Espionage Aficionados discussion

Has anyone read the John le Carre biography? I started reading it to understand more behind his novels. But sadly as I got to know him as a person, I started to like him less. I‘m midway through the biography, but thinking about stopping. Anyone had a similar experience?

You read about 50% more than I had before I bailed out. My reason for beginning was the same as yours, and Sisman did help in that regard. I probably put it back on the shelf because something else caught my attention. I don’t necessarily have to like an individual to enjoy/appreciate his bio. In my case the problem was more my gnat-sized attention span. Your post reminds me that it’s still sitting there waiting for me.

I may get back to it soon. For me, besides enriching appreciation for LeCarre’s work, the book has value as social history of certain UK classes and the espionage community in general.

If you mean The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life, I read the entire book and liked it. I think you need to have read a lot of le Carré's books to fully appreciate it, but it does shed some interesting light on some of his characters. Many are based on actual people, and The Pigeon Tunnel provides the details.

If you think le Carré is not a particularly likeable person, you should read a little about his Dad, Ronnie Cornwell. Ronnie was a notorious con man, forever in debt or jail or dodging creditors. He was an associate of the Kray twins and the basis for Rick Pym in A Perfect Spy. Le Carré's mother abandoned the family when he was only 5. It is remarkable than le Carré didn't turn out a complete mess.

The biography I referenced is John LeCarre: the Biography, Adam Sisman. Ronnie figures prominently. Here’s a article addressing that volume and LeCarre’s autobiography: https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...

Ah apologies. I was referring to Sisman’s biography. I read all of the pigeon tunnel and enjoyed it. The less sanitized bio by Sisman points out Many of Le carré’s foibles. I guess I’ve hero worshipped him too much as the author of books i love and now am sad to have the hero seem less heroic.

"A new terror has been added to Death --biography." --Oscar Wilde

The Foreign Correspondent's Club in Hong Kong!

This was the old location (constructed in 1943) at 41A Conduit Road.



The new site is on Lower Albert Rd. Something certainly lacking!

Feliks wrote: "The Foreign Correspondent's Club in Hong Kong!

This was the old location (constructed in 1943) at 41A Conduit Road.



The new site is on Lower Albert Rd. Something certainly lacking!

"

I actually visited the club in the early '80s, and it's just like le Carré says in The Honourable Schoolboy, the men's room there really did have one of the best views of Hong Kong!

Impressive chops. Bravo.

I missed it when I passed through.

But I did get into Happy Valley Racetrack; which is what I really yearned for.

Opening night of the season!

My copy was expensive and I suspect it to be out of print, but an interesting addition to ones thoughts about John Le Ce can be found in Conversations With John le Carré.
It is a verbatim collection of interviews given by the author across his career. It is necessarily repetitious. But I esp enjoyed his slow strip tease as he gave up more and more about his 16 yr active association with MI5 /6.