At the time of his death Eric Hobsbawm was the most famous historian in
the world. He not only wrote history was also witness to it, from the
Communist uprising in Europe to revolution in Cuba where he was Che
Guevara's interpreter. He was instrumental in the birth of New Labour
and was also a jazz journalist for The New Statesman. This is the
story of his family life. Marlene Hobsbawm grew up in a comfortable
middle class Jewish home in Vienna but that life was shattered by the
rise of Nazism. Age five she fled the country with her family and
settled in the UK. A talented linguist, Marlene worked post-war for the
UN in Italy helping to rebuild the country and then onto war torn Congo.
Returning to the UK she met Eric Hobsbawm. This is the story of their
roller coaster life together, much of it spent under the scrutiny of
M15.