The Diplomatic Agent

In the mid-19th century, the name of Yan (Ivan) Viktorovich Vitkevich, a man from the family of a Polish nobleman, sent diplomatic circles in Russia, Great Britain, Persia, and Afghanistan into a flutter of excitement. It was Ivan Vitkevich who became Russia’s first envoy to Kabul.

Thanks to his excellent aptitude for languages, he spoke German, French, English, Polish, and Russian fluently; within a short time he mastered Persian (Farsi) and dialects of Turkic languages (Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Chagatai).

The novella “Diplomatic Agent” tells the astonishing yet tragic fate of this unique man.