Government & Politics

Journalist David Wise. His new book, The Spy Who Got Away, is the story of Edward Lee Howard, the CIA agent who divulged secrets to the Russians and then eluded an FBI dragnet to flee to the Soviet Union. The book is based on six days of interviews with Howard in Budapest and reveals a CIA coverup of suspicions about Howard's character and the agency's refusal to share the information with the FBI's counterintelligence division. Wise, a former Washington bureau chief for the New York Herald Tribune, has written extensively on espionage.

Natan, formerly Anatoly, Sharansky. He was jailed on trumped up treason and spying charges by the KGB and endured nine years of solitary confinement and a starvation diet before an international campaign forced his release two years ago. His account of his ordeal and the subsequent pressures of celebrity are recounted in his book Fear No Evil.

Author Gerald Petievich. Petievich spent 15 years as a U.S. Secret Service agent. His experiences as a member of the Los Angeles Federal Strike Force against Organized Crime and Racketeering inspired his book To Live and Die In L.A. He later co-wrote the screenplay for William Friedkin's film of the same name. Petievich's new novel is called Shakedown.

Book critic John Leonard reviews Thank God for the Atom Bomb, a new book of essays by University of Pennsylvania professor Paul Fussell.

Writer Orville Schell. His latest book, Discos and Democracy: China in the Throes of Reform, chronicles one year in China's rush toward Democracy, and the country's continuing love-hate relationship with the West. Schell's work appears regularly in The New Yorker.

Film director Robert Altman. He's best known for the 1975 film "Nashville," a free-form mosaic of American life as seen through 24 characters involved in a political rally. His other films include "3 Women," a hypnotic film about the troubled friendship of three troubled women. Altman has been working in television recently, directing the remake of the classic 1953 movie "The Caine Mutiny" that aired earlier this month on CBS.

Novelist and essayist Harry Crews. His nine novels include All We Need is Hell and The Gospel Singer. Oftentimes, the main characters of Crews' works are outsiders; The central character of Crews' most recent work, titled The Knockout Artist, is a boxer who specializes in knocking himself out. Crews' three works of nonfiction include the autobiography A Childhood, Blood and Grits, and Florida Frenzy.

Guest film critic Michael Sragow, film critic for The San Francisco Examiner, reviews "Colors," the controversial film about gangs and gang violence in Los Angeles. It stars Robert Duvall and Shawn Penn, and is directed by Dennis Hopper.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews the cast recording of the contemporary opera "Nixon in China." The score was written by minimalist composer John Adams.

Book critic John Leonard reviews the novel Children of the Arbat, by the Russian writer Anatoly Rybakov.

Critic-at-Large Laurie Stone reviews the Broadway play "M Butterfly."

Exiled South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela. In the 60's, Masekela was probably best known for his instrumental hit, "Grazing In The Grass." More recently, Masekela performed with Paul Simon during his the Graceland tour.

Language commentator Geoffrey Nunberg comments on recent activity at the federal level regarding bi-lingual education policies, and a proposed constitutional amendment to make English the nation's official language.

Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe. Achebe is one of Africa's foremost writers. His earlier works include Things Fall Apart, A Man of the People and Arrow of God. His latest work, his first novel in 25 years, is titled Anthills of the Savannah.

Television Critic David Bianculli previews this week's "American Playhouse" presentation on PBS titled "The Trial of Bernhard Goetz." Goetz was acquitted last year of assault charges stemming from his shooting of four black youths in a New York City subway car after, Goetz contended, the youths tried to rob him. The trial, which dominated the New York City press for several weeks, was known as "The Subway Vigilante" trial.

Novelist and theater and film director Elia Kazan. He directed Marlon Brando in "On the Waterfront," and James Dean in "East of Eden." He was a member of the Group Theater and co-founded the Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg.

Tony Auth, political cartoonist for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Auth's single-frame cartoons appear in more than 100 papers around the country through syndication. A new collection of his cartoons has just been published. It's titled Lost in Space: The Reagan Years.

Journalist James Adams, the defense correspondent for the Sunday Times of London. His new book, Secret Armies, explores the role of covert special fighting forces who combat terrorism around the world.

Actress Audrey Hepburn. She rocketed to international stardom for her Oscar-winning role in the film "Roman Holiday," co-starring Gregory Peck. Her other roles include Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady," the blind, tormented heroine of "Wait Until Dark," and opposite Cary Grant in "Charade." She recently returned from Ethiopia on behalf of UNICEF, for whom she now serves as a Special Ambassador.

Novelist, journalist and columnist Nicholas Von Hoffman. He's the author of 10 books, including Organized Crimes and Make-Believe Presidents. He's written for The Washington Post, The Chicago Daily News, and almost every major magazine. His latest work is titled Citizen Cohn, The Life and Times of Roy Cohn.