Lecture
Professor David Peimer
Saturday 25.04.2026
Professor David Peimer
Novels and Films of the Cold War: John le Carré, Frederick Forsyth
Saturday 25.04.2026
How to watch
This lecture starts on 25 April at 5:00pm (UK).
Summary
The Cold War gave us superb novels and films about spies, suspicion, trust, fear—and anxious cultures imagining the nuclear unthinkable. Join us as we delve into how these novels and films help us grasp our current precarious uncertainties. From thrillers about the Cuban missile crisis to le Carré’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Spy who Came in from The Cold, to Hitchcock’s Topaz (1969) and the dramatic missions of Apollo 11 and 13 and the Cold War Space Race, we see how the past set the stage for today’s gathering storm for the world and the Jewish people.
Professor David Peimer
David Peimer is a Professor of Literature, Film and Theatre in the UK. He has worked for the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, New York University (Global Division) and was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University. Born in South Africa, David has won numerous awards for playwriting and directing. He has most recently directed Dame Janet Suzman in his own play, Joanna’s Story, at London Jewish Book Week. He has published numerous books, including Armed Response: Plays from South Africa and the digital book Theatre in the Camps. He is on the board of the Pinter Centre (London), and has been involved with the Mandela Foundation, Vaclav Havel Foundation and directed a range of plays at Mr Havel’s Prague theatre.