The only question is where to start. What if spying is, instead of sexy and fun and heroic, awful and degrading and really bad for your liver? Looking Glass War tells the story of a decaying agency known as the Department, a rival to the Circus, mounting a dangerous operation in East Germany as a final grasp at relevance. But it gets the Circus characters out of Europe, on a chase after a money-laundering network in Southeast Asia, and portrays for the first time the fraught relationship between a humiliated British intelligence service and its ruthless and imperious American allies in the CIA.
But its focus is less the investigation itself than the consequences of a lifetime of work as a spy: the agents and assets cast off or left behind, the relationships ruined or buried, the violence and death left in the wake of maneuvering for scraps of likely useless intelligence. Le Carre began to work for the secret service of Her Majesty during the Second World War, as an interpreter of classified documents.
In he enrolled at the University of Bern, in Switzerland, and he then moved on with his studies in England, at the Lincoln College in Oxford, where he earned a degree in German literature in He became a professor at the Eton College but, after only two years, his passion for international politics pushed him out of the academic world and towards the British Foreign Office, where he started working.
After a few years he was contacted by the MI6 and he decided to go back to his old job, becoming once again a secret agent. It was during the s that John decided to use his incredible experiences as a source of inspiration for a series of spy stories. This happened while he was still working as an agent. However, when the Cold War ended, the interest for the spy fiction genre suddenly declined, and many critics though spy stories were destined to disappear precisely like the historical moment that generated them.
But Le Carre, starting from , carried spy fiction into a new dimension, including in his plots new elements, like the terrible crimes committed by multinational corporations in the Third World. The protagonists of his books, in fact, are extremely realistic, like the settings in which the plots unfold.
Le Carre describes people who are often obsessed, ambitious and selfish, characters who follow personal interests and passions more than ideals and patriotism. The first book written by Le Carre, which is also his first major success, is titled Call for the Dead, and was published when John was still a MI6 agent.
Smiley has a troubled story behind him, a failed marriage and some problems with long-term relationships. The story of the book is built around Fennan, a British high official who apparently commits suicide after a discussion with Smiley. Many details, however, suggest the man did not kill himself: it was murder. Smiley will find himself facing tough discoveries, moments that will make him suffer. Furthermore, the author carefully displays the problems related to the methods adopted by secret agents, and he also indulges in engaging, subtle comparisons between individualism and socialism.
This time the focal point of the plot is the murder of Stella Rode. The atmosphere is darker, and black soon becomes the dominant color of the investigation through which Smiley finds himself involved in international intrigues secretly outlined within the walls of an English college. The rhythm is breathtaking, the story is beautiful… the novel is a must-read.
From murder mysteries to gripping police investigations, for more great titles read our review of the best crime and thriller novels. IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Coffee Coffee capsule machines Espresso machines Coffee pods Coffee grinders Bean to cup coffee machine Filter coffee machine Cafetieres.
Bathroom Bathroom scales Electric toothbrushes Bath towels Bath mats. Mattresses Mattresses Mattress buying guide Mattress toppers. Strictly Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.
See More. Analytics cookies help us to improve our website by collecting and reporting information on how you use it. These cookies may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. Preference and Feature cookies allow our website to remember choices you make, such as your language preferences and any customisations you make to pages on our website during your visit.
Targeting cookies are used to make advertising messages more relevant to you and your interests. They perform functions like preventing the same content from reappearing, ensuring ads are displayed and, in some cases, selecting content based on your interests.
Features Find your next read Sign up for our newsletter Events Podcasts Apps. Children's Children's 0 - 18 months 18 months - 3 years 3 - 5 years 5 - 7 years 7 - 9 years 9 - 12 years View all children's. Puffin Ladybird. Authors A-Z. Featured Authors. Gifts for bibliophiles. Book Bundles. Writing Workshops. View all. Curated Bundles.
0コメント