26 JANUARY 1985, page 27

Not A Dull Page

Allan Massie Anton Chekhov: Selected Letters Edited by Lillian Hellman (Picador £7.95) T he principal character in the greatest Russian fiction is Russia itself, the immensity......

The Tyrant In Tirana

Timothy Garton Ash Albanian Assignment David Smiley (Chatto/Hogarth £12.95) The Great Betrayal: The Untold Story of Kim Philby's Biggest Coup Nicholas Bethell (Hodder £9.95) A......