Mightier Than the Sword by Jeffrey Archer Read Free Book Online

publisher.
    “A week?” said Guinzburg. “At least three times a day, sometimes more—especially when I can’t remember their names.” Harry smiled. “However, I can prove it’s true in your case, because after reading William Warwick and the Defrocked Vicar, I’ve decided the first print run will be eighty thousand copies.”
    Harry opened his mouth, but didn’t speak. His last William Warwick novel had sold 72,000 copies so he was well aware of the commitment his publisher was making.
    “Let’s hope there won’t be too many returns.”
    “The advance orders rather suggest that eighty thousand won’t be enough. But forgive me,” Guinzburg said, “first tell me, how is Emma? And was the maiden voyage a triumph? I couldn’t find a mention of it, despite scouring the New York Times this morning . ”
    “Emma couldn’t be better, and sends her love. At this moment, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s buffing up the brass-work on the bridge. As for the maiden voyage, I have a feeling she’ll be quite relieved there’s no mention of it in the New York Times —although the whole experience may have given me an idea for my next novel.”
    “I’m all ears.”
    “Not a hope,” replied Harry. “You’ll just have to be patient, which I’m well aware is not your strongest suit.”
    “Then let’s hope your new responsibilities won’t cut into your writing schedule. Many congratulations.”
    “Thank you. Though I only allowed my name to go forward as president of English PEN for one reason.”
    Guinzburg raised an eyebrow.
    “I want a Russian called Anatoly Babakov to be released from prison immediately.”
    “Why do you feel so strongly about Babakov?” asked Guinzburg.
    “If you’d been locked up in prison for a crime you hadn’t committed, Harold, believe me, you’d feel strongly. And don’t forget, I was in an American jail, which frankly is a Holiday Inn compared to a gulag in Siberia.”
    “I can’t even remember what Babakov was meant to have done.”
    “He wrote a book.”
    “That’s a crime in Russia?”
    “It is if you decide to tell the truth about your employer, especially if your employer was Josef Stalin.”
    “ Uncle Joe, I remember,” said Guinzburg, “but the book was never published.”
    “It was published but Babakov was arrested long before a copy reached the bookshelves, and after a show trial he was sentenced to twenty years in prison, with no right of appeal.”
    “Which only makes one wonder what can be in that book to make the Soviets so determined that no one should ever get to read it.”
    “I’ve no idea,” said Harry. “But I do know that every copy of Uncle Joe was removed from the bookshelves within hours of publication. The publisher was shut down, Babakov was arrested, and he hasn’t been seen since his trial. If there’s a copy out there I intend to find it when I go to the international book conference in Moscow in May.”
    “If you do lay your hands on a copy, I’d love to have it translated and publish it over here, because I can guarantee that not only would it be a runaway best seller but also it would finally expose Stalin as a man every bit as evil as Hitler. Mind you, Russia’s a pretty big haystack in which to be searching for that particular needle.”
    “True, but I’m determined to find out what Babakov has to say. Don’t forget, he was Stalin’s personal interpreter for thirteen years, so few people would have had a better insight into the regime—although even he didn’t anticipate how the KGB would react when he decided to publish his version of what he witnessed firsthand.”
    “And now that Stalin’s old allies have removed Khrushchev and are back in power, no doubt some of them have things they’d prefer to keep hidden.”
    “Like the truth about Stalin’s death,” said Harry.
    “I’ve never seen you so worked up about anything,” said Guinzburg. “But it might not be wise for you to poke a stick at the big