John le Carré
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| "[[John le Carré]] created [[George Smiley]] as an intentional [[Foil (literature)|foil]] to [[James Bond]], a character whom he believed depicted an inaccurate and damaging version of espionage life. Short, overweight, balding, and bespectacled, Smiley is polite and [[self-effacing|self-effacing]] and frequently allows others to mistreat him, including his serially [[unfaithful wife]]."--Sholem Stein | "[[John le Carré]] created [[George Smiley]] as an intentional [[Foil (literature)|foil]] to [[James Bond]], a character whom he believed depicted an inaccurate and damaging version of espionage life. Short, overweight, balding, and bespectacled, Smiley is polite and [[self-effacing|self-effacing]] and frequently allows others to mistreat him, including his serially [[unfaithful wife]]."--Sholem Stein | ||
| <hr> | <hr> | ||
| - | "I dislike [[James Bond|Bond]]."--John le Carré, 1966 | + | “We both dislike [[James Bond|Bond]]. I’m not sure that Bond is a [[Espionage|spy]]. I think that it’s a great mistake if one’s talking about [[espionage literature]] to include Bond in this category at all. It seems to me he’s more some kind of international [[gangster]] with, as it is said, a [[license to kill]]... He’s a man entirely out of the political context. It’s of no interest to Bond who, for instance, is president of the United States or of the Union of Soviet Republics. It's the [[consumer goods]] ethic, really, that everything around you, all the dull things of life, are suddenly animated, by this wonderful cachet of espionage. With the things on our desk that could explode, our ties that could suddenly take photographs. These give a drab and materialistic existence a kind of magic.”--[[John le Carré]] interviewed by [[Malcolm Muggeridge]], first broadcast on February 8, 1966, 16:45 |
| - | <hr> | + | |
| - | "The American handed Leamas another cup of coffee and said, "Why don't you go back and sleep? We can ring you if he shows up."<br> | + | |
| - | Leamas said nothing, just stared through the window of the [[checkpoint]], along the empty street.<br> | + | |
| - | "You can't wait forever, sir. Maybe he'll come some other time. We can have the ''[[Polizei]]'' contact the Agency: you can be back here in twenty minutes."<br> | + | |
| - | "No," said Leamas, "it's nearly dark now."<br> | + | |
| - | "But you can't wait forever; he's nine hours over schedule."<br> | + | |
| - | "If you want to go, go. You've been very good," Leamas added. "I'll tell Kramer you've been damn good."<br> | + | |
| - | "But how long will you wait?"<br> | + | |
| - | "Until he comes." Leamas walked to the observation window and stood between the two motionless policemen. Their binoculars were trained on the Eastern checkpoint.<br> | + | |
| - | "He's waiting for the dark," Leamas muttered, "I know he is." | + | |
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| - | --incipit from ''[[The Spy Who Came In from the Cold]]'' (1963) by John le Carré | + | |
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| {{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
| - | '''John le Carré''' (19 October 1931 – 12 December 2020) was a [[British author]] of [[spy fiction|espionage novels]]. During the 1950s and 1960s, he worked for both the [[MI5|Security Service]] (MI5) and the [[Secret Intelligence Service]] (MI6). His third novel, ''[[The Spy Who Came in from the Cold]]'' (1963), became an international best-seller and remains one of his best-known works. | + | '''John le Carré''' (19 October 1931 – 12 December 2020) was a [[British author]] of [[spy fiction|espionage novels]]. During the 1950s and 1960s, he worked for both the [[MI5|Security Service]] (MI5) and the [[Secret Intelligence Service]] (MI6). His third novel, ''[[The Spy Who Came in from the Cold]]'' (1963), became an international best-seller and remains one of his best-known works. Later works of note include ''[[The Constant Gardener]]'' (2001). |
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| + | Most of le Carré's books are [[spy story|spy stories]] set during the [[Cold War]] (1945–91) and portray [[British Intelligence]] agents as unheroic political functionaries aware of the moral ambiguity of their work and engaged more in psychological than physical drama. The novels emphasise the fallibility of [[Liberal democracy|Western democracy]] and of the secret services protecting it, often implying the possibility of east–west moral equivalence. They experience little of the violence typically encountered in [[action thriller]]s and have very little recourse to [[gadget]]s. Much of the conflict is internal, rather than external and visible. The recurring character [[George Smiley]], who plays a central role in five novels and appears as a supporting character in four more, was written as an "antidote" to [[James Bond]], a character le Carré called "an international [[gangster]]" rather than a spy and whom he felt should be excluded from the canon of espionage literature. In contrast, he intended Smiley, who is an [[overweight]], [[bespectacled]] [[bureaucrat]] who uses cunning and manipulation to achieve his ends, as an accurate depiction of a spy. | ||
| - | Following the success of this novel, he left MI6 to become a full-time author. His books include ''[[The Looking Glass War]]'' (1965), ''[[Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy]]'' (1974), ''[[Smiley's People]]'' (1979), ''[[The Little Drummer Girl]]'' (1983), ''[[The Night Manager]]'' (1993), ''[[The Tailor of Panama]]'' (1996), ''[[The Constant Gardener]]'' (2001), ''[[A Most Wanted Man]]'' (2008) and ''[[Our Kind of Traitor]]'' (2010), all of which have been adapted for film or television. | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| *[[George Smiley]] | *[[George Smiley]] | ||
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
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"John le Carré created George Smiley as an intentional foil to James Bond, a character whom he believed depicted an inaccurate and damaging version of espionage life. Short, overweight, balding, and bespectacled, Smiley is polite and self-effacing and frequently allows others to mistreat him, including his serially unfaithful wife."--Sholem Stein “We both dislike Bond. I’m not sure that Bond is a spy. I think that it’s a great mistake if one’s talking about espionage literature to include Bond in this category at all. It seems to me he’s more some kind of international gangster with, as it is said, a license to kill... He’s a man entirely out of the political context. It’s of no interest to Bond who, for instance, is president of the United States or of the Union of Soviet Republics. It's the consumer goods ethic, really, that everything around you, all the dull things of life, are suddenly animated, by this wonderful cachet of espionage. With the things on our desk that could explode, our ties that could suddenly take photographs. These give a drab and materialistic existence a kind of magic.”--John le Carré interviewed by Malcolm Muggeridge, first broadcast on February 8, 1966, 16:45 |
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John le Carré (19 October 1931 – 12 December 2020) was a British author of espionage novels. During the 1950s and 1960s, he worked for both the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). His third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), became an international best-seller and remains one of his best-known works. Later works of note include The Constant Gardener (2001).
Most of le Carré's books are spy stories set during the Cold War (1945–91) and portray British Intelligence agents as unheroic political functionaries aware of the moral ambiguity of their work and engaged more in psychological than physical drama. The novels emphasise the fallibility of Western democracy and of the secret services protecting it, often implying the possibility of east–west moral equivalence. They experience little of the violence typically encountered in action thrillers and have very little recourse to gadgets. Much of the conflict is internal, rather than external and visible. The recurring character George Smiley, who plays a central role in five novels and appears as a supporting character in four more, was written as an "antidote" to James Bond, a character le Carré called "an international gangster" rather than a spy and whom he felt should be excluded from the canon of espionage literature. In contrast, he intended Smiley, who is an overweight, bespectacled bureaucrat who uses cunning and manipulation to achieve his ends, as an accurate depiction of a spy.
See also
