Picture of John le Carré in 1964 by Duane Michals

John le Carré passes away at age 89

This is a hard one. In a year that has seen many, many losses, for lovers of literature, the loss of David Cornwell aka John le Carré is a difficult one to handle. Jonny Geller, his agent and friend, posted this note as well as a note from le Carré's family. https://twitter.com/JonnyGeller/status/1338239733638508547 On a personal …

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The Spy Who – The Art – Part 5

Over the past few years I have been looking at versions of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, particularly ones that had artwork created for the story. Previous posts looking at various editions and collectibles related to le Carré’s most famous novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold can be found …

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Collecting A Legacy of Spies

The biggest story of last year was the announcement that John le Carré had written a new Smiley novel. Fans of le Carré's all over the world were shocked. Le Carré had seemed to put a button on Smiley with The Secret Pilgrim so every fan is excited about the new novel. As a collector, …

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Interview with Toby Manning on John le Carré and the Cold War – Part Two

We conclude our interview with Toby Manning on his book John le Carré and the Cold War. Find part one here. When you’re done reading my interview listen to the Spybrary podcast interview with Toby Manning. Spy Write: It seems that le Carré's post-Cold War work may have been what muddied the waters regarding the “otherness” …

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Le Carré, Revisited 

In honor of publication week for A Legacy of Spies I've collected a "best of" list of some of my le Carré posts. I also recommend reading Matthew Bradford's great series of posts looking back at the Smiley series book by book. First, here's my spoiler free review of the new book, A Legacy of …

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Non spoiler review: A Legacy of Spies by John le Carré

Wow. After over twenty five years we have a new Smiley book. Something I never thought I'd see happen, has happened. Was it worth going back to the well? I think so. Before we get too far, it's best to set expectations. In truth, A Legacy of Spies is about Peter Guillam, not Smiley. It’s …

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John le Carré’s Post-Cold War Fiction – Robert Lance Snyder Interview Part Three

We finish our discussion with Robert Lance Snyder in advance of the release of his new book, John le Carré's Post-Cold War Fiction. Read part one here. Read part two here. Jeff Quest: I’ve been working on a list of books recommended by le Carré and as a result reading many of the introductions he …

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John le Carré’s Post-Cold War Fiction – Robert Lance Snyder Interview Part Two

We continue our discussion with Robert Lance Snyder in advance of the release of his new book, John le Carré's Post-Cold War Fiction.  Read part one here. Jeff Quest: Le Carré has managed to stay relevant in a way that his other contemporaries still writing, like Frederick Forsyth or Charles McCarry, haven’t. McCarry in particular released a book …

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John le Carré’s Post-Cold War Fiction – Robert Lance Snyder Interview Part One

I am pleased to welcome to the blog Dr. Robert Lance Snyder. Dr. Snyder has written the upcoming book John le Carré's Post-Cold War Fiction. I haven't read his book yet, but he has previously written The Art of Indirection in British Espionage Fiction and edited the spy fiction of Paradoxa, both of which I've …

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Art of le Carré

The recent biography by Adam Sisman spends a bit of time on the early professional life of le Carré when he was attempting to become a working artist. He didn't have much success as a working painter, to our advantage as readers, but he did get at least one commission for a book cover. The …

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