Doubles

DOUBLES brings to light a buried historical event involving Pablo Picasso and Charles Chaplin. In turmoil as Stalin’s death approaches, the Kremlin seeks a propaganda victory. The invitation to Picasso and Chaplin to visit Moscow is seductive. The suppressed work of the great artist and the world-renowned film-maker will be presented to the Soviet public for the first time. Two honey-traps tip the scales. For Picasso a beautiful Russian museum curator, Ola Lepinskaya. For Chaplin a gifted mimic and ‘double’,Mosfilm’s Nina Bolsharova. David Caute calls the past into question in this fascinating exploration of how history is written Hilary Mantel has written of Caute’s previous novel: ‘I think this book is brilliant. FATIMA’S SCARF is something very rare in English letters: a dazzling political novel. It is funny and immediate, involving and surprising…’ David Caute’s recent historical works include ISAAC AND ISAIAH (Yale) and THE DANCER DEFECTS (Oxford).