John le Carré

The John le Carré archive is full of treasures. As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of A Perfect Spy we have unearthed some gems.

We hope you enjoy these character notes from the 1980's that went on to form A Perfect Spy.

#APerfectSpy #JohnleCarré

This month we're celebrating the 40th anniversary of A Perfect Spy, first published on the 17th March 1986.

#APerfectSpy #JohnleCarré

Did you enjoy The Night Manager series 2?

We are saddened to hear of the passing of Tom Stoppard, a dear friend of le Carré. They corresponded frequently, from congratulations for Shakespeare in Love to feedback for A Legacy of Spies. At his 87th birthday in 2019, David said that he thought of Tom as the external reader to whom he wrote.

‘John le Carré’s The Circus: Losing Control #1’ - Comic Book Review - Fanbasepress I’m ashamed to admit, I’ve not read a single novel by John le Carré, or even seen any of the movies based on them. I know of them: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier,

'This is a great comic—and more than that, this is the essence of what a great spy story should be.'

Fanbase Press reviews The Circus: Losing Control issue #1

fanbasepress.com/press/review...

Out today!

A modern day Circus brought to life in fascinating detail.
The Circus - Losing Control issue 1, the new @darkhorse.com written by Matt Kindt, illustrated by Ibrahim Moustafa, colored by Brad Simpson, and lettered by Simon Bowland.

Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman on The Night Manager’s Long-Awaited Return Nearly a decade after the Emmy-winning original series, their intelligence officers navigate a bleaker world in season two: “Forty years ago, people would write movies where the punchline was, ‘and th...

Season two is coming... #TheNightManager

www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/st...

The first line of this month's book... do you know which Smiley it is?

#JohnleCarré

Released today – Smiley's People by John le Carré in audiobook, unabridged and narrated by Simon Russell Beale for the first time: www.audible.co.uk/pd/Smileys-P...

"In Karla's Choice, Nick Harkaway has done the impossible and made it look easy. He's written a new George Smiley novel that reads like a long lost le Carré classic." Joe Hill, NYT bestselling author of The Fireman

US Readers - Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway is now available in paperback.

It's Bookshop Day tomorrow in the UK
#BookshopDay

If you haven't been to @bodleian.ox.ac.uk #Tradecraft exhibition yet it is well worth a visit. Splendid to behold!

Thanks to Richard Ovenden, co-curators - Federico Varese and Jessica Douthwaite and Mick Herron.

Inside the meticulous, marvellous mind of John le Carré A new exhibition opens up the spy writer’s sprawling literary archive to shed light on his idiosyncratic creative process. Katie Rosseinsky explores how he brought George Smiley and co to life

'For le Carré, research was everything; his fictional scenarios, he believed, needed to take place against entirely believable backdrops, if he was going to convincingly grapple with real-life conflicts and issues.'

www.the-independent.com/arts-enterta...

Publishing next week Schott's Significa offers an indispensable field guide into the secret languages that surround us.

Of particular note, the glossary of the dark arts of tradecraft, and le Carré's influence on the fictional and real world is well worth a read: www.waterstones.com/book/schott-...

John le Carré: Tradecraft Free exhibition at the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford

The Bodleian Libraries’ new exhibition #Tradecraft which draws upon the vast archive of John le Carré is now open to the public.
And do make sure to pause at the gift shop to see if you can spot the new John le Carré merchandise...
visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/lecarre

Nick Harkaway: ‘I loathed Charles Dickens – it nearly turned me off reading for ever’ The author on his secret theories about Tolkien, the most perfect and terrifying Moomin book, and how his father, John le Carré, inspired him

In the Guardian, Nick Harkaway shared the books of his life from Lord of the Rings to The Hound of the Baskervilles with a special mention to A Murder of Quality by John le Carré.

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/s...

@nickharkaway.com joins Georgina Godwin to discuss life with John le Carré and carrying on his legacy in Karla's Choice.
Listen now: monocle.com/radio/shows/...

"Survival... is an infinite capacity for suspicion."

Do you know which book we're looking at this month?

We are delighted to announce that we have been working with @darkhorse.com to produce a trilogy of comic books set in John le Carré’s Circus: London, present day. The story features the Mothers - the assistants to the various disciplines in the Circus: in this case, Maggie, ‘Mother’ to Control.

Chasing le Carré in Corfu If you’re trying to find someone who doesn’t want to be found, you don’t go to the obvious places.

'Le Carré wrote 26 novels before he died, in 2020. He traveled to research many of them'

This piece in the @theatlantic.com sees Honor Jones ‘Chasing le Carré in Corfu’, specifically The Perfect Spy.

John Le Carre archive to go on display, including letter from Alec Guinness Le Carre, whose real name was David Cornwell, wrote best-selling novels including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Night Manager.

“Le Carre’s researcher’s spirit, commitment to understanding real-world problems, meticulous attention to detail and working relationships are uncovered in an engaging and colourful review of his life and career.”

Read more about the Tradecraft exhibit in the Oxford Mail.

David Harewood reads from John le Carré's A Small Town in Germany – video To celebrate the publication of John le Carré’s first memoir The Pigeon Tunnel this month, actor David Harewood reads from the author’s 1968 novel A Small Town in Germany

Take a break and listen to actor David Harewood read from A Small Town in Germany.

www.theguardian.com/books/video/...

Could be a fun word game...

John le Carré: the constant researcher | Brief letters Brief letters: An embassy in West Germany | Norman Tebbit | Penis reduction | The Salt Path

'I can testify to the accuracy of John le Carré’s research...'
William Wallace
Liberal Democrat, House of Lords

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j...

John Le Carre archive to go on display, including letter from Alec Guinness Le Carre, whose real name was David Cornwell, wrote best-selling novels including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Night Manager.

The @bodleianlibraries at the University of Oxford have announced an exhibition starting in October, titled John le Carré: Tradecraft, drawing on thousands of papers in his vast private archive, which it holds.

www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/cele...

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The best audiobooks to listen to this summer Graham Greene, Margaret Atwood and Jilly Cooper feature in our critic’s list of the best modern classics adapted for an audio experience

The Sunday Times recommends 10 audiobooks for your summer holidays.

'Audiobooks offer backlisted books a chance to shine anew. And when one is matched with a dream partner as narrator — Simon Russell Beale as John le Carré’s George Smiley — you are reminded why you fell so hard in the first place.'

Celebrating its 60th birthday, The Looking Glass War is a gripping novel of double-crosses, audacious bluffs and the ever-present threat of nuclear war.

Over the years it has been published with many different faces, which is your favourite cover and which do you own?

Nick Harkaway Podcast Episode · Simon Mayo's Books Of The Year · 18/06/2025 · 38m

Nick Harkaway, joins Simon Mayo and Matt Williams for a chat about his new Circus novel – Karla's Choice.

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/n...

How do we exist, save on the lips of our friends? On this day in letters

On this day: 11th June 2001 –

Please take comfort from this: I had an amazing life, against the odds. I turned from a bad man to a much better one.

John le Carré
Letter to his sons, to be opened after his death
news.lettersofnote.com/p/how-do-we-...