Yves here. At the risk of having readers deem me to be a philistine, I have to confess to assuming John le Carré was a guy-spy-action author. Not that I don’t regularly read male-oriented fiction (I love sci fi) but aside from Graham Greene, I’ve never been a fan of spooky novels. Now that I have learned that le Carré was subtle and subversive, I can now look forward to sampling and hopefully enjoying his work.
By Anthony Barnett (@AnthonyBarnett), the founding Editor-in-Chief of openDemocracy (2001-7), the Co-Director of The Convention on Modern Liberty (2009), the first Director of Charter 88 (1988-95). He was a member of the editorial advisory group of the Bureau of Investigative Reporting (2014-18). Anthony has authored four books and edited one collection, and co-authored two books and co-edited two collections of essays, listed here. He also sits on the Board of The Open Trust. Originally published at openDemocracy
The lying life of John le Carré It wasn t only in his pseudonymous spy fiction that the late novelist practised the art of invention – from childhood, David Cornwell s life was defined by deception. How do you assess the life of a liar? Someone who, by their own admission, was “Born to lying, bred to it, trained to it by an industry that lies for a living, practiced in it as a novelist”. John le Carré, who died on 12 December at the age of 89, hadn’t worked as a spy since leaving British intelligence in 1964. But as a writer, as “a maker of fictions”, he once wrote that “I invent versions of myself, never the real thing, if it exists”.
John le Carré: where to start reading, and 10 of his best novels telegraph.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from telegraph.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.