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A Private Spy
A Private Spy recounts not just John le Carre's personal journey but also the tumultuous era he lived through. Starting with his childhood in the 1940s, it covers his National Service, Oxford years, and his entry into MI5. It details the rise of the Iron Curtain and the blossoming of his literary career in response to the Berlin Wall's construction. Central to the collection is John le Carre the author, interacting with readers, publishers, filmmakers, actors, politicians, and public figures. We see him corresponding with Alec Guinness about playing George Smiley and later debating the morality of the War on Terror with the German internal security chief.
752 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 2022
184 people are currently reading
1685 people want to read
About the author
John le Carré
310 books9,653 followersJohn le Carré, the pseudonym of David John Moore Cornwell (born 19 October 1931 in Poole, Dorset, England), was an English author of espionage novels. Le Carré had resided in St Buryan, Cornwall, Great Britain, for more than 40 years, where he owned a mile of cliff close to Land's End.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
November 12, 2022
Initially sceptical - would le Carre wish his letters to be made public, and did I want to prejudice my view of one of my favourite writers and novels by getting to know him too much. But this collection is magnificent. A lot of his infamous love life and infidelity are hinted at, but left out of being printed in full, which is for the best, acknowledged but not dwelled upon. Le Carre comes from a different world to most - private schools, the elite, the secret world of spies - but his humanity shines through. Highlights include discovering he never entered his books into literary prizes, refused royal honours, but accepted literary honours from France, Germany, Sweden and Oxford. He hated the men he taught at Eton, and the politicians they became. He was prescient on so many things, latterly Trump and Brexit. It is the story of a full life, and the sadness at the end comes from knowing it all comes to an end, as do so many of the friends he corresponds with throughout. Added to that is the death of le Carre's son, Timothy, the editor of this volume, before its publication. A final monument to a man who refused to bow to the modern publishing world, and despaired at so much, while loving and living life to the full.
October 3, 2023
The Warm Letters that Came In Out of the Cold
Review of the Penguin Viking hardcover edition (December 6, 2022) with reference to the Kindle eBook edition (same date).
I'm not unbiased here, I've been a John le Carré (penname of David Cornwell) reader and fan my entire life. I'm going through a further binge now after recently reading the memoir The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life (2016) and seeing its movie adaptation at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Some of the same anecdotes are covered in the letters here with the actual correspondents. Many of these are with fellow writers, book editors, politicians, spymasters, researchers and family. The letters to regular fans though are the especial delight, such as the above example.
I originally picked this up at the library, but I found that I wanted to note so many of the passages, that I picked up a Kindle eBook in addition. Those highlights can be read here.
In addition to Carré's own passing, there is a further mournful aura about this book, as it was edited by one of Carré's own sons, Tim Cornwell, who passed from a sudden pulmonary embolism only a few months prior to its publication. Timothy had worked as a journalist and editor for most of his life and this was his first book. His brothers Stephen and Simon Cornwell, (the film & TV producers behind many recent Carré adaptations for screen under the company name of The Ink Factory) and sci-fi writer Nick Cornwell (who writes under the penname Nick Harkaway) pen a tribute in his memory in the introduction section.
John le Carré aka David Cornwell (1931-2020), with his son Tim Cornwell (1962-2022), editor of “The Private Spy”. Image sourced from an article by Tim Cornwell’s widow Anna Arthur at The Guardian, July 1, 2022.
Other Reviews
A Private Spy & The Secret Heart, by Anthony Cummins, The Guardian, October 16, 2022.
Trivia and Links
John le Carré's home in Cornwall, England which was recently put up for sale. Image sourced from RightMove Co. UK. [Note: Links were working as of October 3, 2023. Image and link may no longer be available once the house is sold.]
Tim Cornwell's obituary at The Scotsman, June 8, 2022.
Review of the Penguin Viking hardcover edition (December 6, 2022) with reference to the Kindle eBook edition (same date).
Nicholas Greaves, aged ten, wrote asking how to be a spy.
TO NICHOLAS GREAVES (AGED TEN) 9 Gainsborough Gardens London, NW3 1BJ 31 January 1988
Dear Nicholas,
Thank you very much for your letter. To be a spy, you need first to know what you think about the world, whom you would like to help, whom to frustrate. This, I am afraid, takes time. Also, you have to decide how much you are prepared to do by dishonest means. You are very young to decide to be dishonest. My guess is, you want excitement and a great cause. But I think and hope that if you ever find the great cause, the excitement will come naturally from the pleasure of serving it, & then you won’t need to deceive anybody, you will have found what you are looking for. You will be more than a spy then. You will be a good, happy man.
All good wishes,
John le Carré
I'm not unbiased here, I've been a John le Carré (penname of David Cornwell) reader and fan my entire life. I'm going through a further binge now after recently reading the memoir The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life (2016) and seeing its movie adaptation at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Some of the same anecdotes are covered in the letters here with the actual correspondents. Many of these are with fellow writers, book editors, politicians, spymasters, researchers and family. The letters to regular fans though are the especial delight, such as the above example.
I originally picked this up at the library, but I found that I wanted to note so many of the passages, that I picked up a Kindle eBook in addition. Those highlights can be read here.
In addition to Carré's own passing, there is a further mournful aura about this book, as it was edited by one of Carré's own sons, Tim Cornwell, who passed from a sudden pulmonary embolism only a few months prior to its publication. Timothy had worked as a journalist and editor for most of his life and this was his first book. His brothers Stephen and Simon Cornwell, (the film & TV producers behind many recent Carré adaptations for screen under the company name of The Ink Factory) and sci-fi writer Nick Cornwell (who writes under the penname Nick Harkaway) pen a tribute in his memory in the introduction section.
John le Carré aka David Cornwell (1931-2020), with his son Tim Cornwell (1962-2022), editor of “The Private Spy”. Image sourced from an article by Tim Cornwell’s widow Anna Arthur at The Guardian, July 1, 2022.
Other Reviews
A Private Spy & The Secret Heart, by Anthony Cummins, The Guardian, October 16, 2022.
Trivia and Links
John le Carré's home in Cornwall, England which was recently put up for sale. Image sourced from RightMove Co. UK. [Note: Links were working as of October 3, 2023. Image and link may no longer be available once the house is sold.]
Tim Cornwell's obituary at The Scotsman, June 8, 2022.
April 15, 2023
A Private Spy was a lovely Christmas gift which I have been making my way slowly through over the last few months. John le Carre (David Cornwell) has been a favourite author of mine over the years.
This collection of letters which date back to 1945 and end shortly before his death in 2020 are a treasure trove of family lore, glimpses into his research practices, political musings and a walk through history. The recipients are a mixture of family, friends, fellow authors, publishing industry colleagues, former intelligence agents (like himself) and his readers, the letters I found most charming. And the writing, oh my this man could write even in his private letters.
Now I want to re-read all his books in chronological order and dip into A Private Spy before starting each one.
This collection of letters which date back to 1945 and end shortly before his death in 2020 are a treasure trove of family lore, glimpses into his research practices, political musings and a walk through history. The recipients are a mixture of family, friends, fellow authors, publishing industry colleagues, former intelligence agents (like himself) and his readers, the letters I found most charming. And the writing, oh my this man could write even in his private letters.
Now I want to re-read all his books in chronological order and dip into A Private Spy before starting each one.
August 5, 2023
My local bookshop presented this to me as a gift (I buy a lot of books). I hadn’t cracked it, mostly because I knew so much about le Carré, my favorite author.
Or that’s what I thought.
This collection of letters is a glimpse into one of literature’s great minds. He is warm and angry and loving and lustful and brilliant and appreciative but always, always, erudite and compelling.
The letters toward the end of his life—when he and Jane were battling cancer at Covid’s onset—proved more affecting than I expected.
A beautiful, enlightening treasure.
Or that’s what I thought.
This collection of letters is a glimpse into one of literature’s great minds. He is warm and angry and loving and lustful and brilliant and appreciative but always, always, erudite and compelling.
The letters toward the end of his life—when he and Jane were battling cancer at Covid’s onset—proved more affecting than I expected.
A beautiful, enlightening treasure.
December 9, 2022
I bought this more in hope of retaining a link with the work of a treasured author than in any expectation of finding the usual le Carré gems. And what a pleasant surprise. As the reader follows David Cornwell from callow youth through to a dying, but flawed giant, you get a real sense of the man's humanity, his foibles, the inner fire that drove him, and -not least - some uncensored (it seems) le Carré rants about the state of the world, various politicians, other writers.
A gem.
A gem.
December 10, 2022
Of course, only fans of John le Carré will want to read this book. But for those of us who are, and who have read all his books, this one is catnip.
One of his sons worked hard to compile letters he wrote to others, since he didn't keep a file copy of his own handwritten letters. Once he started faxing them, a copy would often be saved. Still, there's a lot here, and it is a window into a person's mindset over time (he died in 2020 at age 89).
Curiously enough, the structure follows a similar path to that in Mel Brooks' autobiography, “All About Me!”. The first chapters deal with early life, then once he starts producing books, the chapters are titled with the names of the novels he was working on at the time. With Mel, it was the movies.
This means that fans who have read only some of the books can dip into those chapters directly if they choose. But honestly, it's compelling to read the entire thing, end to end. David Cornwell's life (his real name) was a story of abandonment, deceit and betrayal by his parents, and these concepts recur in his books. For those who have read his autobiography “The Pigeon Tunnel” his opinions and beliefs won't be surprising, but he was probably more candid in his private correspondence than he was in his autobiography. (He was a famously private man – hence the title.)
The erudition of many of these letters is what is so impressive. Just writing to a friend, he could not write a badly composed letter.
This is probably the last major piece of work we'll see about him, unless someone does a big biography. But frankly, with “The Pigeon Tunnel” combined with this book, there may not be that much material left untold that would warrant another book.
When trying to fit a label onto himself he mulled and rejected 'Social Democrat' and 'liberal', and considered 'humanist' to be fairly accurate except for it sounded like a job title (“like 'I do humans'”). But that may be the closest term we have to what he was about. He was modest about his importance, though – when he followed Daniel Ellsberg as the next recipient of the Olof Palme award, he wrote to Ellsberg that “I am a totally unworthy successor...your contribution to the world is diamond-real, and mine is merely imaginative”.
But that imagination brought real attention to such topics as arms dealing, pharmaceutical company abuse of large populations (LONG before the opioid crisis), and institutional abuses to individuals during the so-called War on Terrorism.
Today he might be called a social justice warrior by those who wish to deride him. I think he would have worn that label proudly. I don't know of any other novelist who is picking up that mantle in quite that way. RIP, David Cornwell (aka John le Carré).
One of his sons worked hard to compile letters he wrote to others, since he didn't keep a file copy of his own handwritten letters. Once he started faxing them, a copy would often be saved. Still, there's a lot here, and it is a window into a person's mindset over time (he died in 2020 at age 89).
Curiously enough, the structure follows a similar path to that in Mel Brooks' autobiography, “All About Me!”. The first chapters deal with early life, then once he starts producing books, the chapters are titled with the names of the novels he was working on at the time. With Mel, it was the movies.
This means that fans who have read only some of the books can dip into those chapters directly if they choose. But honestly, it's compelling to read the entire thing, end to end. David Cornwell's life (his real name) was a story of abandonment, deceit and betrayal by his parents, and these concepts recur in his books. For those who have read his autobiography “The Pigeon Tunnel” his opinions and beliefs won't be surprising, but he was probably more candid in his private correspondence than he was in his autobiography. (He was a famously private man – hence the title.)
The erudition of many of these letters is what is so impressive. Just writing to a friend, he could not write a badly composed letter.
This is probably the last major piece of work we'll see about him, unless someone does a big biography. But frankly, with “The Pigeon Tunnel” combined with this book, there may not be that much material left untold that would warrant another book.
When trying to fit a label onto himself he mulled and rejected 'Social Democrat' and 'liberal', and considered 'humanist' to be fairly accurate except for it sounded like a job title (“like 'I do humans'”). But that may be the closest term we have to what he was about. He was modest about his importance, though – when he followed Daniel Ellsberg as the next recipient of the Olof Palme award, he wrote to Ellsberg that “I am a totally unworthy successor...your contribution to the world is diamond-real, and mine is merely imaginative”.
But that imagination brought real attention to such topics as arms dealing, pharmaceutical company abuse of large populations (LONG before the opioid crisis), and institutional abuses to individuals during the so-called War on Terrorism.
Today he might be called a social justice warrior by those who wish to deride him. I think he would have worn that label proudly. I don't know of any other novelist who is picking up that mantle in quite that way. RIP, David Cornwell (aka John le Carré).
January 21, 2023
I'm not sure what compelled me to pick up this book. I've seen a few of the TV/film adaptations of le Carre's novels, have read only two, those written late in his career, but this was fun, interesting, the letters mostly organized around various of his novels, a man in full, from his con-man father, touching on some of his infidelities, what comes through is his intelligence, kindness, thorniness, his love of his family, his distancing, his incredible output, his political views, and the special challenges of being a public figure and famed. Perhaps I dove into these letters because I was feeling burned out from fiction and I enjoyed it. So much so that I'm going to read his memoir.
October 16, 2023
Magnificent. One of the best curated and edited volumes of letters I have ever read, or heard of. Such a tragedy that Tim Cornwell, obviously, a very talented writer himself, did not live to see its publication. This book is a tribute to David Cornwell and Tim Cornwell.
November 28, 2023
And now, I want to read again all his books
March 22, 2023
I've found that one of the best ways to learn who a person really is and how (s)he relates to others is by reading the letters the writer leaves behind. This is as true today as it was at the time of Cicero.
David Cornwell's letters offer the reader a view of his opinions on subjects from his love for his wife and mistresses to his total disdain of Tony Blair, Donald Trump, Brexit, and Putin (He really understood what moved each of them and distrusted Putin from the beginning in which sense he was prescient).
The letters give us a view not only of his books and movies but of his very hands-on approach to their publishing, marketing and distribution. In one letter, we learn of Cornwell's unhappiness at the cover prepared for one of his books. There are many letters regarding the completion of the movie 'Night Manager', something that never was completed (although the 'BeeB' did broadcast a series that was produced in the video) and in which Sydney Pollack who fought to produce the film ended in failure and frustration (his views adopted by le Carre', too). There is one letter where he refers rather openly to his problems with Inland Revenue over how his royalties were structured. One gets the impression he reached a resolution with the Exchequer but he doesn't say exactly what it was, although I got the impression that he paid and was displeased by the advice he received from his lawyers, accountants, agents, and publishers (can't really tell, but my nose senses this).
Le Carre' was keenly aware of the money he was making and how it was being made. He did not stand aside when it came to making money, and a lot of his earthly endeavors involved activities that were very lucrative, namely revenues from movies and TV serialization of his written product.
He never made a big deal of it, but Cornwell was a rich man.
He writes of his father, calls him a conman of the first order, and speaks of how his father essentially abandoned his family for his mistresses (David himself had a mistress or two but he was a devoted husband and father and never walked on his children, although his first marriage to Ann ended in divorce.).
His views of British and American intelligence activities were muted but not silent. He had opinions that he expressed and believed that Britain was a failed nation (not his words, but my reading). His grandmother was born in Cork and Cornwell finally applied for and received Irish citizenship based on his grandmother's Irish birthright (although there are now restrictions, Ireland permits a descendant of any person born in Ireland not more than 3 generations away from the birth to become an Irish citizen upon application) about a year or so before he died. He was very candid about it: he despised Brexit and thought Boris Johnson was an oaf. When he was notified of having received Irish citizenship, he wrote a letter to the Irish official charged with processing immigrant applications for citizenship, thanking her and her staff for the "honour" of granting him citizenship. His expression of joy was simply that: no hard feelings toward Boris or Brexit, just joy at being Irish.
Some of Cornwell's most interesting letters were directed to his collaborators and even those like Hugh Laurie who was the leading actor in the TV serialization of the Night Manager. He had a profound affection for a couple of his editors who le Carre' regarded as residing at the epicenter of his books' successes and, despite what is believed to be more than one extra-marital affair, he loved his second wife Jane almost beyond description. In his final days, they actually resided in the same Royal Cornwall Hospital, although COVID restrictions prevented them from seeing each other (He died first, and three months later, she passed away-both from cancer.)
When I state that we learn more from a person's letters than from biographies or even autobiographies, I can cite one or two of Cornwell's letters where he despairs that people misprint (unintentionally) his nom de plume, le Carre', in so many incorrect forms such as Le Carre, leCarre', le' Carre, or every variation of it. It is as though he asks 'why can't they get it right, even if they are American' acknowledging that the fictional name may not be the easiest spelling to replicate.
The book is well-edited, and we do not learn everything about the writer. But, we learn plenty about the man, who wrote with love, and courtesy (even when he was upset or distressed), saying just enough in his letters to know who he was as a person who wished well for the world and its people, and who was not hesitant about citing events and people who he believed were misdirected or evil. In one letter, which I think really offers insight into Cornwell, he writes that he has a bad habit of wanting to isolate himself from the world with his family when he's not working and really wants to act differently in that regard, but in about half of the letters, he is making excuses why he cannot meet or attend conferences or visit friends. Much like George Smiley, he will act decisively when called upon, but for all of it is quite happy left alone with his manuscripts and daydreams.
We also learn from a copy of a letter he sent to a friend named "Meire" that he was a fierce editor of his own work. The letter was not more than 150 words, but it had been worked and reworked, with entire sentences struck and rewritten. To me, this is the sign of the best of the writers among us. They welcome editing of their work and they are not afraid to deploy what we used to call the red pencil on our own writing, knowing that the more ruthless the editor, the better the final product.
There is no better letter, or for my money, no better indicator of a person's genuine interest in others than how that person addressed children. Ten-year old Nicholas Greaves wrote to Cornwell in 1988, asking him "how to be a spy". Cornwell wrote back saying (in part),
" . . . you need first to know what you think about the world, whom you would like to help, whom to frustrate. This, I am afraid, takes time. Also, you have to decide how much you are prepared to do by dishonest means [and] you are very young to decide to be dishonest. . . . But, I think and hope that if you ever find the great cause, the excitement will come naturally from the pleasure of serving it, & then you won't need to deceive anybody, you will have found what you are looking for. You will be more than a spy then. You will be a good, happy man."
Wisdom for the ages? And, this wisdom came from the man who, having given the world some of the best literature, public service, and enlightenment, acknowledged that he read very slowly because he was dyslexic. Doesn't matter. Cornwell was more than a spy. He told that we, too, can be good, happy people.
David Cornwell's letters offer the reader a view of his opinions on subjects from his love for his wife and mistresses to his total disdain of Tony Blair, Donald Trump, Brexit, and Putin (He really understood what moved each of them and distrusted Putin from the beginning in which sense he was prescient).
The letters give us a view not only of his books and movies but of his very hands-on approach to their publishing, marketing and distribution. In one letter, we learn of Cornwell's unhappiness at the cover prepared for one of his books. There are many letters regarding the completion of the movie 'Night Manager', something that never was completed (although the 'BeeB' did broadcast a series that was produced in the video) and in which Sydney Pollack who fought to produce the film ended in failure and frustration (his views adopted by le Carre', too). There is one letter where he refers rather openly to his problems with Inland Revenue over how his royalties were structured. One gets the impression he reached a resolution with the Exchequer but he doesn't say exactly what it was, although I got the impression that he paid and was displeased by the advice he received from his lawyers, accountants, agents, and publishers (can't really tell, but my nose senses this).
Le Carre' was keenly aware of the money he was making and how it was being made. He did not stand aside when it came to making money, and a lot of his earthly endeavors involved activities that were very lucrative, namely revenues from movies and TV serialization of his written product.
He never made a big deal of it, but Cornwell was a rich man.
He writes of his father, calls him a conman of the first order, and speaks of how his father essentially abandoned his family for his mistresses (David himself had a mistress or two but he was a devoted husband and father and never walked on his children, although his first marriage to Ann ended in divorce.).
His views of British and American intelligence activities were muted but not silent. He had opinions that he expressed and believed that Britain was a failed nation (not his words, but my reading). His grandmother was born in Cork and Cornwell finally applied for and received Irish citizenship based on his grandmother's Irish birthright (although there are now restrictions, Ireland permits a descendant of any person born in Ireland not more than 3 generations away from the birth to become an Irish citizen upon application) about a year or so before he died. He was very candid about it: he despised Brexit and thought Boris Johnson was an oaf. When he was notified of having received Irish citizenship, he wrote a letter to the Irish official charged with processing immigrant applications for citizenship, thanking her and her staff for the "honour" of granting him citizenship. His expression of joy was simply that: no hard feelings toward Boris or Brexit, just joy at being Irish.
Some of Cornwell's most interesting letters were directed to his collaborators and even those like Hugh Laurie who was the leading actor in the TV serialization of the Night Manager. He had a profound affection for a couple of his editors who le Carre' regarded as residing at the epicenter of his books' successes and, despite what is believed to be more than one extra-marital affair, he loved his second wife Jane almost beyond description. In his final days, they actually resided in the same Royal Cornwall Hospital, although COVID restrictions prevented them from seeing each other (He died first, and three months later, she passed away-both from cancer.)
When I state that we learn more from a person's letters than from biographies or even autobiographies, I can cite one or two of Cornwell's letters where he despairs that people misprint (unintentionally) his nom de plume, le Carre', in so many incorrect forms such as Le Carre, leCarre', le' Carre, or every variation of it. It is as though he asks 'why can't they get it right, even if they are American' acknowledging that the fictional name may not be the easiest spelling to replicate.
The book is well-edited, and we do not learn everything about the writer. But, we learn plenty about the man, who wrote with love, and courtesy (even when he was upset or distressed), saying just enough in his letters to know who he was as a person who wished well for the world and its people, and who was not hesitant about citing events and people who he believed were misdirected or evil. In one letter, which I think really offers insight into Cornwell, he writes that he has a bad habit of wanting to isolate himself from the world with his family when he's not working and really wants to act differently in that regard, but in about half of the letters, he is making excuses why he cannot meet or attend conferences or visit friends. Much like George Smiley, he will act decisively when called upon, but for all of it is quite happy left alone with his manuscripts and daydreams.
We also learn from a copy of a letter he sent to a friend named "Meire" that he was a fierce editor of his own work. The letter was not more than 150 words, but it had been worked and reworked, with entire sentences struck and rewritten. To me, this is the sign of the best of the writers among us. They welcome editing of their work and they are not afraid to deploy what we used to call the red pencil on our own writing, knowing that the more ruthless the editor, the better the final product.
There is no better letter, or for my money, no better indicator of a person's genuine interest in others than how that person addressed children. Ten-year old Nicholas Greaves wrote to Cornwell in 1988, asking him "how to be a spy". Cornwell wrote back saying (in part),
" . . . you need first to know what you think about the world, whom you would like to help, whom to frustrate. This, I am afraid, takes time. Also, you have to decide how much you are prepared to do by dishonest means [and] you are very young to decide to be dishonest. . . . But, I think and hope that if you ever find the great cause, the excitement will come naturally from the pleasure of serving it, & then you won't need to deceive anybody, you will have found what you are looking for. You will be more than a spy then. You will be a good, happy man."
Wisdom for the ages? And, this wisdom came from the man who, having given the world some of the best literature, public service, and enlightenment, acknowledged that he read very slowly because he was dyslexic. Doesn't matter. Cornwell was more than a spy. He told that we, too, can be good, happy people.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2024
A master of words. A master of spy novels. So much in his letters I learned that I hadn't known before. I will always say, The Russia House is my favorite novel from David Cornwell aka John Le Carré but I know there are better.
November 21, 2023
A sheer joy and lucky privilege to have such a wonderful, full-bodied and provoking insight into the mind and life of my favourite author, and one of the greatest artists of our time.
I found myself at times thinking of my own attitudes to communication with friends, family and learnt a lot from this book. Like le Carré says, we write too few letters these days, and the world is poorer for it. Sincere thought, effort and honest emotion should always trump the quick, facile and irreverent messages that I often think we communicate solely with these days.
Maybe I should write more? That’s a personal question, but one this book has raised, and I thank it for. Learning so much about his extraordinary life has shaped the way I consider my own future and quest for knowledge, experience and kinship.
Brilliant, witty anecdotes, quotes make this book a treasure. Perhaps it’s one I’ll never read again, but it’s effect is impressive and irreversible.
I found myself at times thinking of my own attitudes to communication with friends, family and learnt a lot from this book. Like le Carré says, we write too few letters these days, and the world is poorer for it. Sincere thought, effort and honest emotion should always trump the quick, facile and irreverent messages that I often think we communicate solely with these days.
Maybe I should write more? That’s a personal question, but one this book has raised, and I thank it for. Learning so much about his extraordinary life has shaped the way I consider my own future and quest for knowledge, experience and kinship.
Brilliant, witty anecdotes, quotes make this book a treasure. Perhaps it’s one I’ll never read again, but it’s effect is impressive and irreversible.
June 2, 2023
I have been a John le Carre fan for 40 years. The spy who came in from the cold, looking glass war, a small town in Germany, the constant gardener, Russia House, and Little Drummer girl. Thanks to this incredible novel, I understand the complete backdrop of all my favorite books!
A true must-read!
A true must-read!
October 3, 2023
Brilliantly put together by le Carrè’s son, Tim. A must for le Carrè fans and a great accompaniment to the novels.
December 28, 2022
Really I'd give this a 4.5. I don't think I have read any books by John le Carre or seen any movies based on them, but that really didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the book. As a history, international relations and biography buff I really relished the insight these letters provided into all three of these areas.
May 6, 2024
A must read for le Carré fans, providing a "context" for all his books.
May 8, 2023
A Private Spy, The Letters of John le Carre, edited by Tim Cornwell; Viking: New York; $40.00 hardback
reviewed by John W. Davis
Engaging, insightful, wise, and gloriously witty correspondent John le Carre, pen name of David Cornwell, is all of these. He is the master storyteller who burst upon the world stage at the height of the Cold War with his superb and timely, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. In this well-selected trove of his letters to both famous and little-known correspondents, we discover a vein of gold. We discern, through the gimlet eye of his son, Tim Cornwell, an eclectic collection of letters about life, family, world events, personalities, writing, and humane insights. Where possible, Cornwell also includes the referenced letters and articles from those to whom he wrote.
Catalogued by le Carre’s sequential book titles, we read a panoply of letters about his historical ruminations, publication and movie deals, and especially contemporary observations on friends, colleagues, world stage players, and even adversaries. John le Carre is at once witty, trenchant, and clever. He challenges deceit, as in one controversy with a former KGB General. Likewise, he crosses swords with Graham Greene, over their interpretations of Kim Philby’s betrayal. Alec Guiness, who portrayed his deathless George Smiley, and other actors who played characters in films of his books come in for memorable anecdotes.
Le Carre discusses a vast array of themes from his full life. He disliked publicity appearances; believed his skills most fine-tuned in later life; felt strongly about German culture, and noted how it informed much of his early writing. He was honest about calling out duplicity, falsehood, shame and integrity in real life. In his correspondence he freely discussed examples. Masterpieces emerged regularly, with offerings such as Tinker,Tailor,Soldier,Spy and The Perfect Spy, (a near autobiography), among his best. He wrote to many about the responses to each of his books, and commented upon what each story revealed.
Tim Cornwell drew upon le Carre’s later habit of faxing his letters to recipients, the better to recall his myriad witty, insightful, and often churlish comments. Cornwell gives the reader a banquet of lucid, funny, even genuinely helpful observations by one of the most thoughtful writers of our lifetime. Cornwell provides distilled linkages between letters, illustrating what each deals with, and the background to any issue at hand. Further, his footnotes clarify references. The events, politics, personalities, and the business of writing are all here in a wealth of joyful, helpful, contentious, and ultimately humane observations by one of the most enlightened, and enlightening, men of our ‘most difficult era’.
reviewed by John W. Davis
Engaging, insightful, wise, and gloriously witty correspondent John le Carre, pen name of David Cornwell, is all of these. He is the master storyteller who burst upon the world stage at the height of the Cold War with his superb and timely, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. In this well-selected trove of his letters to both famous and little-known correspondents, we discover a vein of gold. We discern, through the gimlet eye of his son, Tim Cornwell, an eclectic collection of letters about life, family, world events, personalities, writing, and humane insights. Where possible, Cornwell also includes the referenced letters and articles from those to whom he wrote.
Catalogued by le Carre’s sequential book titles, we read a panoply of letters about his historical ruminations, publication and movie deals, and especially contemporary observations on friends, colleagues, world stage players, and even adversaries. John le Carre is at once witty, trenchant, and clever. He challenges deceit, as in one controversy with a former KGB General. Likewise, he crosses swords with Graham Greene, over their interpretations of Kim Philby’s betrayal. Alec Guiness, who portrayed his deathless George Smiley, and other actors who played characters in films of his books come in for memorable anecdotes.
Le Carre discusses a vast array of themes from his full life. He disliked publicity appearances; believed his skills most fine-tuned in later life; felt strongly about German culture, and noted how it informed much of his early writing. He was honest about calling out duplicity, falsehood, shame and integrity in real life. In his correspondence he freely discussed examples. Masterpieces emerged regularly, with offerings such as Tinker,Tailor,Soldier,Spy and The Perfect Spy, (a near autobiography), among his best. He wrote to many about the responses to each of his books, and commented upon what each story revealed.
Tim Cornwell drew upon le Carre’s later habit of faxing his letters to recipients, the better to recall his myriad witty, insightful, and often churlish comments. Cornwell gives the reader a banquet of lucid, funny, even genuinely helpful observations by one of the most thoughtful writers of our lifetime. Cornwell provides distilled linkages between letters, illustrating what each deals with, and the background to any issue at hand. Further, his footnotes clarify references. The events, politics, personalities, and the business of writing are all here in a wealth of joyful, helpful, contentious, and ultimately humane observations by one of the most enlightened, and enlightening, men of our ‘most difficult era’.
December 20, 2022
Le Carré is one of my favorite fiction writers and some of his letters are quite interesting, but as a collection it’s overwhelmingly tiresome. Imagine watching your favorite fashion designer folding their laundry - after the first couple of shirts you’d get bored.
June 12, 2023
I’ve been reading A Private Spy throughout the first half of the year, reading a couple letters or so with each passing day. I’ve greatly enjoyed learning a bit more about David Cornwell (John Le Carré) through these correspondences with his agents, editors, admirers, family, research subjects, and celebrities. I have to praise his son and editor of this, Tim Cornwell (who sadly passed away shortly after finishing the edits for this) for his concision and frank insight into the events and his father’s feelings on a variety of subjects. While I would have enjoyed some more instances of David Cornwell’s conversations with family, especially as it related to his marriage struggles and relationship with his estranged father, I found what letters were included here to be enjoyable and illuminating. A Private Spy opens up here and you’re bound to learn a great deal more about the man who became Le Carré in these pages.
May 19, 2023
I found the selected letters of John Le Carre sustained my interest in the life of an author who holds a place in my reader life that spanned decades. Since I knew little about the man, the complexities of his lust life surprised me. When it came to his wives, he appeared to be as morally compromised as his characters were in their spy roles, driven and jaded. And the revelation of affairs merely touches the surface in scope and duration. Le Carre's letters to his admirers and friends were charming. The life he lived in England and Switzerland and his travels to the Unites States were intriguing, as were his film ventures. Worth the read.
December 26, 2022
"Why would you read a 1000+ page compilation of letters from an author you're not familiar with?" Good question! I can't answer that but I can tell you that le Carré has a very unique voice whose humor I'm hoping also comes across in his books. I enjoyed learning about his life, but not enough that I would recommend this to anyone that's not a die-hard fan - I respect how in-depth this is, but it's so long.
August 26, 2023
There are few angry and cutting letters or comments here (but they are often magnificent when rendered). His generosity and beautiful letters of praise really shine through most of all - boy, he could write a compliment. His unsolicited letter to Stephen Fry when he had gone "AWOL" sums Le Carre up perfectly - very thoughtful, warm and understanding, with just a hint of playfulness - the perfect words for that imperfect moment.
October 26, 2023
To the die hard JLC fan, this collection is an absolute treat. Much more revealing, sentimental and personal than any autobiographical work could ever be; here we see the true heart of the man and how it beat for all those whom he cared for and the causes he supported. Lovingly collated and edited by his late son, this book is a true testament to their relationship and a very credible feather in his own journalistic cap.
January 23, 2023
A lengthy book which tells you more about the man than you might think. It leaves out a lot of his life some for obvious reasons but you understand how he felt about the world his writing and his constant need to write
January 9, 2024
I was apprehensive to begin this book, as I was fearful that it would affect my enjoyment of le Carres' books, some of which I have read several times. Well, not to worry, I gained a new appreciation of le Carre the man as well as his novels, and read it effortlessly and with much enjoyment.
January 19, 2023
Incredibly interesting - to hear his personal voice corresponding with a wide range of people in his life offers a keen window into the man.
January 25, 2023
If you love le Carré’s writing, this collection is like a giant box of chocolates.
January 25, 2024
A brilliant insight into the life of one of the 20th century's greatest writers!
July 5, 2025
In the long, quiet shadows of the Covid years—those suspended hours of introspection, rupture, and reluctant healing—I read A Private Spy: The Letters of John le Carré. And it felt, more than anything, like stepping into a private, smoke-filled study in Hampstead, or Cornwall, or Hamburg—somewhere between the real and the haunted—where the man behind the mask of “le Carré” was finally speaking in his own voice, unfiltered, unguarded, and occasionally, devastatingly tender.
Edited by his son Tim Cornwell—himself now a memory within a memory, having passed before the book’s release—this massive volume of over 600 pages stretches from 1945 to 2020, threading through decades of Cold War politics, literary labor, familial fracture, and the weary wisdom of a man who mistrusted everything, especially himself. And yet, what emerges is not a cold dossier, but a vibrant, self-questioning, emotionally intricate life captured in ink.
I’ve read le Carré’s novels since 2005 (The Constant Gardener was my gateway drug), but A Private Spy opened another portal. In his fiction, he gave us George Smiley—stoic, cerebral, quietly heroic. But in these letters, we meet David Cornwell—wry, wounded, deeply curious, and often more emotionally raw than any of his literary creations. This was no longer the spy novelist; this was the spy himself—of human character, of global hypocrisy, of the self’s hidden lairs.
His correspondence with Alec Guinness sparkles with dry humour and mutual admiration—two men playing chess over character and shadow. His notes to Graham Greene and Philip Roth reveal not just professional kinship, but a shared struggle to render truth through fiction. He writes, in one letter, “I write to make sense of the world I distrust”—a line that could be carved above the door of every serious novelist’s workspace. And yet, even as he dissected the world’s deceit, he remained caught in his own—especially in relation to his father, Ronnie, the charming, monstrous conman who haunted every corner of his life and prose.
There is no real way to read this book quickly. Each letter is a breadcrumb. You follow it into another corner of le Carré’s psyche. You watch as he questions the ethics of his own literary fame, as he grieves friendships lost, as he supports young writers, lashes out at political folly, grumbles about publishers, or celebrates the moral bravery of whistleblowers. There are letters where he is furious and unforgiving, especially during the Iraq War years—his moral compass not just intact, but burning with righteous rage. And then there are quieter ones—about his children, his second marriage, about the writing process, where the spy becomes a father, a friend, a very fallible man.
Reading this during Covid added another layer. The world outside had collapsed into silence, and here was a man who had made a career out of unmasking silences. I would read a letter a day, sometimes two. I savored it like correspondence meant for me. And in many ways, it was. Because who among us does not live with divided loyalties? Who doesn’t write—to someone or to oneself—to say the thing that cannot be said out loud?
The Private Spy is not just a collection of letters. It is an epistolary autobiography of a man who spent his entire life guarding what he truly felt, only to let it slip—line by line, letter by letter—when he thought no one was looking. It’s le Carré’s most intimate novel, except it’s not fiction. And that’s what makes it extraordinary. In the end, I was reminded of something le Carré once said in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: “The more identities a man has, the more they express the person they conceal.”
This book is all his identities, laid bare. And behind them, a human being of deep conviction, exquisite pain, and enduring brilliance—writing, always writing, because the world needed explaining, and his heart refused to go silent.
Edited by his son Tim Cornwell—himself now a memory within a memory, having passed before the book’s release—this massive volume of over 600 pages stretches from 1945 to 2020, threading through decades of Cold War politics, literary labor, familial fracture, and the weary wisdom of a man who mistrusted everything, especially himself. And yet, what emerges is not a cold dossier, but a vibrant, self-questioning, emotionally intricate life captured in ink.
I’ve read le Carré’s novels since 2005 (The Constant Gardener was my gateway drug), but A Private Spy opened another portal. In his fiction, he gave us George Smiley—stoic, cerebral, quietly heroic. But in these letters, we meet David Cornwell—wry, wounded, deeply curious, and often more emotionally raw than any of his literary creations. This was no longer the spy novelist; this was the spy himself—of human character, of global hypocrisy, of the self’s hidden lairs.
His correspondence with Alec Guinness sparkles with dry humour and mutual admiration—two men playing chess over character and shadow. His notes to Graham Greene and Philip Roth reveal not just professional kinship, but a shared struggle to render truth through fiction. He writes, in one letter, “I write to make sense of the world I distrust”—a line that could be carved above the door of every serious novelist’s workspace. And yet, even as he dissected the world’s deceit, he remained caught in his own—especially in relation to his father, Ronnie, the charming, monstrous conman who haunted every corner of his life and prose.
There is no real way to read this book quickly. Each letter is a breadcrumb. You follow it into another corner of le Carré’s psyche. You watch as he questions the ethics of his own literary fame, as he grieves friendships lost, as he supports young writers, lashes out at political folly, grumbles about publishers, or celebrates the moral bravery of whistleblowers. There are letters where he is furious and unforgiving, especially during the Iraq War years—his moral compass not just intact, but burning with righteous rage. And then there are quieter ones—about his children, his second marriage, about the writing process, where the spy becomes a father, a friend, a very fallible man.
Reading this during Covid added another layer. The world outside had collapsed into silence, and here was a man who had made a career out of unmasking silences. I would read a letter a day, sometimes two. I savored it like correspondence meant for me. And in many ways, it was. Because who among us does not live with divided loyalties? Who doesn’t write—to someone or to oneself—to say the thing that cannot be said out loud?
The Private Spy is not just a collection of letters. It is an epistolary autobiography of a man who spent his entire life guarding what he truly felt, only to let it slip—line by line, letter by letter—when he thought no one was looking. It’s le Carré’s most intimate novel, except it’s not fiction. And that’s what makes it extraordinary. In the end, I was reminded of something le Carré once said in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: “The more identities a man has, the more they express the person they conceal.”
This book is all his identities, laid bare. And behind them, a human being of deep conviction, exquisite pain, and enduring brilliance—writing, always writing, because the world needed explaining, and his heart refused to go silent.
January 25, 2023
To my surprise, this was an awful book- so much so that I have been inspired to set up an account on this website to warn others!
First, there is the subject matter. You would expect a celebrated novelist to have lived at the centre of things and to have been greatly engaged in the disputes of his time. Not at all. Almost all of the letters are about trivial things such as “I had a mild argument with X”, or are literally admin, like “thank you so much for your kind gift, it would be good to see you soon”. I was amazed that Le Carre never seems to have commented on current affairs; remarkably, the great Cold War novelist doesn’t remark on the fall of the Berlin Wall! The only comments on major events are on Iraq and Brexit, where he adopts the annoying de-haut-en-bas tone of a parody liberal writer; there is no reasoned, intellectual engagement with the issues, but simply milquetoast whining about “isn’t this beastly and aren’t people stupid for believing politicians”.
Moreover, Le Carre’s own style of writing in the letters is really bad considering his skills as a novelist. They are written without a drop of wit, humour or charm. Indeed he comes across as both pompous and whiny. I had always thought he was a great novelist but after reading this I find him deeply dislikable.
In summary, as somebody who really enjoys reading letters and diaries, I had expected to read some amazing letters, so was almost amazed at how bad these were. Frankly, you would find more interesting letters in a local newspaper. I am just glad the book was on offer where I bought it, as it is honestly one of the worst books I have ever read!
First, there is the subject matter. You would expect a celebrated novelist to have lived at the centre of things and to have been greatly engaged in the disputes of his time. Not at all. Almost all of the letters are about trivial things such as “I had a mild argument with X”, or are literally admin, like “thank you so much for your kind gift, it would be good to see you soon”. I was amazed that Le Carre never seems to have commented on current affairs; remarkably, the great Cold War novelist doesn’t remark on the fall of the Berlin Wall! The only comments on major events are on Iraq and Brexit, where he adopts the annoying de-haut-en-bas tone of a parody liberal writer; there is no reasoned, intellectual engagement with the issues, but simply milquetoast whining about “isn’t this beastly and aren’t people stupid for believing politicians”.
Moreover, Le Carre’s own style of writing in the letters is really bad considering his skills as a novelist. They are written without a drop of wit, humour or charm. Indeed he comes across as both pompous and whiny. I had always thought he was a great novelist but after reading this I find him deeply dislikable.
In summary, as somebody who really enjoys reading letters and diaries, I had expected to read some amazing letters, so was almost amazed at how bad these were. Frankly, you would find more interesting letters in a local newspaper. I am just glad the book was on offer where I bought it, as it is honestly one of the worst books I have ever read!
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