PublishedPenguin Classics, October 2010 |
ISBN9780141194523 |
FormatSoftcover, 304 pages |
Dimensions19.7cm × 13cm × 1.7cm |
Le Carre's breakthrough work of 1963 was an award-winning number one global bestseller and brought him international renown, redefining the spy story as a gritty and terrible tale of men who are caught up in politics beyond their imagining.
Alex Leamas is tired. It's the 1960s, he's been out in the cold for years, spying in Berlin for his British masters, and has seen too many good agents murdered for their troubles. Now Control wants to bring him in at last - but only after one final assignment.
He must travel deep into the heart of Communist Germany and betray his country, a job that he will do with his usual cynical professionalism. But when George Smiley tries to help a young woman Leamas has befriended, Leamas's mission may prove to be the worst thing he could ever have done.
In le Carre's breakthrough work of 1963, the spy story is reborn as a gritty and terrible tale of men who are caught up in politics beyond their imagining.
With a new introduction by William Boyd and an afterword by Le Carre himself.
Bill is one of the founders of Boffins and has been involved in selecting the books we stock since our beginning in 1989. His favourite reading is history, with psychology, current affairs, and business books coming close behind. His hobbies are reading, food, reading, drinking, reading, and sleeping.
Growing up during the Cold War, spy thrillers were a dime a dozen. And I did read quite a few. But it’s not surprising that this is my favourite spy story. James Bond might be great for an escapist night at the movies. But le Carre operates at a higher level than Ian Fleming. There’s the excitement, the chase, of course – the narrative is superb. But it’s the complexity of the story and the characters, the understatement, the nuances that make it really stand out. It’s not just a caper, it’s an insight into how espionage corrodes people. For that reason, thriller or not, it’s a rewarding book to read again. And if you haven’t read it, do so now!
