Ben Macintyre turns the secret lives of spies into narrative non-fiction. If you enjoy following a person through an operation whose consequences reach well beyond them, his festival conversations offer a way to hear the writer behind those histories. His appearances ranged from a broad question about espionage to a new Cold War account.
Quick facts
Best known for
The Spy and the Traitor and real-life espionage stories
Genre or subject
Espionage history and narrative non-fiction
Latest book
Redwood: The Untold Story of the Cold War’s Most Extraordinary Spy (2026), Viking
Macintyre is a columnist and Associate Editor at The Times, with earlier work as a foreign correspondent. His books follow real people through intelligence operations, betrayal and war. Newspaper writing and long historical narratives sit side by side in that career: both involve explaining complicated events while keeping sight of the people making decisions.
Several books have reached film and television audiences, including Operation Mincemeat, A Spy Among Friends and SAS: Rogue Heroes. Viewers may therefore recognise a story before opening the book. Reading lets you spend longer with the people and events; hearing the author brings another voice into that experience.
Viking published Redwood: The Untold Story of the Cold War’s Most Extraordinary Spy in September 2026. It follows a Cold War intelligence story involving a Russian officer, MI6 and an escape from Iran. Readers who enjoy his Second World War accounts can follow him into another period of secret intelligence.
Where to start with their books
The Spy and the Traitor
A senior KGB officer supplied British intelligence with Soviet secrets, then needed an escape from Moscow. This Cold War account is a strong starting point if you want the close attention to one person’s danger, with the wider political stakes building around the choices he makes.
Agent Sonya
Ursula Kuczynski Burton’s espionage crossed countries and included stealing atomic information from Britain for Moscow. Begin here if a spy’s convictions interest you as much as an operation’s mechanics: the book follows a person whose opposition to fascism led her towards communism and dangerous secret work.
Operation Mincemeat
This Second World War deception used a dead man carrying false documents to mislead Germany about the Allies’ invasion plans. Choose it if you enjoy an operation assembled from unusual people and unlikely materials, or want to return to the written history after encountering its screen adaptation.
Festival appearances
For tickets, use the host festival’s official box office. Confirm the date, venue and access details before paying.
At Hay on 26 May, the Global Stage hosted Spies, Lies and Skulduggery: Does Espionage Matter? The conversation considered intelligence successes and failures through Oleg Gordievsky, Kim Philby and the Bletchley Park codebreakers. It asked about the consequences of spying across several lives and operations.
Henley welcomed him to the Town Hall on 11 October. Six days later, his new-book conversation took place in Cheltenham’s Times and Sunday Times Forum. The festival year therefore offered both a wide view of espionage and time with one of its individual stories.
Where to see them next
No 2027 appearances announced yet. Check the festival guides for programme dates.
Plan your trip
If you are going with another reader, choose one intelligence question to discuss over lunch: what makes a person trust an agent, how a secret changes a relationship, or what an operation costs those carrying it out. You can enjoy the same conversation even if you have read different books.
Leave some time after the session before the journey home. Histories of betrayal often give you plenty to talk about, and it is more pleasant to compare impressions over a drink than in a rush towards a train. Use the relevant guide below for your festival base.
The 2026 programmes featured Ben Macintyre at Cheltenham Literature Festival, Hay Festival, Henley Literary Festival; follow those guides for event information and practical visit details.
Are his spy books fiction?
They are narrative non-fiction about real people and intelligence operations. If a screen adaptation first caught your attention, the book lets you return to the historical account and follow the people behind the drama.
Should I finish a book before seeing him?
Reading one account can give you a person or operation to think about during the conversation. You can also begin with a short publisher introduction and leave the rest for afterwards, especially if you prefer to discover the story gradually.
How do I book a Macintyre festival ticket?
Go through the host festival’s official box office. Choose the conversation that interests you, check the venue and ticket terms, and ask about any access needs before paying for travel or accommodation.
