Empire? youtu.be/9dRvdEkX2z0?si=K80F… via @YouTube
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Charlie English retweeted
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Jake Tapper 🦅
@jaketapper18 Sep 2025
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