John LeCarre

[qwertyMike]

Any fans?
Does he transcend the 'spy' genre?
I love the elegance of his prose.

Any favorite books of his?

Mike

[JeffR]

1. Might be out of print now, but he wrote an amazing book called

The Naive and Sentimental Lover. No spy stuff involved at all. Just a weird love triangle, beautifully written. I don't think he ever published such a thing again. Well worth tracking down, IMHO.

[DFLforever]

2. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold - an old one

and a few years ago, the Constant Gardener.

My two favorites

[pnorman]

3. I think I've read almost all of his books.

(With the exception of that "Naive And Sentimental Lover"). I also have several of his books in Audible.com format, with "The Constant Gardener" being the latest. I have my latest portable media device connected to my computer at this moment, and was wondering what to download into it. I think I'll pick that "Constant Gardener" for a pleasant re-listen. Thanks for the reminder. That's also probably close to what you're looking for.

pnorman
On edit: Here's the Amazon description: http://www.amazon.com/Constant-Gardener-Novel-John-Carre/dp/0743287207/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203751235&sr=1-1 3.5 stars out of 5 from 168 customers, probably works out close to a B-minus. Some really LOVE it, while a few dislike it. But give it a try. If the public library isn't convenient for you, the "Used Like New" prices at Amazon are even cheaper than the postage!

[pnorman]

4. "Naive and Sentimental Lover"

"Book Description

When first published, The Naïve and Sentimental Lover came as a bolt from the blue -- an abrupt departure for the world's grandmaster of spy thrillers. Nearly thirty years later, an increasing number of le Carré fans have come to applaud his versatility, and treasure this tale for the qualities they have discerned in all his novels: a constant pulse of humor, great humanity, and a page-turning way of storytelling.

Le Carré's hero is Aldo Cassidy, "the naïve and sentimental lover," a tycoon caught frantically between two astonishing loves. Trapped with him are Shamus, a wild artist who carouses by day or night, and Helen, the artist's nakedly alluring wife. Who will wind up with whom is only one of the mysteries in a world founded upon spontaneity and feeling."

2.5 stars out 5,is NOT a stellar recommendation, but there are a few who really like it. And the ("Used-Good") prices are right! (NO sarcasm intended)

pnorman

[Ghost Dog]

5. dupe

[Ghost Dog]

6. "Absolute Friends"

"Le Carre's latest masterpiece spans three historical periods. The hero, Ted Mundy was born in Pakistan when the British Empire was crumbling, got a public school education in a changing England, went to Oxford and then on to Berlin where he met his fellow radical Shasha, forming an "absolute friendship". He and Shasha eventually formed a highly successfull spy pair during the Cold War, a period of ideological clarity as to what was right or wrong. After the fall of the Berlin war Ted finds himself a partner in a language school and, after this fails miserably, he works as a tour guide in one of Mad Ludwig's castles in Bavaria. Shasha reappears and they find themselves involved again, this time in a war-in-Iraq related operation. Only now things are not clear as to what is right or wrong. To quote Shasha "..the coalition has broken half the rules in the international law books, and intends by its continued occupation of Iraq to break the other half". Le Carre is highly critical of what the coalition is doing in Iraq, his thoughts full of the wisdom of a man whose life spans the same periods with the book's hero. This is not only a superb story of friendship, a historical novel, a well written spy thriller but also a cry of anguish of an educated citizen of the world caused by the post 9/11 state of world affairs." - http://www.amazon.com/Absolute-Friends-John-Carre/dp/0316000647

... "Absolutely friends", of course, are also the US intelligence and special forces portrayed selectively manipulating their British counterparts and framing innocents to make their political point (protesters are terrorists), running amok in Europe.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

14. I just finished "Absolute Friends"

LeCarré's spies were always clear-eyed and cynical about what they were doing, but lately, the author has been accused of being "anti-American."

The ending made me thing of Arlington Road. :scared:

[mitchum]

7. He absolutely transcends the spy genre

I especially like all of the George Smiley novels
And, of course, "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold"

[Mist]

8. I read somewhere years ago that LeCarre writes about psychology and

the human condition using espionage as a metaphor. (Sorry, I don't remember where I read it, but seems it was in the NY Times Book Review.)

Of the espionage novels, I like the trilogy "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy/The Honorable Schoolboy/Smiley's People." (The first and third are available on DVD, with Alec Guinness as George Smiley). For post-cold-war Le Carre, I really liked "The Night Manager." A good psychological study of how someone can become adept at getting lost in the world of the double, or even triple-cross, is "The Perfect Spy." It really is more of a psychological novel than a spy novel. If you want to dip into Le Carre without committing to a full-length novel, try "The Secret Pilgrim," a series of vignettes told by a man who trained people entering active espionage service. This shows that much of espionage is plodding, careful work, rather than James Bond excitement.

I also read "The Naive and Sentimental Lover" years ago, and loved the use of language. It wss a big departure from Le Carre's usual work.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

9. Yes, he's an excellent writer who happens to work in genre fiction

(There are many such, some of whom work in mysteries or science fiction).

He combines the genre fiction writer's ability to lay out plots that you can't put down with the serous novelist's psychological depth.

[Paladin]

10. I'm Just About To Re-read The Smiley Trilogy

Spy literature just doesn't get any better than those three books.

Who else remembers the multi-part "Smiley's People" dramatization with Alec Guiness, shown on PBS back in the 70's? Back when "Masterpiece Theater" actually featured masterpieces on a regular basis?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

11. That was wonderful, and it was in the 1980s, at least part of it was

When I finally get around to a Netflix subscription, that's going to be on my list. (But first, I have to see all the interesting DVDs that are in my local public library for free.)

[Paladin]

12. God Love You For The Netflix Tip!

I just looked it up on my Netflix site, and it's available; can't wait to see it again. And Patrick Stewart plays the Russian bad guy---I'd certainly forgotten that.....

[Adelante]

13. I like him

I also recommend Charles McCarry and Alan Furst for espionage novels.