LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
April 2014 Guest Editor Nicci French on The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.
There are certain touchstones I have for thriller writing and this is one of them. Its dingy Cold War atmosphere is unmatched, it has a fiendishly intricate plot that out-Christies Agatha Christie. Even the title is a work of genius. Something to try to live up to.
The Lovereading view...
A beautiful 50th Anniversary special edition featuring archival material and with a special cover design based on the 1st edition jacket from 1963. In le Carre's breakthrough work of 1963, the spy story is reborn as a gritty and terrible tale of men who are caught up in politics beyond their imagining. As brilliant today as it was then.
This 50th Anniversary edition also includes an introduction by William Boyd.
March 2013 Guest Editor Charles Cumming on The Spy Who Came in from the Cold...
John le Carre has written longer, more complex books, but this remains his masterpiece. The story of a weary British spy who is sent out on one final mission behind the Iron Curtain, the novel is beautifully constructed and extraordinarily atmospheric.
A 2011 World Book Night selection.
LoveReading
Find This Book In
About
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold Synopsis
Alec Leamas is tired. It's the 1960s, he's been out in the cold for years, spying in Berlin for his British masters, and has seen too many good agents murdered for their troubles. Now Control wants to bring him in at last - but only after one final assignment. He must travel deep into the heart of Communist Germany and betray his country, a job that he will do with his usual cynical professionalism. But when George Smiley tries to help a young woman Leamas has befriended, Leamas' mission may prove to be the worst thing he could ever have done. In le Carre's breakthrough work of 1963, the spy story is reborn as a gritty and terrible tale of men who are caught up in politics beyond their imagining. This 50th anniversary special edition features a wealth of original archival material, much of it from le Carre's own files, and from the making of the original 1965 film adaptation. Superbly constructed, with an atmosphere of chilly hell . (J.B. Priestley). The best spy story I have ever read . (Graham Greene). The master storyteller ...has lost none of his cunning . (A. N. Wilson). I have re-read The Spy Who Came In From The Cold over and over again since I first encountered it in my teens, just to remind myself how extraordinary a work of fiction can be . (Malcolm Gladwell). One of those very rare novels that changes the way you look at the world. Unflinching, highly sophisticated, superb . (William Boyd). John le Carre was born in 1931 and attended the universities of Bern and Oxford. He taught at Eton and served briefly in British Intelligence during the Cold War. For the last 50 years he has lived by his pen. He divides his time between London and Cornwall.
About This Edition
ISBN: |
9780141194530 |
Publication date: |
1st August 2013 |
Author: |
John le Carré, William Boyd |
Publisher: |
Penguin Classics an imprint of Penguin Books Ltd |
Format: |
Hardback |
Pagination: |
208 pages |
Primary Genre |
Crime and Mystery
|
Other Genres: |
|
Recommendations: |
|
Press Reviews
John le Carré, William Boyd Press Reviews
'Superbly constructed, with an atmosphere of chilly hell' -- J.B. Priestley
'The best spy story I have ever read' -- Graham Greene
'One of those very rare novels that changes the way you look at the world. Unflinching, highly sophisticated, superb.' William Boyd
'The master storyteller ... has lost none of his cunning' -- A. N. Wilson
'I have re-read The Spy Who Came In From The Cold over and over again since I first encountered it in my teens, just to remind myself how extraordinary a work of fiction can be.' Malcolm Gladwell
Author
About John le Carré, William Boyd
John le Carré was born in 1931 and attended the universities of Bern and Oxford. He taught at Eton and served briefly in British Intelligence during the Cold War. For the last fifty years he has lived by his pen. He divides his time between London and Cornwall.
Author photo © White Hare Ltd
More About John le Carré, William Boyd