John le Carré: The Biography by Adam SismanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
An enthralling book, despite its ponderous size, about the colourful life of one of the best authors in the English Language. It is as gripping as the espionage thrillers scripted by David Cornwell – better known as John le Carré. That mystery, that of the origin of his non de plume, remains unsolved – le Carré himself seems to have forgotten its provenance, attributing it to a sign-board of a shop seen in passing.
However, George Smiley’s wayward wife’s name - Lady Ann - turns out to be the same as the author’s wife's, although
It is curious that David should have used his own wife’s name for the wife of his principal character. On the face of it, they were as unlike as could be: Ann was conventional, monogamous and middle class, while Lady Ann was bohemian, promiscuous and aristocratic. Perhaps Ann was right in at least one aspect: Lady Ann represented the essential unknowableness of women to Smiley, and by extension to David.A must-read for all le Carré fans. His delightful, if acerbic, feud with Salman Rushdie makes fascinating reading. The influence of his roguish shyster of a father Ronnie - lovingly described in A Perfect Spy, played a crucial role in the evolution of the author's mentality.
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