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John le Carré: The Biography
The definitive biography of the undisputed giant of English literature, a man whose own true history has long been hidden behind the fictional world of his books'Compendious and compelling ... it is impossible to imagine this Life being bettered' WILLIAM BOYD, NEW STATESMAN'Smiley himself could not have done a better job' SUNDAY TIMESLong after The Spy Who came in from the Cold made John le Carré a worldwide, bestselling sensation, David Cornwell, the man behind the pseudonym, remained an enigma. In this definitive biography, written with unprecedented access to the man himself, Adam Sisman offers an illuminating portrait of a fascinating and enigmatic writer.In Cornwell's lonely childhood, Adam Sisman uncovers the origins of the themes of love and abandonment which dominated le Carré's the departure of his mother when he was five, followed by 'sixteen hugless years' in the dubious care of his father, a man of energy and charm, a serial seducer and conman who hid the Bentleys in the trees when the bailiffs came calling - a 'totally incomprehensible father' who could 'put a hand on your shoulder and the other in your pocket, both gestures equally sincere'. And in Cornwell's adult life - from recruitment by both MI5 and MI6, through marriage and family life, to his emergence as the master of the spy novel - Sisman explores the idea of espionage and its significance in human terms; the extent to which betrayal is acceptable in exchange for love; and the endless need for forgiveness, especially from oneself.Written with exclusive access to David Cornwell, to his private archive and to the most important people in his life - family, friends, enemies, intelligence ex-colleagues and ex-lovers - and featuring a wealth of previously unseen photographic material, Adam Sisman's extraordinarily insightful and constantly revealing biography brings in from the cold a man whose own life was as complex and confounding and filled with treachery as any of his novels. 'I'm a liar,' Cornwell once wrote. 'Born to lying, bred to it, trained to it by an industry that lies for a living, practised in it as a novelist.'This is the definitive biography of a major writer, described by Richard Osman as 'just the finest, wisest storyteller we had.'
673 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 3, 2015
303 people are currently reading
1631 people want to read
About the author
Adam Sisman
17 books57 followersAdam Sisman is the author of various biographies, all well received by critics.
His first book, published in 1994, was a life of Trevor-Roper's colleague and rival, A.J.P. Taylor. In 2006, Sisman published a much-admired study of the friendship between Wordsworth and Coleridge. He has won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography/Autobiography
His first book, published in 1994, was a life of Trevor-Roper's colleague and rival, A.J.P. Taylor. In 2006, Sisman published a much-admired study of the friendship between Wordsworth and Coleridge. He has won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography/Autobiography
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews
November 10, 2021
A comprehensive biography focused on the writer in his youth, and his work in maturity.
David Cornwell aka John Le Carré was a child of privilege (Eton, Oxford, British Foreign Service, et al) who had a rather leaky family structure. Father Ronnie, and David’s nemesis, was a confidence trickster on the grand scale (football pools, airlines, real estate, international trading, even trading on his son’s reputation – Daddy had done it all, and gone to jail many times for his transgressions); his mother deserted the family when David was a child. David learned early in life to mistrust love, which made him a good spy. He was a recluse and bloomed late – and when he did, he went full bore.
He was recruited by MI5 and MI6 as an agent while still in school, and later worked for both agencies despite their different missions and work cultures (MI5 was for old war vets and MI6 was for idealistic university grads from posh families). He was a budding poet and cartoonist, but took to writing because he was bored. Given his family connections, he had no problem getting into the publishing world and bypassing the starving writer route. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, launched him to worldwide fame and allowed him to retire from the Foreign Office (much to the FO’s relief, although he always portrayed Britain on the winning side, warts and all).
He was lucky to come of age as a writer when the Cold War was at its height and spying was fashionable. Yet he craved the recognition of a literary writer—like Somerset Maugham, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Stephen King also did—despite making millions in his pigeon-holed genre. That recognition never came, and he reacted badly to critical reviews. In fact, once, he departed from the beaten path to write the novel The Naïve and Sentimental Lover, modeled on a love triangle between him and his closest friends, the Kennaways, only to be so badly beaten up in the press that he ran back to his cold but comfortable world of spies.
The book gives considerable air-play to each of his novels, to their genesis, reception in the marketplace, reviews, and spin-offs such as films and television series, and to Le Carré’s rigorous drafting regimen and on-site research that often took him into dangerous terrain. Despite his introverted nature, he was ruthless with agents and publishers, negotiating tough deals and ditching his promoters, even long-standing ones, at the slightest hint of non-performance.
With the fall of the Berlin Wall, Le Carré had to regroup and cast abroad for other conflict zones to serve as backdrops for his fiction. Gradually his writing took on a polemical tone of fighting for the marginalized: prisoners in Guantanamo, Africans bilked by multi-nationals, and refugees, among others. He was anti-political correctness, and he could afford to be, given his giant media profile, yet he got into a feud with Salman Rushdie over the publication of The Satanic Verses (Le Carré was one of the few writers who opposed the book’s publication) They remained lifelong antagonists – perhaps it was good for book sales, for both of them!.
Le Carré was happiest while writing and would remove himself from his family to travel the world or hide away in a nook where he could write undisturbed. Writing was his therapy from the shocks of love denied in childhood. His writing tips are interesting:
1) Begin the story as late as you can
2) Write out key sentences and put them on the wall
3) Rewrite
4) Don’t be afraid to throw away 18 months of work.
This is a good book for writers, if you are not going to lapse into despondency under the shadow of this man, who couldn’t seem to write a bad book and who became a one-man book industry, a man of privilege who took the side of the underdog in his writing and profited hugely from it.
David Cornwell aka John Le Carré was a child of privilege (Eton, Oxford, British Foreign Service, et al) who had a rather leaky family structure. Father Ronnie, and David’s nemesis, was a confidence trickster on the grand scale (football pools, airlines, real estate, international trading, even trading on his son’s reputation – Daddy had done it all, and gone to jail many times for his transgressions); his mother deserted the family when David was a child. David learned early in life to mistrust love, which made him a good spy. He was a recluse and bloomed late – and when he did, he went full bore.
He was recruited by MI5 and MI6 as an agent while still in school, and later worked for both agencies despite their different missions and work cultures (MI5 was for old war vets and MI6 was for idealistic university grads from posh families). He was a budding poet and cartoonist, but took to writing because he was bored. Given his family connections, he had no problem getting into the publishing world and bypassing the starving writer route. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, launched him to worldwide fame and allowed him to retire from the Foreign Office (much to the FO’s relief, although he always portrayed Britain on the winning side, warts and all).
He was lucky to come of age as a writer when the Cold War was at its height and spying was fashionable. Yet he craved the recognition of a literary writer—like Somerset Maugham, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Stephen King also did—despite making millions in his pigeon-holed genre. That recognition never came, and he reacted badly to critical reviews. In fact, once, he departed from the beaten path to write the novel The Naïve and Sentimental Lover, modeled on a love triangle between him and his closest friends, the Kennaways, only to be so badly beaten up in the press that he ran back to his cold but comfortable world of spies.
The book gives considerable air-play to each of his novels, to their genesis, reception in the marketplace, reviews, and spin-offs such as films and television series, and to Le Carré’s rigorous drafting regimen and on-site research that often took him into dangerous terrain. Despite his introverted nature, he was ruthless with agents and publishers, negotiating tough deals and ditching his promoters, even long-standing ones, at the slightest hint of non-performance.
With the fall of the Berlin Wall, Le Carré had to regroup and cast abroad for other conflict zones to serve as backdrops for his fiction. Gradually his writing took on a polemical tone of fighting for the marginalized: prisoners in Guantanamo, Africans bilked by multi-nationals, and refugees, among others. He was anti-political correctness, and he could afford to be, given his giant media profile, yet he got into a feud with Salman Rushdie over the publication of The Satanic Verses (Le Carré was one of the few writers who opposed the book’s publication) They remained lifelong antagonists – perhaps it was good for book sales, for both of them!.
Le Carré was happiest while writing and would remove himself from his family to travel the world or hide away in a nook where he could write undisturbed. Writing was his therapy from the shocks of love denied in childhood. His writing tips are interesting:
1) Begin the story as late as you can
2) Write out key sentences and put them on the wall
3) Rewrite
4) Don’t be afraid to throw away 18 months of work.
This is a good book for writers, if you are not going to lapse into despondency under the shadow of this man, who couldn’t seem to write a bad book and who became a one-man book industry, a man of privilege who took the side of the underdog in his writing and profited hugely from it.
October 23, 2015
BOTW
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06j13r5Description: John le Carré is still at the top, more than half a century after The Spy Who Came in from the Cold became a worldwide bestseller. From his bleak childhood - the departure of his mother when he was five was followed by 'sixteen hugless years' in the dubious care of his father, a serial-seducer and con-man - through recruitment by both MI5 and MI6, to his emergence as the master of the espionage novel, le Carré has repeatedly quarried his life for his fiction. Millions of readers are hungry to know the truth about him. Written with exclusive access to le Carre himself, to his private archive and to many of the people closest to him, this is a major biography of one of the most important novelists alive today.
1/5: Born David Cornwell, le Carré's life was in thrall to his remarkable father Ronnie. 2/5: School, then Bern to study, and meeting mysterious Kraemer 3/5: Oxford, then teaching at Eton, employment at MI5 and publication 4/5: Le Carré hits the height of fame, meets Graham Greene, and tackles his most famous book. 5/5: From The Constant Gardener in the 1990's to the present day, and theauthor is still very much at work - "I find it very difficult to read my own stuff, but I look at it with satisfaction.."
April 23, 2018
Between February 2017 and September 2017 I read the entire George Smiley series...
'Call for the Dead' (1961)
'A Murder of Quality' (1962)
'The Spy Who Came In from the Cold' (1963)
'The Looking Glass War' (1965)
'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' (1974)
'The Honourable Schoolboy' (1977)
'Smiley's People' (1980)
'The Secret Pilgrim' (1991)
'A Legacy of Spies' (2017)
...and, to varying degrees, each is wonderful.
Having reached the end of the series, I was left wondering about John le Carré's life and work, and whether to read other books by him.
One of the most intriguing aspects of 'John le Carré: The Biography' is John le Carré's self mythologising aligned to false memories. Adam Sisman highlights these on numerous occasions, and John le Carré (known throughout this book by his real name, David Cornwell) acknowledges this himself. Indeed John le Carré is so addicted to storytelling that he now frequently confuses fact with his fiction.
'John le Carré: The Biography' describes an extraordinary life story and a very complex human being, much of which seems to stem from his father Ronnie Cornwell. A conman masquerading as a successful entrepreneur who made and lost several fortunes and was twice imprisoned for fraud. In short, he is a monster, who forced Olive, John le Carré's mother, to flee the family home when John le Carré was just five years old. His mother’s desertion and his appalling father, made for a very unhappy childhood.
'John le Carré: The Biography' is an engrossing read that inspires me to want to read every one of John le Carré's books.
To me, he is one of the greatest authors of the last 70 years, however, as this book details, many critics view him as a mere genre writer, and just a superior writer of spy stories. Whatever your view, this is a wonderful, even-handed biography about a complicated and consummate writer who has lived an interesting and eventful life. He has also been a best selling writer for over 50 years, an achievement few, if any, can match.
4/5
'Call for the Dead' (1961)
'A Murder of Quality' (1962)
'The Spy Who Came In from the Cold' (1963)
'The Looking Glass War' (1965)
'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' (1974)
'The Honourable Schoolboy' (1977)
'Smiley's People' (1980)
'The Secret Pilgrim' (1991)
'A Legacy of Spies' (2017)
...and, to varying degrees, each is wonderful.
Having reached the end of the series, I was left wondering about John le Carré's life and work, and whether to read other books by him.
One of the most intriguing aspects of 'John le Carré: The Biography' is John le Carré's self mythologising aligned to false memories. Adam Sisman highlights these on numerous occasions, and John le Carré (known throughout this book by his real name, David Cornwell) acknowledges this himself. Indeed John le Carré is so addicted to storytelling that he now frequently confuses fact with his fiction.
'John le Carré: The Biography' describes an extraordinary life story and a very complex human being, much of which seems to stem from his father Ronnie Cornwell. A conman masquerading as a successful entrepreneur who made and lost several fortunes and was twice imprisoned for fraud. In short, he is a monster, who forced Olive, John le Carré's mother, to flee the family home when John le Carré was just five years old. His mother’s desertion and his appalling father, made for a very unhappy childhood.
'John le Carré: The Biography' is an engrossing read that inspires me to want to read every one of John le Carré's books.
To me, he is one of the greatest authors of the last 70 years, however, as this book details, many critics view him as a mere genre writer, and just a superior writer of spy stories. Whatever your view, this is a wonderful, even-handed biography about a complicated and consummate writer who has lived an interesting and eventful life. He has also been a best selling writer for over 50 years, an achievement few, if any, can match.
4/5
August 18, 2018
I decided to read the bio of John Le Carre even though I still have yet to finish the catalogue, at this time I still have three left to read.
I enjoyed the writing style that Sisman used to write this book. But as we all know, you have to take biographies with a grain of salt.
But I will say that I felt like I was reading Le Carre’s memoir “The Pigeon Tunnel” with expanded scenes.
And yes, this biography is full of spoilers going up to “A Delicate Truth”. This book came out before “A Leagacy of Spies”, so that story is still unspoiled for me.
I enjoyed the writing style that Sisman used to write this book. But as we all know, you have to take biographies with a grain of salt.
But I will say that I felt like I was reading Le Carre’s memoir “The Pigeon Tunnel” with expanded scenes.
And yes, this biography is full of spoilers going up to “A Delicate Truth”. This book came out before “A Leagacy of Spies”, so that story is still unspoiled for me.
January 3, 2016
The first time the name John le Carré entered my consciousness, I remember being intrigued by a hardcover edition of THE RUSSIA HOUSE that sat proudly on my dad's bookshelf (and now sits on mine). Something about the stark red-and-black cover, combined with that accented name that hinted at intrigue and sophistication, must have appealed to me. I had a love of Tom Clancy books growing up, which grew into a love of James Bond movies and Eric Ambler novels, spy stories that have a playful, technical quality that entertained and amused, but this, even then, felt like something different.
I remember being stunned when I finally got around to reading a le Carré book, THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD. The bleak and compromised world le Carré depicted was totally different from anything I had read before. It was a tectonic shift in how I perceived the world, one of those books that changed my life. This was no dime novel, or, if it was, it was something that redefined what a dime novel could be. I tore through whatever I could get my hands on from this talented writer; I remember being absorbed in the compelling characters and the lament of British decline in TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY; the black-as-night satire of THE TAILOR OF PANAMA made me laugh out loud more than I ever have while reading a book. There was the occasional misstep, of course - I remember urging a friend to put THE HONOURABLE SCHOOLBOY down, and I can't think of anything to recommend it to this day. But on the whole, I had never read a writer who treats his reader with such respect - le Carré writes with startling precision, even as you desperately try to catch up with what's going on. He trusts you to trust him. He writes the kind of mysteries that you want to read over again, and he fills those mysteries with wonderful insight into both character and the times in which we live.
All of that is to say that I am the perfect audience for a biography that, in the main, argues that le Carré has redefined what a spy novel can be, that he has elevated it to literature.
Of course, le Carré is a pen name - a name that well-designed to sell books is too good to be true. This is the biography of David Cornwell, a British schoolteacher, spy, and writer, who has searched for meaning in several of the hallowed institutions of British lore, only to find it in service to himself and his art. He's far from a perfect man: the book does an admirable job of exploring his fraught childhood, his struggle with loyalty and fidelity (familial, romantic, and national), and his rage and obsession with his critics. The biography also does a fantastic job of highlighting where Cornwell's life experiences are mimicked in le Carré's novels.
I don't think I've ever read a biography of a living person before, and there are several times this causes issues: most notably, there is a serious lack of information on what, exactly, Cornwell did while he was a spy, aside from a few tantalizing hints, and there is a very interesting foreword to the book where Adam Sisman (the biographer) talks about how hard and combative the relationship between the two authors has been at times, and how he hopes to release another edition of this book at a later point (read: after Cornwell's death with further details. The book also suffers from a highly condensed version of the last twenty years of the subject's life.
But all in all, this is a personal narrative that is absolutely fascinating - Cornwell's life is such a rich example of Britain at a particular point in history, and has such fascinating characters, that it reads like compelling fiction on its own. The exploration of the relationship with Cornwell's father is worth the price of admission alone.
All of this is a very long-winded way of elaborating on my original review, below:
More thoughts to come, but if you're a le Carré fan, you owe it to yourself to pick this up.
I remember being stunned when I finally got around to reading a le Carré book, THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD. The bleak and compromised world le Carré depicted was totally different from anything I had read before. It was a tectonic shift in how I perceived the world, one of those books that changed my life. This was no dime novel, or, if it was, it was something that redefined what a dime novel could be. I tore through whatever I could get my hands on from this talented writer; I remember being absorbed in the compelling characters and the lament of British decline in TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY; the black-as-night satire of THE TAILOR OF PANAMA made me laugh out loud more than I ever have while reading a book. There was the occasional misstep, of course - I remember urging a friend to put THE HONOURABLE SCHOOLBOY down, and I can't think of anything to recommend it to this day. But on the whole, I had never read a writer who treats his reader with such respect - le Carré writes with startling precision, even as you desperately try to catch up with what's going on. He trusts you to trust him. He writes the kind of mysteries that you want to read over again, and he fills those mysteries with wonderful insight into both character and the times in which we live.
All of that is to say that I am the perfect audience for a biography that, in the main, argues that le Carré has redefined what a spy novel can be, that he has elevated it to literature.
Of course, le Carré is a pen name - a name that well-designed to sell books is too good to be true. This is the biography of David Cornwell, a British schoolteacher, spy, and writer, who has searched for meaning in several of the hallowed institutions of British lore, only to find it in service to himself and his art. He's far from a perfect man: the book does an admirable job of exploring his fraught childhood, his struggle with loyalty and fidelity (familial, romantic, and national), and his rage and obsession with his critics. The biography also does a fantastic job of highlighting where Cornwell's life experiences are mimicked in le Carré's novels.
I don't think I've ever read a biography of a living person before, and there are several times this causes issues: most notably, there is a serious lack of information on what, exactly, Cornwell did while he was a spy, aside from a few tantalizing hints, and there is a very interesting foreword to the book where Adam Sisman (the biographer) talks about how hard and combative the relationship between the two authors has been at times, and how he hopes to release another edition of this book at a later point (read: after Cornwell's death with further details. The book also suffers from a highly condensed version of the last twenty years of the subject's life.
But all in all, this is a personal narrative that is absolutely fascinating - Cornwell's life is such a rich example of Britain at a particular point in history, and has such fascinating characters, that it reads like compelling fiction on its own. The exploration of the relationship with Cornwell's father is worth the price of admission alone.
All of this is a very long-winded way of elaborating on my original review, below:
More thoughts to come, but if you're a le Carré fan, you owe it to yourself to pick this up.
March 17, 2016
Very, very detailed and impressively researched. More than I need, really. Not criticizing but I've not yet read le Carre(!). Understandably full of spoilers. Le Carre is presented as a complex character with inaccurate, or, more likely, embellished, memories. Who knows what to believe. If Sisman is mostly accurate, le Carre comes off as someone I'd like to know (perhaps avoiding politics). Le Carre has made himself into a celebrated, successful author from an infelicitous beginning with difficult, unprepared parents. I am amused that le Carre is so disappointed in the US. He seems to think we can't do anything right yet he cares so very much about his book and movie ticket sales over here. Like too many people outside of the US he is both overly drawn to us and repulsed simultaneously. We come from you, other people of the world! Self hatred? Jealousy? I also enjoy the type of British (not le Carre) who think using the wrong fork is worse than sleeping with your best friend's husband. Oh the rituals and habits of the British upper classes!
As a US person descended from Poles and Irish, my medium-level anglophilia is not congenital. Later, as a traveler and student of history, I believe we are on the same team and we need each other. Rule Britannia resulted in a lot of good in with the bad. I think I wish we were part of the Commonwealth (I am forever disqualified to run for any public office here with that statement). I'm bemused by anti-Americanism in the UK. Your people made this place. Imitation is flattery. It doesn't make rational sense. Try laughing WITH us for a change, eh?
OTOH, I do agree with le Carre's belief that we wasted a chance to do more at the end of the Cold War. Although I feel increasingly isolationist as I age, we really blew that one. Now we're stuck with Putin and his siloviki. Pity Russia.
"I am a liar... [b]orn to lying, bred to it, trained to it by an industry that lies for a living, practiced in it as a novelist." Le Carre pere comes across as a textbook sociopath. Good thing fils found writing. He could wreak a lot of havoc with that brain power.
Almost time for me to tuck into "Call for the Dead." I hope I like it!
As a US person descended from Poles and Irish, my medium-level anglophilia is not congenital. Later, as a traveler and student of history, I believe we are on the same team and we need each other. Rule Britannia resulted in a lot of good in with the bad. I think I wish we were part of the Commonwealth (I am forever disqualified to run for any public office here with that statement). I'm bemused by anti-Americanism in the UK. Your people made this place. Imitation is flattery. It doesn't make rational sense. Try laughing WITH us for a change, eh?
OTOH, I do agree with le Carre's belief that we wasted a chance to do more at the end of the Cold War. Although I feel increasingly isolationist as I age, we really blew that one. Now we're stuck with Putin and his siloviki. Pity Russia.
"I am a liar... [b]orn to lying, bred to it, trained to it by an industry that lies for a living, practiced in it as a novelist." Le Carre pere comes across as a textbook sociopath. Good thing fils found writing. He could wreak a lot of havoc with that brain power.
Almost time for me to tuck into "Call for the Dead." I hope I like it!
December 31, 2017
John le Carre: The Biography was an extremely well researched authoritative biography of British spy and novelist David Cornwell, better known as John le Carre. The biographer Sisman presented the facts as found in his research and noted instances where it differed with Cornwell's remembrances. It was interesting to see the parallels in John le Carre's life to the themes explored in his books.
The epigraph at the beginning of book was perfect, a quotation by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Writers aren't people exactly. Or, if they're any good, they're a whole lot of people trying so hard to be one person." It was a very interesting and enjoyable book.
The epigraph at the beginning of book was perfect, a quotation by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Writers aren't people exactly. Or, if they're any good, they're a whole lot of people trying so hard to be one person." It was a very interesting and enjoyable book.
October 23, 2015
From BBC radio 4 - Book of the Week:
The life of John Le Carre by Adam Sisman, is abridged for radio in 5 episodes by Katrin Williams:
'John Le Carre' was born David Cornwell, and his early life was in thrall to a genial, vivid and rascally father called Ronnie, who was never short of surprises.
2. Under his real name of David Cornwell, he leaves Sherbourne, goes to Bern and meets Joe Kraemer, who proves a route of sorts into the spying game..
3. Oxford, teaching at Eton, employment at M15. And publication. During these eventful years the shadow of his father Ronnie continues to loom large.
4. From The Spy Who Came In From The Cold to Tinker, Tailor.., Le Carre is one of the biggest names in the writing world. Then there's the time he encountered Dennis Healey at a party, with genial accusations in the air.
5. From The Constant Gardener in the 1990's to the present day, and the author is still very much at work.
Reader Stephen Boxer
Producer Duncan Minshull.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06j13r5
The life of John Le Carre by Adam Sisman, is abridged for radio in 5 episodes by Katrin Williams:
'John Le Carre' was born David Cornwell, and his early life was in thrall to a genial, vivid and rascally father called Ronnie, who was never short of surprises.
2. Under his real name of David Cornwell, he leaves Sherbourne, goes to Bern and meets Joe Kraemer, who proves a route of sorts into the spying game..
3. Oxford, teaching at Eton, employment at M15. And publication. During these eventful years the shadow of his father Ronnie continues to loom large.
4. From The Spy Who Came In From The Cold to Tinker, Tailor.., Le Carre is one of the biggest names in the writing world. Then there's the time he encountered Dennis Healey at a party, with genial accusations in the air.
5. From The Constant Gardener in the 1990's to the present day, and the author is still very much at work.
Reader Stephen Boxer
Producer Duncan Minshull.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06j13r5
November 6, 2018
This is a comprehensive biography of David Cornwell, aka John le Carre. Le Carre, the author of many famous spy novels was once himself a spy for Britain's MI5 and MI6. After a rough childhood he bounced around for several years, trying to distance himself from his unbalanced father, becoming an instructor at Eton and eventually discovering that he had an aptitude for fiction. The rest of his working life followed in a somewhat orderly manner - one best seller after another. He was always consumed with producing the next book, never seeming to rest and enjoy his fame. He often bickered with literary agents and other authors, sometimes publicly. He was inspired to create fictional characters from real people that he encountered. Though Adam Sisman diligently presents the events of Cornwell's life, Cornwell still seems somewhat unknowable, certainly apt for the creator of complex, inscrutable characters.
January 1, 2025
A very nice biography from a readers perspective. There is information about the inspiration for each of the books he has written. A great deal of information on his father who was essentially a con man all his life. Very little information on his MI6 days. If you are interested in his books this provides interesting insight.
August 25, 2018
If one asks the question: Who is the audience for a writer’s biography? The easiest answer is: Fans of that writer. If the author is important enough there may be sales to academics, but this is not for whom the biographer toils. Following this question, a potential reader might want to know of this is a fawning, family sponsored memorial or an attack piece by an author with any of several axes to grind.
In writing John Le Carre’, Adam Sisman had the full access to the living John Cornwall, pen name John Le Carre’ as well as his friends and papers, but the writing evidences a critical eye as well as a fan’s infatuation. The result is a very good biography. Something about it keeps me from calling it the definitive biography. The easy reason is that man is still living and still writing but it is possible that Sisman got too close to his subject.
Against the complaint that Sisman can be repetitious, it is true. But there are repetitions in Cornwall’s life and in Le Carre’s writing. John’s father was a criminal con man on a very high level. This fact highly colors the son’s experience of the world and relations with people from his mother to his women and across through his publishers and friends.
The John Le Carre` books that made of him more than an author of popular popular fiction are those about espionage, the cold war and later the competing demands of take all capitalism and the protection of human dignity. The subtext for all of these books are the limits of the demands of duty and the duty owed to love.
Citing from the books that made me a Le Carre` fan, the Quest for Karla Trilogy. The movies’ James Bond with his super gadgetry was certainly the stuff of fantasy. All of us have had the pleasure of pretending we had machine guns mounted in our car just in time to nail that ruder driver. The reality based, poorly dressed, bookish and decidedly un-cool George Smiley digging through files and working the bureaucracy is much closes to who many of us are.
Going deeper, the question is not just who is Karla’s mole? But what is their motive. How far can governments go in protecting their respective interests? This questions tends to be easy to answer at the grand scale, but are the answers the same when decisions are made at face to face range?
The Man Who Came in from the Cold, the first of the great le Carre’ books is entirely about this question. We are cautioned that spies, more correctly secret agents are people. Often sordid people with motives remote from King and country and just as often seedy and marginal. What then is a spy if not one of their countries heroes?
And so this same question, usually in the same tired, disenchanted voice echoes across a very large portion of John Le Carre’s oeuvre.
Sisman grasps the subtext of these books and as they are repetitious so he repeats. More than this he critically reviews both the novels and the later movies.
Something about the movie coverage seems less serious. These portions can get somewhat gossipy. It is clear that Cornwell/Le Carre’ takes his movie adaptations seriously but somehow the history of the movie making cannot help but be tinged with the Hollywood reporter. Many of his books have made the jump to both the wide and small screen and have consistently been good box office. A reasonable speculation is that this additional vote of public interest is part of why Le Carre’ has not benefited from more of the staid but prestigious awards from within the literary community.
Not clear to me, or to Sisman is why Cornwall has a history of resisting British government recognition for so many decades of contributing to England’s culture, and so ready to accept similar and lessor recognition from other countries.
I am a long time John Le Carre’ fan. Sisman has reminded me of titles I had missed and deepened my appreciation for the author. He has not made me feel that this is the only book I need to best appreciate one of my favorite authors.
In writing John Le Carre’, Adam Sisman had the full access to the living John Cornwall, pen name John Le Carre’ as well as his friends and papers, but the writing evidences a critical eye as well as a fan’s infatuation. The result is a very good biography. Something about it keeps me from calling it the definitive biography. The easy reason is that man is still living and still writing but it is possible that Sisman got too close to his subject.
Against the complaint that Sisman can be repetitious, it is true. But there are repetitions in Cornwall’s life and in Le Carre’s writing. John’s father was a criminal con man on a very high level. This fact highly colors the son’s experience of the world and relations with people from his mother to his women and across through his publishers and friends.
The John Le Carre` books that made of him more than an author of popular popular fiction are those about espionage, the cold war and later the competing demands of take all capitalism and the protection of human dignity. The subtext for all of these books are the limits of the demands of duty and the duty owed to love.
Citing from the books that made me a Le Carre` fan, the Quest for Karla Trilogy. The movies’ James Bond with his super gadgetry was certainly the stuff of fantasy. All of us have had the pleasure of pretending we had machine guns mounted in our car just in time to nail that ruder driver. The reality based, poorly dressed, bookish and decidedly un-cool George Smiley digging through files and working the bureaucracy is much closes to who many of us are.
Going deeper, the question is not just who is Karla’s mole? But what is their motive. How far can governments go in protecting their respective interests? This questions tends to be easy to answer at the grand scale, but are the answers the same when decisions are made at face to face range?
The Man Who Came in from the Cold, the first of the great le Carre’ books is entirely about this question. We are cautioned that spies, more correctly secret agents are people. Often sordid people with motives remote from King and country and just as often seedy and marginal. What then is a spy if not one of their countries heroes?
And so this same question, usually in the same tired, disenchanted voice echoes across a very large portion of John Le Carre’s oeuvre.
Sisman grasps the subtext of these books and as they are repetitious so he repeats. More than this he critically reviews both the novels and the later movies.
Something about the movie coverage seems less serious. These portions can get somewhat gossipy. It is clear that Cornwell/Le Carre’ takes his movie adaptations seriously but somehow the history of the movie making cannot help but be tinged with the Hollywood reporter. Many of his books have made the jump to both the wide and small screen and have consistently been good box office. A reasonable speculation is that this additional vote of public interest is part of why Le Carre’ has not benefited from more of the staid but prestigious awards from within the literary community.
Not clear to me, or to Sisman is why Cornwall has a history of resisting British government recognition for so many decades of contributing to England’s culture, and so ready to accept similar and lessor recognition from other countries.
I am a long time John Le Carre’ fan. Sisman has reminded me of titles I had missed and deepened my appreciation for the author. He has not made me feel that this is the only book I need to best appreciate one of my favorite authors.
June 27, 2018
Over the course of John le Carré's 86 years he's written 24 novels. He's maybe most well-known for his aging spy, George Smiley, who appeared in many of his early novels. I've read nine of ten of his books and have in the past few years, started to read his earlier works, as I missed them when I started to explore his writing.
This biography, John Le Carré: the Biography by Adam Sisman piqued my interest when I first saw it on the bookshelves in one of my local book shops (It was originally published in 2015). I finally purchased a copy and was glad to settle down to it this past month. The book was well-organized and flowed nicely. Sisman has an excellent way in presenting his story. It progresses logically, from le Carré's early childhood until his 80th birthday, finishing with his 2nd most recent novel, A Delicate Truth (2013).
I found le Carré's early life very interesting. Much detail is provided about his father and how poorly he treated his wives and children. Ronnie Cornwell (le Carré's real name is David Cornwell) was a ducker and diver, a grifter and philanderer and never changed over the course of his life. He used his children to achieve his own ends, got involved in many financial schemes, spent time in prison for his shady dealings and many times left his boys on the spot.
Much of what David accomplished was almost almost in contrast to his father. Not too say his father wasn't loved, as he had loyal friends, but he just wasn't a very good man / father. Cornwell's story moves through his childhood, time spent at boarding schools and gradually to university and a career with MI5 and MI6. Cornwell had marriage difficulties, was somewhat of a philanderer as well but ultimately found the wife who supported and for whom he cared dearly. As we get to David's writing career, we move chronologically through all of his novels, what influenced him in writing them, reviews of the books, problems with publishers, movie and TV tie-ins, etc. It's a very interesting story and we do find inklings of Cornwell's attitudes and how they develop and change over the course of his long life. Work was an addiction to him and his methods of formulating and developing his stories make for some interesting reading for budding authors.
If you've enjoyed le Carré's books you might find this biography interesting. It was nice reliving the stories and also remembering the history of the time in which Cornwell grew up and also meeting the people who became his friends. (3.5 stars)
This biography, John Le Carré: the Biography by Adam Sisman piqued my interest when I first saw it on the bookshelves in one of my local book shops (It was originally published in 2015). I finally purchased a copy and was glad to settle down to it this past month. The book was well-organized and flowed nicely. Sisman has an excellent way in presenting his story. It progresses logically, from le Carré's early childhood until his 80th birthday, finishing with his 2nd most recent novel, A Delicate Truth (2013).
I found le Carré's early life very interesting. Much detail is provided about his father and how poorly he treated his wives and children. Ronnie Cornwell (le Carré's real name is David Cornwell) was a ducker and diver, a grifter and philanderer and never changed over the course of his life. He used his children to achieve his own ends, got involved in many financial schemes, spent time in prison for his shady dealings and many times left his boys on the spot.
Much of what David accomplished was almost almost in contrast to his father. Not too say his father wasn't loved, as he had loyal friends, but he just wasn't a very good man / father. Cornwell's story moves through his childhood, time spent at boarding schools and gradually to university and a career with MI5 and MI6. Cornwell had marriage difficulties, was somewhat of a philanderer as well but ultimately found the wife who supported and for whom he cared dearly. As we get to David's writing career, we move chronologically through all of his novels, what influenced him in writing them, reviews of the books, problems with publishers, movie and TV tie-ins, etc. It's a very interesting story and we do find inklings of Cornwell's attitudes and how they develop and change over the course of his long life. Work was an addiction to him and his methods of formulating and developing his stories make for some interesting reading for budding authors.
If you've enjoyed le Carré's books you might find this biography interesting. It was nice reliving the stories and also remembering the history of the time in which Cornwell grew up and also meeting the people who became his friends. (3.5 stars)
October 16, 2017
I read this biography before I read Le Carre's own episodic memoir that revealed very little. I knew some of Le Carre's background but this book certainly gave me a deep insight into his inner workings. His early formative years in a dysfunctional family with a criminal father and absent mother, and being an outsider at private boys' schools appear to have set him up with three significant views: a need for secrecy that attracted him to MI5 and MI6; little understanding of women (which shows up in his first marriage and his generally negative view of them in his books); and a distaste for those elitist schoolboys who run the British Establishment. A great writer who transcended the spy genre to tackle various evils plaguing the planet and a biography well worth reading if you're a fan of Le Carre.
October 27, 2015
An eminently readable biography of a fascinating person. In the second half of the book which focuses mostly in his profession career, fans of Le Carré's novels will appreciate the care the author takes is weaving the plot of each novel into the author's life and the context of the times in which he was living.
Dense, though well written, this book is highly recommended to lovers of books and writing. The subject lends himself well to the portrait of a flawed but extremely talented and principled human being. It is certainly not as Cornwall claims "all warts."
Dense, though well written, this book is highly recommended to lovers of books and writing. The subject lends himself well to the portrait of a flawed but extremely talented and principled human being. It is certainly not as Cornwall claims "all warts."
November 15, 2015
Glad this finally came out as an authoritative biography of this subject was long overdue. As interesting and complex as the books he writes. As dense and convoluted family background as you'd expect. Was slightly surprised at how much of his background comes out in fictional form in the books, especially the portraits of his father. One of the most interesting reads I've had this year. Complete with some great photos of all concerned. - BH.
January 31, 2016
Like the best of literary biographies, this makes me want to read more of the subject's writing.
In this case, LeCarre, a.k.a. David Cornwell, is in some ways more interesting for having survived a real con man of a father. The first half of this is thus way more compelling than the more stable last half.
Highly recommended.
In this case, LeCarre, a.k.a. David Cornwell, is in some ways more interesting for having survived a real con man of a father. The first half of this is thus way more compelling than the more stable last half.
Highly recommended.
March 29, 2021
An enthralling book, despite its ponderous size, about the colourful life of one of the best authors in the English Language. It is as gripping as the espionage thrillers scripted by David Cornwell – better known as John le Carré. That mystery, that of the origin of his non de plume, remains unsolved – le Carré himself seems to have forgotten its provenance, attributing it to a sign-board of a shop seen in passing.
However, George Smiley’s wayward wife’s name - Lady Ann - turns out to be the same as the author’s wife's, although
However, George Smiley’s wayward wife’s name - Lady Ann - turns out to be the same as the author’s wife's, although
It is curious that David should have used his own wife’s name for the wife of his principal character. On the face of it, they were as unlike as could be: Ann was conventional, monogamous and middle class, while Lady Ann was bohemian, promiscuous and aristocratic. Perhaps Ann was right in at least one aspect: Lady Ann represented the essential unknowableness of women to Smiley, and by extension to David.A must-read for all le Carré fans. His delightful, if acerbic, feud with Salman Rushdie makes fascinating reading. The influence of his roguish shyster of a father Ronnie - lovingly described in A Perfect Spy, played a crucial role in the evolution of the author's mentality.
April 4, 2021
I am a huge fan of le Carré and got so much more information from this book than I had imagined I would...but perhaps too much??
The author goes into so much detail that by the end I was wondering if he couldn't have skipped a wee bit here and there...however it was excellently narrated and a joy to listen to!
The author goes into so much detail that by the end I was wondering if he couldn't have skipped a wee bit here and there...however it was excellently narrated and a joy to listen to!
November 5, 2017
A little too much about the books and not enough about the man. But compelling.
November 11, 2019
An extraordinarily detailed and well researched biography. I have to admit to skimming the many descriptions and reviews of the novels, partly as I didn't want to know too much before reading them.
December 28, 2020
Over the next 600 pages the reader is taken on a journey of Cornwell’s life punctuated by the many books he wrote and the response from critics and the reading public. Quite a number of his books have been made into films and television series.
Throughout the first three quarters of the book the dark cloud of David’s father casts a shadow over Cornwell’s life. Ronnie Cornwell was a habitual con artist, swindler and a down right crook. One would have to have some admiration for David Cornwell to have survived so well from having such a nasty individual as a father. It lead to his mother leaving the family when David and his brother, Tony, were still quiet young.
Undoubtedly if Ronnie Cornwell was around today he would have numerous mental illnesses attached to his name. Bi-polar, autistic, depressed. He was a man who one moment was awash in money and in the next disappearing from aggravated creditors.
Throughout the first half his life his father moved in and out of his life. It was seldom if ever an enjoyable experience. As an adult there were numerous occasions when he had to help/rescue his father from financial failings.
It cannot be understated the influence that his conniving father had on David. He finally dies two thirds way through the book.
On being told of his father’s death “David sat silent, keeping his news to himself. He felt no sadness, no loss; on the contrary he would later claim that he felt liberated, even jubilant.”
Sisman relates a number of anecdotal stories that dot Cornwell’s life. In 1948 His father invited the touring Australian cricket team (the Invincibles) to the mansion that he was living in at the time. When David returned to school his fellow students were gobsmacked when he casually mentioned Bradman, Miller, Barnes, Hassett, Morris and Lindwell had been weekend visitors.
Because of his success as a writer he met many famous authors, politicians and film stars.
Le Carrè’s writing has often been compared to the work of Graham Greene and although they never became close friends they did admire each other’s work. Cornwell worked with and develop friendships with a number of actors Alec Guinness was someone who he admired and became close to. It was interesting reading about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton during the filming of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.
He received a letter of appreciation from George H.W. Bush for his writing. Cornwell was definitely not a fan of this Bush’s son. (Nor Tony Blair.) He never received any correspondence from George W Bush. May be if he wrote pop-up books he might have!!
Cornwell had a troubles relationship with Salman Rushdie. When the Satanic Verses furore erupted Cornwell was critical of Rushdie for being critical of a major religion. The antagonism between the two lasted for many years.
Two aspects of this biography that I greatly appreciated was the depth in which Sisman wrote about how Cornwell took people who he knew and developed them into characters in his novels. Sisman names people who were the starting model for well-known characters in his stories. Secondly, Sisman explains Cornwell’s writing process. Often a story is developed which can be re-written several times and end up being very different to the original outline.
Many believed that with the end of the Cold War Le Carrè’s purpose for writing would disappear. This did not occur he skilful develop plots and themes that reflected the new world order.
Sisman explains Cornwell’s relationships with his publishers and agents. During his writing career he changes these people which leads to great angst on the part of all parties.
I was most interested in how much negative reviews of his writing affected him. I would have thought after so many years he would have been immune for this type of commentary.
There are some who admire Le Carrè and argue that he is not only a great story teller but a great exponent of quality literature. There are others who see him as a much published thriller writer. I am with the former. It is a sizeable account of the life of David Cornwell but then he is a sizeable character the world of English writing in the second half of the twentieth century and into this new century. I have been reading and re-reading some of his earlier works and they have a style and content that still impresses today.
Throughout the first three quarters of the book the dark cloud of David’s father casts a shadow over Cornwell’s life. Ronnie Cornwell was a habitual con artist, swindler and a down right crook. One would have to have some admiration for David Cornwell to have survived so well from having such a nasty individual as a father. It lead to his mother leaving the family when David and his brother, Tony, were still quiet young.
Undoubtedly if Ronnie Cornwell was around today he would have numerous mental illnesses attached to his name. Bi-polar, autistic, depressed. He was a man who one moment was awash in money and in the next disappearing from aggravated creditors.
Throughout the first half his life his father moved in and out of his life. It was seldom if ever an enjoyable experience. As an adult there were numerous occasions when he had to help/rescue his father from financial failings.
It cannot be understated the influence that his conniving father had on David. He finally dies two thirds way through the book.
On being told of his father’s death “David sat silent, keeping his news to himself. He felt no sadness, no loss; on the contrary he would later claim that he felt liberated, even jubilant.”
Sisman relates a number of anecdotal stories that dot Cornwell’s life. In 1948 His father invited the touring Australian cricket team (the Invincibles) to the mansion that he was living in at the time. When David returned to school his fellow students were gobsmacked when he casually mentioned Bradman, Miller, Barnes, Hassett, Morris and Lindwell had been weekend visitors.
Because of his success as a writer he met many famous authors, politicians and film stars.
Le Carrè’s writing has often been compared to the work of Graham Greene and although they never became close friends they did admire each other’s work. Cornwell worked with and develop friendships with a number of actors Alec Guinness was someone who he admired and became close to. It was interesting reading about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton during the filming of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.
He received a letter of appreciation from George H.W. Bush for his writing. Cornwell was definitely not a fan of this Bush’s son. (Nor Tony Blair.) He never received any correspondence from George W Bush. May be if he wrote pop-up books he might have!!
Cornwell had a troubles relationship with Salman Rushdie. When the Satanic Verses furore erupted Cornwell was critical of Rushdie for being critical of a major religion. The antagonism between the two lasted for many years.
Two aspects of this biography that I greatly appreciated was the depth in which Sisman wrote about how Cornwell took people who he knew and developed them into characters in his novels. Sisman names people who were the starting model for well-known characters in his stories. Secondly, Sisman explains Cornwell’s writing process. Often a story is developed which can be re-written several times and end up being very different to the original outline.
Many believed that with the end of the Cold War Le Carrè’s purpose for writing would disappear. This did not occur he skilful develop plots and themes that reflected the new world order.
Sisman explains Cornwell’s relationships with his publishers and agents. During his writing career he changes these people which leads to great angst on the part of all parties.
I was most interested in how much negative reviews of his writing affected him. I would have thought after so many years he would have been immune for this type of commentary.
There are some who admire Le Carrè and argue that he is not only a great story teller but a great exponent of quality literature. There are others who see him as a much published thriller writer. I am with the former. It is a sizeable account of the life of David Cornwell but then he is a sizeable character the world of English writing in the second half of the twentieth century and into this new century. I have been reading and re-reading some of his earlier works and they have a style and content that still impresses today.
January 31, 2016
John LeCarre, one of my favorite authors, turns out to be something of a prick and not all that interesting. Maybe that’s to be expected of a writer, who with seeming effortlessness, had a hit with his first book and then twenty-two more bringing him untold riches and acclaim. On paper his life appears to be pretty easy. Maybe it wasn’t.
He had that father, of course. Ronnie Cornwell the con man who is, by leaps and bounds, the most interesting character in the story, one whose 600 page biography, if there were one, would be fascinating reading. Ronnie was a difficult father to have but he allowed LeCarre (David Cornwell) to lead an upper middle class English life, go to fine schools and have connections to job opportunities.
He had that mother who abandoned him because Ronnie was driving her nuts and she couldn’t take it anymore.
He had that wife who he married young (and kids) who he divorced upon losing interest.
He had that manage a trois with that other writer and his attractive wife.
He had that life as a spy. Or, was he a spy in the truest sense of the word? He did spy on his fellow students at Oxford. But that’s more like being a narc. His actually work history with MI-5 and 6 is vague and mostly unknown.
He had that second wife and another kid and that marriage seemed to work well.
And, he had all those books, movies and TV shows and the accompanying friendships and acquaintanceships with famous people.
He can rail about his childhood—no mom and a crook for a dad. Fair enough. But, things came pretty easy to David Cornwell. He was smart, terribly good looking (Colin Firth would have to play him in the film version), had an aptitude for languages, was a great skier, noted raconteur and mimic and a terrific and prolific writer.
His books are really good. And, his timing was great as he documented and illuminated the Cold War with his tales of spies and counterspies. However, we can read all six hundred pages and not be sure why he was so good at his craft.
One wonders why he comes off as so testy and unattractive personally in this bio. One wonders why there isn’t more about his life with his children.
We have to blame most of this on the biographer who doesn’t have the chops of, say, a John LeCarre. At a point the biography becomes a rehash of each book, one after another: who liked it; who didn’t. This is, perhaps, the result of LeCarre the very private person not cooperating fully with his biographer. It may because LeCarre is overprotective of his public image, quick to take offense and do battle via a letter to the editor or guest editorial.
The early years and papa Ronnie are the most interesting. They are well-researched and documented. The last half of the book, the rehash of best seller after best seller is interesting only because of the research LeCarre (Cornwell) did, traveling to his chosen locale, trying to find his characters. His writing process is only hinted at beyond the research. He rewrites a lot.
I think LeCarre made a mistake in letting this author take on the task. I’m hoping David Cornwell is more interesting than Adam Sisman made him out to be. I hope someone writes a book about Ronnie. His son has tried but not successfully. Ronnie was a con man all his life operating at a very high level and good enough to keep it up until his death, with only a short stint in jail early on. He swindled people out of their life savings and they still liked him. He was as good a swindler as LeCarre turned out to be as a writer.
When you think about it, a good con man and successful novelist have a lot in common. They both have to convince people that their pitch or story has value. Enough value to convert the transaction to cash. In this, David Cornwell was much more financially successful than Ronnie Cornwell. That said, it doesn’t make him more interesting than his dad.
He had that father, of course. Ronnie Cornwell the con man who is, by leaps and bounds, the most interesting character in the story, one whose 600 page biography, if there were one, would be fascinating reading. Ronnie was a difficult father to have but he allowed LeCarre (David Cornwell) to lead an upper middle class English life, go to fine schools and have connections to job opportunities.
He had that mother who abandoned him because Ronnie was driving her nuts and she couldn’t take it anymore.
He had that wife who he married young (and kids) who he divorced upon losing interest.
He had that manage a trois with that other writer and his attractive wife.
He had that life as a spy. Or, was he a spy in the truest sense of the word? He did spy on his fellow students at Oxford. But that’s more like being a narc. His actually work history with MI-5 and 6 is vague and mostly unknown.
He had that second wife and another kid and that marriage seemed to work well.
And, he had all those books, movies and TV shows and the accompanying friendships and acquaintanceships with famous people.
He can rail about his childhood—no mom and a crook for a dad. Fair enough. But, things came pretty easy to David Cornwell. He was smart, terribly good looking (Colin Firth would have to play him in the film version), had an aptitude for languages, was a great skier, noted raconteur and mimic and a terrific and prolific writer.
His books are really good. And, his timing was great as he documented and illuminated the Cold War with his tales of spies and counterspies. However, we can read all six hundred pages and not be sure why he was so good at his craft.
One wonders why he comes off as so testy and unattractive personally in this bio. One wonders why there isn’t more about his life with his children.
We have to blame most of this on the biographer who doesn’t have the chops of, say, a John LeCarre. At a point the biography becomes a rehash of each book, one after another: who liked it; who didn’t. This is, perhaps, the result of LeCarre the very private person not cooperating fully with his biographer. It may because LeCarre is overprotective of his public image, quick to take offense and do battle via a letter to the editor or guest editorial.
The early years and papa Ronnie are the most interesting. They are well-researched and documented. The last half of the book, the rehash of best seller after best seller is interesting only because of the research LeCarre (Cornwell) did, traveling to his chosen locale, trying to find his characters. His writing process is only hinted at beyond the research. He rewrites a lot.
I think LeCarre made a mistake in letting this author take on the task. I’m hoping David Cornwell is more interesting than Adam Sisman made him out to be. I hope someone writes a book about Ronnie. His son has tried but not successfully. Ronnie was a con man all his life operating at a very high level and good enough to keep it up until his death, with only a short stint in jail early on. He swindled people out of their life savings and they still liked him. He was as good a swindler as LeCarre turned out to be as a writer.
When you think about it, a good con man and successful novelist have a lot in common. They both have to convince people that their pitch or story has value. Enough value to convert the transaction to cash. In this, David Cornwell was much more financially successful than Ronnie Cornwell. That said, it doesn’t make him more interesting than his dad.
February 6, 2016
I had had quite enough of looking out for the latest James Bond book in my teens when I discovered Le Carre. His books were four-course meals with wine compared with the flashy fast food of Ian Fleming. I read everything I could find for a while. Since then I've occasionally dipped into Le Carre's books again without quite the same frisson of excitement. Now I'm thinking about rereading some of them.
Sisman's biography explains why Le Carre is so interesting in great detail, 600 pages of it. He spent four years on this doorstop and his approach clearly reflects a portion of very respectable literary opinion that thinks it justified. For myself, I found the first half fascinating and enlightening but the next 300 large pages were less rewarding. On the other hand, there were moments in the second half when my eyelids started to droop and I considered giving up when I was startled by a conversation or a person or an odd detail or an account of a trip that David Cornwell (Le Carre) took at an advanced age in search of background material and I'd keep going with renewed interest. In places it's clear that Cornwell is quite thin-skinned about criticism of his work and has become much spikier as he has aged and that he can't have been easy to deal with at times.
The early part of the book is critical to everything that follows as is the character of Cornwell's father, a very dodgy but superlatively charming con man. The apple has clearly fallen fairly close to the tree in some respects and much of Cornwell's work has an often clear subtext of trying to understand himself and his father. Cornwell's books have fairly unsatisfactory female characters and the reasons for this are clear from the shape Cornwell's early life - "15 hug-free years". He seems not to have explored his own sexuality with much honesty and the book gives few clues beyond the profound but privileged alienation of his early life. At several points I was reminded of the homosexual themes running through much of British literature written for boys that my generation was subjected to without any guidance. The settings were all-male public schools aimed at producing worthy sons of the empire. It certainly confused me and Cornwell seems not to have come close to understanding his teenage experiences.
I would have liked to have known more about his relationships with his sons as in at least one respect he seems to have repeated his father's appalling decisions - understandable in English wealthy classes but much less forgiveable contemporarily in our own country.
The endless literary squabbles and changes in publishers and agents packing out most of the second half of the book are largely uninteresting to a general reader and had they been more ruthlessly summarised I'd give this book four stars. Since it is primarily a book of record that's not possible.
Sisman's biography explains why Le Carre is so interesting in great detail, 600 pages of it. He spent four years on this doorstop and his approach clearly reflects a portion of very respectable literary opinion that thinks it justified. For myself, I found the first half fascinating and enlightening but the next 300 large pages were less rewarding. On the other hand, there were moments in the second half when my eyelids started to droop and I considered giving up when I was startled by a conversation or a person or an odd detail or an account of a trip that David Cornwell (Le Carre) took at an advanced age in search of background material and I'd keep going with renewed interest. In places it's clear that Cornwell is quite thin-skinned about criticism of his work and has become much spikier as he has aged and that he can't have been easy to deal with at times.
The early part of the book is critical to everything that follows as is the character of Cornwell's father, a very dodgy but superlatively charming con man. The apple has clearly fallen fairly close to the tree in some respects and much of Cornwell's work has an often clear subtext of trying to understand himself and his father. Cornwell's books have fairly unsatisfactory female characters and the reasons for this are clear from the shape Cornwell's early life - "15 hug-free years". He seems not to have explored his own sexuality with much honesty and the book gives few clues beyond the profound but privileged alienation of his early life. At several points I was reminded of the homosexual themes running through much of British literature written for boys that my generation was subjected to without any guidance. The settings were all-male public schools aimed at producing worthy sons of the empire. It certainly confused me and Cornwell seems not to have come close to understanding his teenage experiences.
I would have liked to have known more about his relationships with his sons as in at least one respect he seems to have repeated his father's appalling decisions - understandable in English wealthy classes but much less forgiveable contemporarily in our own country.
The endless literary squabbles and changes in publishers and agents packing out most of the second half of the book are largely uninteresting to a general reader and had they been more ruthlessly summarised I'd give this book four stars. Since it is primarily a book of record that's not possible.
January 15, 2016
As a long time fan of John Lee Carre ' s writing I was very interested in his life story. Autobiographies can be a minefield, a hit and miss affair but Adam Sigman has done a very thorough job of depicting Le Carre 's story. Helped significantly by having access to the man himself and his archives. David Cornwall ' s life was shaped by his troubled upbringing. His mother left when he and his older brother Tony were very young. His father Ronnie Cornwall was basically a crook, Silver tongued, glib and at the ready to do a deal at anyone's expense, including friends and family members. The embarrassment this caused his sons haunted them most of their lives. David was public schooled at Saint Andrews Prep in Berkshire and then at Sherbourne. He has often reflected through his life on his unhappiness through these years. He completed his education after what was an unofficial gap year in Bern, Switzerland, and ski trips in Saint Moritz, and his two years of compulsory military training. In Switzerland he became a fluent German speaker and became passionate about the country itself. After two years in Cambridge he bailed to study creative writing, and during the early '50s also was co-opt ed into some low level intelligence work in Europe. His next destination was Oxford as a master alongside which he was also romancing Ann, who was to become in first wife. He was very popular, not only for his intelligence but also for his special gift at telling stories and mimicary. It wasn't long before M 15 came knocking and her entered what was a stuffy and disorganized secret service. It was while he was in the service that he started writing. His first to novels garnered some interest but he hit pay dirt with the third, The Spy who came in from the Cold. From then forward under his chosen pseudonym John Lee Carre, David Cornwell was on his way to becoming the success story we all know about. Sisman portrays David Cornwell as a private, intense and highly focused individual. This portrayal is interesting and a worthy read without being exceptional.
May 29, 2023
Ši knyga palieka įspūdį, nes parašyta atvirai, kritiškai ir be mėginimų glaistyti aštrius kampus, — istorikui Adamui Sismanui tai turėjo būti nelengvas uždavinys, nes rašytojas Johnas le Carre yra gyvas, aktyvus ir pats davė medžiagą šiai biografijai (nenuostabu, kad le Carre, nors ir turėjo teisę pirmas perskaityti savo biografijos rankraštį, patenkintas nebuvo).
Kalbant apie pačią le Carre istoriją, buvo labai įdomu sužinoti apie jo ypatingą santykį su tėvu. Jo tėvas buvo Vakarų Europoje pagarsėjęs sukčius, vis bandęs patekti į britų parlamentą. Taip pat įdomu sužinoti, kad le Carre karjera britų žvalgyboje buvo labai neįspūdinga ir pilka.
Kiek erzino, kad autorius labai išsamiai aprašinėja politinį kontekstą. Mano supratimu, to konteksto buvo per daug. Knyga galėjo būti trumpesnė ir labiau akcentuota.
Rekomenduoju le Carre gerbėjams.
Kalbant apie pačią le Carre istoriją, buvo labai įdomu sužinoti apie jo ypatingą santykį su tėvu. Jo tėvas buvo Vakarų Europoje pagarsėjęs sukčius, vis bandęs patekti į britų parlamentą. Taip pat įdomu sužinoti, kad le Carre karjera britų žvalgyboje buvo labai neįspūdinga ir pilka.
Kiek erzino, kad autorius labai išsamiai aprašinėja politinį kontekstą. Mano supratimu, to konteksto buvo per daug. Knyga galėjo būti trumpesnė ir labiau akcentuota.
Rekomenduoju le Carre gerbėjams.
May 24, 2016
My husband and I listened to an abbreviated version on the radio during one of our holidays and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am glad I have now also listened to the unabridged audiobook. It has given me a much greater appreciation of John le Carre's work of which I have not read much yet (but intend to remedy that soon). I also learned a lot about the difficulties writers face to get their work published.
February 15, 2016
A fairly straightforward recounting of the life of the best-selling author. When it is interesting it is interesting because of the life of the subject, who, let's not forget, worked for MI5 and MI6 and wrote many best-selling books.
May 30, 2017
"Ludzie, którzy mają za sobą nieszczęśliwe dzieciństwo całkiem nieźle potrafią kreować samych siebie" - cytuje Adam Sisman bohatera Biografii. Matka Davida Cornwella (tak nazywa się pisarz używający pseudonimu literackiego John le Carré) Olive, opuściła rodzinę, kiedy chłopiec miał pięć, a jego starszy brat, Tony, siedem lat. Nie potrafiła dłużej znieść wybryków małżonka, Ronalda zwanego Ronnie, nie tylko jego przygód miłosnych, przede wszystkim szemranych interesów, utracjuszowskiego trybu życia, ewidentnego łamania prawa, groźby więzienia. Ronnie taki był całe swoje życie, co pozostawiło trwały ślad na losach dzieci. David nie raz dowiadywał się, że czesne znowu nie zostało opłacone, a jego przyszłość, w ekskluzywnej szkole Sherborne czy potem w Oxfordzie, stoi pod znakiem zapytania. Kiedy już był wziętym i dobrze zarabiającym pisarzem, często musiał finansować wybryki ojca.
Zarówno sam John le Carré, jak i wielu czytelników Biografii Sismana uważa, że traumy dzieciństwa, dorastanie bez matki, a szczególnie wieczne zagrożenia ze strony Ronniego to istotny czynnik, który ukształtował psychikę pisarza, a opis tego procesu w Biografii to jej główna zaleta. Oczywiście odczuć Davida Cornwella nie sposób kwestionować, natomiast szczegółowe relacje przekrętów finansowych Ronniego mnie po prostu znudziły. Podobnie jak nużyły mnie detaliczne opisy perturbacji z wydawcami, agentami czy producentami filmowymi powieści le Carrégo.
Adam Sisman poświęcił cztery lata na przygotowanie i napisanie Biografii, która liczy prawie 700 stron. Oprócz pięćdziesięciu godzin rozmów z pisarzem, dotarł do wszystkich żyjących jego przjaciół i krytyków, przestudiował publikacje na temat jego twórczości i życia oraz całe olbrzymie prywatne archiwum pisarza, częściowo już przekazane różnym instytucjom, np. oxfordskiej bibliotece. Fascynujący jest opis procesu twórczego wszystkich kolejnych książek le Carrégo, wpływu jego służby w wywiadzie na dobór tematyki, tła i charakterystykę bohaterów powieści, a także opis ewolucji poglądów pisarza wraz z końcem zimnej wojny, atakami terrorystycznymi 11 września, inwazją na Irak, czy wreszcie sytuacją w Afryce.
Najlepiej znane i najwyżej cenione powieści szpiegowskie le Carrégo z okresu zimnej wojny cechuje realizm, a nie zabawa w nadludzi. Jego zwolennicy z zachwytem piszą o subtelności, niejednoznaczności i elemencie zwątpienia, które towarzyszą rozgrywkom szpiegów, takich jak Smiley i jego sowiecki przeciwnik Karla. Z kolei krytycy pisarza wolą mówić o dwuznaczności moralnej, a złośliwcy, których także nie brakuje, zastanawiają się, czy David Cornwell nie był czasem podwójnym agentem, podobnie jak niesławna piątka z Cambridge. Stałym elementem w postawie pisarza wydaje się być jego antyamerykańskość. Przy czym w powieściach osadzonych w realiach działania wywiadów w okresie zimnej wojny wiąże się ona z kompleksem upadłego imperium wobec Kuzynów, jak funkcjonariusze Cyrku, czyli brytyjskiego MI6, nazywają swoich przemądrzałych kolegów ze służb amerykańskich. Natomiast po inwazji na Irak, po Guantanamo, kiedy w świecie zapanował korporacyjny kapitalizm owa antyamerykańskość, połączona ze zdecydowaną dezaprobatą wobec rządów Tonego Blaira, przybiera radykalną formę. Nie tylko prowadzi ona leciwego pisarza (ur. 1931 r.) do uczestnictwa w ulicznych demonstracjach, ale również odbija się niekorzystnie - także moim zdaniem - na jego twórczości. Na temat Nocnego recepcjonisty, na przykład, panuje dość zgodna opinia, że jest to nietypowa dla niego, czarno-biała, bondowska powieść. Sam John le Carré, z właściwym sobie poczuciem humoru, dywaguje o wściekłości starości.
Mimo przeładowania materiałem udało się Adamowi Sismanowi przybliżyć Davida Cornwella jako człowieka niezwykłego, błyskotliwego, a jednocześnie takiego, którego chciałoby się poznać osobiście i o wielu sprawach z nim pogadać, może trochę się pokłócić. Posłuchać wspomnień z jego bogatego życia, nawet ze świadomością, o której sam wspomina, że nie bardzo wiadomo, co w tych wspomnieniach jest prawdą obiektywną, a co literacką fikcją. Swoje wrażenia z Dalekiego Wschodu, gdzie towarzyszył mu reporter David Greenway, relacjonował le Carré gronu przyjaciół. Na zwróconą mu prywatnie przez Greenwaya uwagę, ze przecież nie całkiem tak było, zareagował: "Opowiadanie, jak było naprawdę, to twoje zadanie. Moja praca polega na zamianie tego w dobrą historię."
Na szczęscie tych "dobrych historii" jest już ponad dwadzieścia i spoczywać na laurach John le Carré nie planuje. Rok po ukazaniu się Biografii Sismana, sam wydał autobiografię, a we wrześniu ma się ukazać kolejny, dziewiąty tom ze Smileyem.
Na koniec jeszcze o ważnym wątku, który przywołuje Sisman, mianowicie o debacie na temat granicy między tzw. literaturą gatunkową a tzw. literaturą wysoką. Oczywiście chodzi o to, że oficjalne laury i prestiżowe nagrody przyznawane sa tylko twórcom dzieł zaliczanych do tej drugiej. Czy zatem John le Carré na nie nie zasługuje? Powtórzę opinię, którą już cytowałam w recenzji Tajnego pielgrzyma, dotyczącą siły przekazu jego "gatunkowych" szpiegowskich powieści: "Le Carré potrafi uchwycić czyjąś osobowość w dwóch linijkach dialogu." Cóż, nietrudno wymienić laureatów literackiego Nobla, którzy tego nie potrafią.
Zarówno sam John le Carré, jak i wielu czytelników Biografii Sismana uważa, że traumy dzieciństwa, dorastanie bez matki, a szczególnie wieczne zagrożenia ze strony Ronniego to istotny czynnik, który ukształtował psychikę pisarza, a opis tego procesu w Biografii to jej główna zaleta. Oczywiście odczuć Davida Cornwella nie sposób kwestionować, natomiast szczegółowe relacje przekrętów finansowych Ronniego mnie po prostu znudziły. Podobnie jak nużyły mnie detaliczne opisy perturbacji z wydawcami, agentami czy producentami filmowymi powieści le Carrégo.
Adam Sisman poświęcił cztery lata na przygotowanie i napisanie Biografii, która liczy prawie 700 stron. Oprócz pięćdziesięciu godzin rozmów z pisarzem, dotarł do wszystkich żyjących jego przjaciół i krytyków, przestudiował publikacje na temat jego twórczości i życia oraz całe olbrzymie prywatne archiwum pisarza, częściowo już przekazane różnym instytucjom, np. oxfordskiej bibliotece. Fascynujący jest opis procesu twórczego wszystkich kolejnych książek le Carrégo, wpływu jego służby w wywiadzie na dobór tematyki, tła i charakterystykę bohaterów powieści, a także opis ewolucji poglądów pisarza wraz z końcem zimnej wojny, atakami terrorystycznymi 11 września, inwazją na Irak, czy wreszcie sytuacją w Afryce.
Najlepiej znane i najwyżej cenione powieści szpiegowskie le Carrégo z okresu zimnej wojny cechuje realizm, a nie zabawa w nadludzi. Jego zwolennicy z zachwytem piszą o subtelności, niejednoznaczności i elemencie zwątpienia, które towarzyszą rozgrywkom szpiegów, takich jak Smiley i jego sowiecki przeciwnik Karla. Z kolei krytycy pisarza wolą mówić o dwuznaczności moralnej, a złośliwcy, których także nie brakuje, zastanawiają się, czy David Cornwell nie był czasem podwójnym agentem, podobnie jak niesławna piątka z Cambridge. Stałym elementem w postawie pisarza wydaje się być jego antyamerykańskość. Przy czym w powieściach osadzonych w realiach działania wywiadów w okresie zimnej wojny wiąże się ona z kompleksem upadłego imperium wobec Kuzynów, jak funkcjonariusze Cyrku, czyli brytyjskiego MI6, nazywają swoich przemądrzałych kolegów ze służb amerykańskich. Natomiast po inwazji na Irak, po Guantanamo, kiedy w świecie zapanował korporacyjny kapitalizm owa antyamerykańskość, połączona ze zdecydowaną dezaprobatą wobec rządów Tonego Blaira, przybiera radykalną formę. Nie tylko prowadzi ona leciwego pisarza (ur. 1931 r.) do uczestnictwa w ulicznych demonstracjach, ale również odbija się niekorzystnie - także moim zdaniem - na jego twórczości. Na temat Nocnego recepcjonisty, na przykład, panuje dość zgodna opinia, że jest to nietypowa dla niego, czarno-biała, bondowska powieść. Sam John le Carré, z właściwym sobie poczuciem humoru, dywaguje o wściekłości starości.
Mimo przeładowania materiałem udało się Adamowi Sismanowi przybliżyć Davida Cornwella jako człowieka niezwykłego, błyskotliwego, a jednocześnie takiego, którego chciałoby się poznać osobiście i o wielu sprawach z nim pogadać, może trochę się pokłócić. Posłuchać wspomnień z jego bogatego życia, nawet ze świadomością, o której sam wspomina, że nie bardzo wiadomo, co w tych wspomnieniach jest prawdą obiektywną, a co literacką fikcją. Swoje wrażenia z Dalekiego Wschodu, gdzie towarzyszył mu reporter David Greenway, relacjonował le Carré gronu przyjaciół. Na zwróconą mu prywatnie przez Greenwaya uwagę, ze przecież nie całkiem tak było, zareagował: "Opowiadanie, jak było naprawdę, to twoje zadanie. Moja praca polega na zamianie tego w dobrą historię."
Na szczęscie tych "dobrych historii" jest już ponad dwadzieścia i spoczywać na laurach John le Carré nie planuje. Rok po ukazaniu się Biografii Sismana, sam wydał autobiografię, a we wrześniu ma się ukazać kolejny, dziewiąty tom ze Smileyem.
Na koniec jeszcze o ważnym wątku, który przywołuje Sisman, mianowicie o debacie na temat granicy między tzw. literaturą gatunkową a tzw. literaturą wysoką. Oczywiście chodzi o to, że oficjalne laury i prestiżowe nagrody przyznawane sa tylko twórcom dzieł zaliczanych do tej drugiej. Czy zatem John le Carré na nie nie zasługuje? Powtórzę opinię, którą już cytowałam w recenzji Tajnego pielgrzyma, dotyczącą siły przekazu jego "gatunkowych" szpiegowskich powieści: "Le Carré potrafi uchwycić czyjąś osobowość w dwóch linijkach dialogu." Cóż, nietrudno wymienić laureatów literackiego Nobla, którzy tego nie potrafią.
July 29, 2025
The secret sharer
Having read all le Carré's novels (as they were published, in the case of the second half of his oeuvre), I was looking forward to the publication of this biography. It didn't disappoint. The basic details of his life were well-known to anyone who'd glanced at the blurb on the back of his books: educated at Sherborne, Oxford and Berne, taught at Eton, worked for MI5 and MI6 before the success of his third novel The Spy Who Came In from the Cold inspired him to become a full-time writer. Published nearly thirty novels, two of which (the unpopular The Naïve and Sentimental Lover and the more successful A Perfect Spy) apparently contained a good deal of autobiographical material. Had many of his novels turned into films (beginning with The Spy Who Came In From The Cold in 1965, right up to this year's excellent TV adaption of The Night Manager). Is in his eighty-fifth year.
The last-named fact would appear to make the appearance of this biography timely, although perhaps it doesn't represent the last word on le Carré's life: in a forward, the author gratefully acknowledges his subject's co-operation whilst reserving his right to publish a "revised and updated version" (presumably when there are no more words to come from the central protagonist). But the story so far is well worth reading.
All the facts of an interesting and exciting life are fleshed out here (perhaps - in the case of his bad behaviour during his first marriage - in almost too much detail), but there's an interwoven strand which focusses on the novels: how they came to be written, the way the author refines dialogue by talking to himself whilst out walking, what stories or situations inspired them and which real-life persons were the origins of which characters (including a fairly direct translation between real-life and fiction in the case of the menage a trois in The Naive and Sentimental Lover). In one or two cases, this could extend even to the origins of specific phrases used in the books. Thus, on p278, the hierarchy of the entourage accompanying Elizabeth Taylor to Dublin to be with her husband Richard Burton during the shoot of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold extends down to "the fellow who clipped their parrot's claws", which is - perhaps unconsciously - echoed in the warning Corkoran gives Pine in The Night Manager [p340]:
"Of every tree you may freely eat [...] The serving wenches, parlourmaids, typists, masseuses, the lady who comes to clip the parrot's claws, even the guests are yours for the discreet plucking."
These twin strands can get tangled at times, particularly when discussing the novels which contain more of their author: for example, at one point in his young life, the subject appears to be the living embodiment of this keenly-observed description from A Perfect Spy [p209]:
"The [person] who does nothing cynically, nothing without conviction. Who sets events in motion in order to become their victim, which he calls decision, and ties himself into pointless relationships, which he calls loyalty. Then waits for the next event to get him out of the last one, which he calls destiny."
And very occasionally, the tangle becomes a knot: thus, it's surprising to find Ted Mundy, the central character of Absolute Friends, being described as having "a loving father" like le Carré, since the early part of this book (and his life) appears to demonstrate pretty thoroughly that his father was anything but - except perhaps in a very limited, self-deceiving sense, which (at least) fits neatly into his life of deceit and selfishness.
I greatly enjoyed this book: a respectfully hefty (600 pages) testament to a talented and entertaining writer which should be read by all of his many readers.
Originally reviewed 3 May 2016
Having read all le Carré's novels (as they were published, in the case of the second half of his oeuvre), I was looking forward to the publication of this biography. It didn't disappoint. The basic details of his life were well-known to anyone who'd glanced at the blurb on the back of his books: educated at Sherborne, Oxford and Berne, taught at Eton, worked for MI5 and MI6 before the success of his third novel The Spy Who Came In from the Cold inspired him to become a full-time writer. Published nearly thirty novels, two of which (the unpopular The Naïve and Sentimental Lover and the more successful A Perfect Spy) apparently contained a good deal of autobiographical material. Had many of his novels turned into films (beginning with The Spy Who Came In From The Cold in 1965, right up to this year's excellent TV adaption of The Night Manager). Is in his eighty-fifth year.
The last-named fact would appear to make the appearance of this biography timely, although perhaps it doesn't represent the last word on le Carré's life: in a forward, the author gratefully acknowledges his subject's co-operation whilst reserving his right to publish a "revised and updated version" (presumably when there are no more words to come from the central protagonist). But the story so far is well worth reading.
All the facts of an interesting and exciting life are fleshed out here (perhaps - in the case of his bad behaviour during his first marriage - in almost too much detail), but there's an interwoven strand which focusses on the novels: how they came to be written, the way the author refines dialogue by talking to himself whilst out walking, what stories or situations inspired them and which real-life persons were the origins of which characters (including a fairly direct translation between real-life and fiction in the case of the menage a trois in The Naive and Sentimental Lover). In one or two cases, this could extend even to the origins of specific phrases used in the books. Thus, on p278, the hierarchy of the entourage accompanying Elizabeth Taylor to Dublin to be with her husband Richard Burton during the shoot of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold extends down to "the fellow who clipped their parrot's claws", which is - perhaps unconsciously - echoed in the warning Corkoran gives Pine in The Night Manager [p340]:
"Of every tree you may freely eat [...] The serving wenches, parlourmaids, typists, masseuses, the lady who comes to clip the parrot's claws, even the guests are yours for the discreet plucking."
These twin strands can get tangled at times, particularly when discussing the novels which contain more of their author: for example, at one point in his young life, the subject appears to be the living embodiment of this keenly-observed description from A Perfect Spy [p209]:
"The [person] who does nothing cynically, nothing without conviction. Who sets events in motion in order to become their victim, which he calls decision, and ties himself into pointless relationships, which he calls loyalty. Then waits for the next event to get him out of the last one, which he calls destiny."
And very occasionally, the tangle becomes a knot: thus, it's surprising to find Ted Mundy, the central character of Absolute Friends, being described as having "a loving father" like le Carré, since the early part of this book (and his life) appears to demonstrate pretty thoroughly that his father was anything but - except perhaps in a very limited, self-deceiving sense, which (at least) fits neatly into his life of deceit and selfishness.
I greatly enjoyed this book: a respectfully hefty (600 pages) testament to a talented and entertaining writer which should be read by all of his many readers.
Originally reviewed 3 May 2016
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