Dear Fiona: Letters from a Suspected Soviet Spy

323 Pages·2012·15.58 MB·English

by  Fiona Fullerton

Dear Fiona In this poignant and revealing memoir, Fiona
Fullerton tells for the first time the story of
D
Letters from a Suspected Soviet Spy her friendship with Alex Alexandrowicz a
e category-A high security prisoner who was
He was a suspected Cold War spy. to serve 22 years for a crime he didn’t com-
a
mit. Based on their original letters to each
She was a KGB double agent in a Bond movie. r Dear Fiona other, the narrative is one of startling con-
trasts — the darkness of a man incarcerated

When a prisoner writes to a movie star, the best F and a woman surrounded by the brightest
he can hope for is a signed photo. But when i lights of show business.
Letters from a Suspected Soviet Spy
Alex Alexandrowicz wrote to glamorous actress o
Fiona Fullerton, he didn’t expect it to lead to a “It is you alone who has given me strength while
n
friendship spanning 30 years. I have been in prison, the strength to restore lost
a and dying hope into burning resolution”.
Fiona Fullerton was for 30 years a leading The book uncovers Alex’s tender poetry,
actress in theatre, television and films. She F prison diaries and artwork, often produced
is now a property guru, journalist, interior in solitary confinement while Fiona shares
i
designer and author of three books about o her doubts about the fragility of celebrity.
investing in the property market. She lives
n
in the Cotswolds with her husband and two “Have you ever heard of Nadejda Philaretovna
children. a von Meck? She and Tchaikovsky were corre-
sponding for years, they never met — and yet

F he produced his finest work for her. My finest
u work shall be for you”.
Makes for compulsive reading and poses
profound questions about the justice system l Dear Fiona is about an enduring friendship
“
Edward Fitzgerald QC l of mutual support, trust and dependence.
”
e
Compelling, gripping, moving, insightful “Alex, I’ll always be here when you need me. I
r
Erwin James, Guardian correspondent need you too, don’t forget”.
“ ”
t
o
n Fiona Fullerton
www.WatersidePress.co.uk
ISBN 978-1-904380-85-6
WATERSIDE PRESS
Putting justice into words WATERSIDE PRESS
9 781904380856
Spine 20.44mm
for 304pp vancouver
opaque
@ Biddles

DEAR FIONA
Letters from a Suspected Soviet Spy
FIONA FULLERTON
Dear Fiona
Letters from a Suspected Soviet Spy
Fiona Fullerton
ISBN 978-1-904380-85-6 (Hardback)
ISBN 978-1-908162-15-1 (Adobe Ebook)
ISBN 978-1-908162-16-8 (Kindle/Epub Ebook)
Published 2012 by
Waterside Press Ltd. Telephone [phone]
Sherfield Gables E-mail [email protected]
Sherfield on Loddon Online catalogue WatersidePress.co.uk
Hook, Hampshire
United Kingdom RG27 0JG
UK distributor Gardners Books, 1 Whittle Drive, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN23 6QH.
Tel: [phone]; [email protected]; www.gardners.com
North American distributor International Specialized Book Services (ISBS), 920 NE 58th
Ave, Suite 300, Portland, Oregon, 97213-3786, USA. Tel: [phone] Fax [phone]
8832; [email protected]; www.isbs.com
Copyright © 2012 This work is the copyright of Fiona Fullerton. All intellectual property
and associated rights are hereby asserted and reserved by the author in full compli-
ance with UK, European and international law. No part of this book may be copied,
reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means,
including in hard copy or via the internet, without the prior written permission of the
publishers to whom all such rights have been assigned worldwide.
Cover design © 2012 Waterside Press. Prepared by www.gibgob.com from an original
concept by Fiona Fullerton and Martha Milliken. Photograph of Alex Alexandrowicz
taken from a flyer “Free Alex Now” advertising a comedy benefit night in 1993. All other
photos are from the author’s private collection unless otherwise stated.
Cataloguing-In-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book can be obtained from
the British Library.
e-book Dear Fiona is available as an ebook and also to subscribers of Myilibrary and Daw-
sonera. See above for ISBN numbers and the formats they relate to.
Printed by MPG Books Group, Bodmin and King’s Lynn.
DEAR FIONA
Letters from a Suspected Soviet Spy
FIONA FULLERTON
WATERSIDE PRESS
Dear Fiona
iv
Fiona Fullerton
Contents
Acknowledgements vi
About the Author vii
Dedication xi
Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
1. The First Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
2. The Journey to Parkhurst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
3. Dear Alex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
4. Getting Through the Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
5. The Realm of the Last Inch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
6. A New Transition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
7. Rule 43 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201
8. A Sudden Departure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221
9. Letting Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253
10. The Night Sky of My Soul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269
Epilogue: 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .283
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .289
v
Dear Fiona
Acknowledgements
I am indebted to the following people:
The editor of the Lancashire Telegraph
BBC Points West
The Koestler Trust
Lesley-Anne Hornbogen for typing-up Alex’s handwritten letters with such
speed, enthusiasm and efficiency.
Ross Slater for finding Alex and for being so gentle.
Professor David Wilson for letting me use quotes from some of his writings.
Bryan Gibson for permission to use extracts from The Longest Injustice, a
book Alex Alexandrowicz co-wrote after his release from prison with David
Wilson. That work includes Alex’s ‘Prison Chronicles’ — a manuscript he
created telling of his life, arrest, trial, imprisonment and fight for justice.
Piers Martin for generously printing the proof copies.
Corinna Honan for her sound editorial advice.
All those who have given kind permission to use their photographs.
Alasdair Kirk for scanning all the archive material.
Martha Milliken for her help with the cover.
Janie and Mike Wilson for providing a retreat in France.
Karen Todner of Kaim Todner for her legal help to re-open Alex’s case.
Edward Fitzgerald QC for supporting this book and Alex’s fight for justice.
And to K, for returning my letters to me all those years ago. Without them,
this book would not have been possible.
Fiona Fullerton
2012
vi
Fiona Fullerton
About the Author
Fiona Fullerton was for 30 years a leading actress in theatre, television and
films. She is now a property guru, journalist, interior designer and author
of three books about investing in the property market. She lives in the
Cotswolds with her husband and two children.
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