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A Private Spy
- The Letters of John le Carré 1945-2020
- Narrated by: David Harewood, Florence Pugh
- Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
John le Carré was a defining writer of his time. From The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, which changed our understanding of the secret agent from guns and Martinis to shadows and moral ambiguity, to Agent Running in the Field, in which modern Britain is mired in political corruption, he catalogued our sins and recounted the journey of the Anglosphere into the twenty-first century. In these letters, le Carre´ reveals himself to be a consummate correspondent as well as a master novelist.
A Private Spy spans seven decades and chronicles not only le Carre´'s own life but the turbulent times to which he was witness. Beginning with his 1940s childhood, it includes accounts of his National Service and his time at Oxford, and his days teaching the 'chinless, pointy-nosed gooseberry-eyed British lords' at Eton. It describes his entry into MI5 and the rise of the Iron Curtain, and the flowering of his career as a novelist in reaction to the building of the Berlin Wall. Through his letters we travel with him from the Second World War period to the immediate moment in which we live.
At the heart of the collection is le Carre´ the writer: researching, creating and editing, engaging with readers, publishers, film-makers and actors, with politicians and public figures. We find le Carré writing to Alec Guinness to persuade him to take on the role of George Smiley, and later arguing the immorality of the War on Terror with the chief of the German internal security service. In A Private Spy what emerges is a portrait not only of the writer, or of the global intellectual, but, in his own words, of the very private, very passionate and very real man behind the name.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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- Crawford jamieson
- 28-02-23
An extraordinary life in letters
I’ve enjoyed all of le Carre’s books and his wonderful ‘An evening with George Smiley’ at the Royal Festival Hall some years ago. This is a wonderful and eclectic selection of letters mapping a full and long life. Most prominent is his sense of humour, his oblique look at the world, his valued and varied friendships and an insight to the career of an author so long at the peak of his craft and yet still self effacing and lacking in pretensions. This Audible version is beautifully read and an absolute pleasure - I recommend it highly.
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- Matt C
- 20-09-23
An amazing listen
An amazing selection of letters by his son Tim. They give so much colour to many facets of Le Carre’s / Cornwell’s life and writings. Beautifully read by David Harewood and Florence Pugh. Thoroughly recommended.
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