18 DECEMBER 1999, Page 42

Karla's theme

From Colonel Mikhail Lyubimov Sir: I am very grateful to Graham Lord for his kind review of my modest 'Karla' (Books, 4 December).

You might be interested to hear that I consider John le Carre to be my 'spiritual father', as it was his wonderful Perfect Spy which inspired me in 1990 to write my first anti-KGB novel. I learnt from le Cane that honesty and humour are the qualities secret services most abhor being applied to them (here as well as in the USA and the UK). They like to be depicted only as 'perfect heroes'. I'm gratified that, thanks to this stand, I'm still criticised by the KGB diehards as a 'traitor'.

Lyubimov

Astrakhansky pereulok 5 flat 80, 129090 Moscow, Russia