A Private Spy, the letters of John Le Carre - how to become a spy.

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Judith Pembleton

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John Le Carre's son (Tim Cornwall) has collated his father's letters into a book: A Private Spy, the letters of John Le Carre. This reply to a 10-year-old boy, Nicholas Greaves, is quoted -- Nicholas wrote in 1988 to ask le Carre how to become a spy.

“To be a spy,” he told Nicholas, 

“you need first to know what you think about the world, whom you would like to help, who to frustrate. 

This, I am afraid, takes time. 

Also, you have to decide how much you are prepared to do by very dishonest means. 

You are very young to decide to be dishonest. 

My guess is, you want excitement and a great cause. 

But I do 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.”





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752 pages


Editorial Reviews
Review
Praise for A Private Spy:


“A Private Spy, a collection of correspondence spanning much of his [John le Carré’s] life, offers a fresh look at his brilliance.”
—New York Times


“It’s glimpses of the master novelist most readers will be eager for, and they’ll find them in his letters to family and avid readers [in A Private Spy].”
—Washington Post


“A fascinating look at one of the 20th century’s most fascinating figures.”
—CrimeReads


“Le Carré was perhaps the most thoughtful and erudite purveyor of the spy novel in the 20th century, a crackerjack storyteller who elevated the thriller to literary heights…the engrossing letters in A Private Spy—curated with great affection and care by [Tim] Cornwell, who sadly passed away in May 2022—are not unlike an exquisite bespoke suite crafted by a master.”
—BookPage


“[A Private Spy is] a portrait of the famed spy novelist via a lifetime of correspondence…Meticulously edited and expansively annotated by le Carré’s son, Cornwell, this collection lands like a biography…Le Carré’s wry modesty and cleareyed insight into human nature consistently shine through…invaluable for fans.”
—Kirkus


About the Author

JOHN LE CARRÉ was born in 1931. For six decades he wrote novels that came to define our age. He published his debut novel, Call for the Dead, in 1961 while still a secret servant. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, secured him a worldwide reputation, which was consolidated by the acclaim for his trilogy Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy,and Smiley’s People. At the end of the Cold War, le Carré widened his scope to explore an international landscape including the arms trade and the War on Terror. His memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel, was published in 2016 and the last George Smiley novel, A Legacy of Spies, appeared in 2017. Silverview is his twenty-sixth novel. John le Carré died on December 12, 2020.

Product details
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking (December 6, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 752 pages

Customer Reviews: 4.2 out of 5 stars    24 ratings