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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'On an electric night in 1954, Evdokia Petrov, a Russian intelligence worker from the Soviet Embassy in Canberra, arrives at Mascot Aerodrome as a prisoner of her colleagues. Her husband has defected. She is returning to Moscow where under Soviet law, she will be punished for his crime. A novel from the shadows, Document Z draws the story of the Petrov Affair from ASIO's archive of the event. It is a tale of lies and betrayal, the Cold War on Australian soil.'
Source: Allen & Unwin website, http://www.allenandunwin.com/
Sighted: 15/09/2008
Notes
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Dedication: For my parents.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Dyslexic edition.
- Large print.
Works about this Work
-
Beyond the Red Shoe: Searching for Mrs Petrov
2024
single work
biography
— Appears in: Australian Journal of Biography and History , no. 8 2024;
'A fictionalised account of the Petrov Affair begins with its most famous incident.
This occurred on the tarmac of Sydney’s Mascot airport on 19 April 1954:Evdokia knew this crowd was here for her. They were hunting her. They were here to prevent her escaping through the terminal, onto the plane ... Her escorts had revolvers in their jackets. If it was Moscow’s instruction, they’d do away with her here ... She could not believe it, the number of people, the lights, the shadows ... Evdokia wanted to stop. She wanted to stop and turn and run. Zharkov at her elbow, insisting otherwise ... The crowd thought the men were dragging her, pushing her, physically compelling her to move. They swept towards them, shouting, appealing.
'This retelling barely approximates what happened on that dramatic evening. Certainly,
the iconic photograph (see Figure 1) capturing a vulnerable and anguished woman,
missing one shoe, being escorted by burly Soviet couriers towards the Moscow-
bound plane, has entered our historical memory. But, as to be expected, there is
a disjuncture between historical imagination and the archival record. The drama
of this event overshadows the complexity of negotiations and tactics used when the
plane reached Darwin. The truth of what happened then, behind the scenes, is still
opaque. A similar issue lies at the heart of our search for the truth about Evdokia
Petrov. We began with the intention of a conventional biographical portrait—one that
extended, but was still consistent with, previous studies. Instead, what we discovered
was that, in investigating the dialogue between truth and illusion, we entered a world
of deception and dissembling from which we emerged more uncertain than ever. This
article, then, is an exercise in biography as frustration. In part it is an exploration of
what is known about Evdokia. In tracing her history through her own words, through
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), government and newspaper
reports, through oral history and through secondary studies, we highlight the ways
in which elements of her story unravel. We argue that there can be no certainty in its
retelling. Evdokia Petrov’s words and her portrayal by contemporaries demonstrate
that any attempt at biography is plagued by ambiguity.'(Introduction)
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Great Expectations
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: Australian Author , December vol. 42 no. 3 2010; (p. 6-9) -
Grace under Fire
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 22-23 May 2010; (p. 30-31) -
Page Turners
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Adelaide Review , January no. 359 2010; (p. 27) -
[Untitled]
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: Viewpoint : On Books for Young Adults , Summer vol. 17 no. 4 2009; (p. 45)
— Review of Document Z 2008 single work novel
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Humane Fiction from the Archives
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 1-2 August 2009; (p. 10-11)
— Review of Document Z 2008 single work novel -
The Accidental Defector
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 1 August 2009; (p. 11)
— Review of Document Z 2008 single work novel -
A Sting in the Betrayal
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian Literary Review , August vol. 4 no. 7 2009; (p. 20)
— Review of Document Z 2008 single work novel ; Figurehead 2009 single work novel -
Red Spies Swap Sides
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 8 - 9 August 2009; (p. 21)
— Review of Document Z 2008 single work novel -
Reds Under Beds in the Lucky Country
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 15 - 16 August 2009; (p. 23)
— Review of Document Z 2008 single work novel -
Vogelangst, or, the Value of a Nudge
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 13-14 September 2008; (p. 12) -
Author Wins $50,000 Award for Novel Based on Petrov Affair
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 19 September 2008; (p. 3) -
Novel Take on the Petrovs
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 8 August 2009; (p. 10) -
Creativity on the Campus
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: The Australian , 30 September 2009; (p. 28) -
Page Turners
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Adelaide Review , January no. 359 2010; (p. 27)
Awards
- 2010 winner New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing
- 2010 nominated Ned Kelly Awards for Crime Writing — Best First Novel
- 2010 joint winner The Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelist of the Year
- 2010 shortlisted South East Asia and South Pacific Region — Best First Book
- 2008 winner The Australian / Vogel National Literary Award (for an unpublished manuscript)
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cFormer Soviet Union,cEastern Europe, Europe,
- 1950s
- Canberra, Australian Capital Territory,
- Sydney, New South Wales,