Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
John le Carre diedon December 12, 2020.
We are republishing this piece from September 2017 in commemoration of his work.
Its the best news in international relations all year.
If youve never read le Carres Smiley series before,A Legacy of Spiesis an excellent excuse to start.
The basic pitch is this: George Smiley is the antiJames Bond.
Unlike Bond, Smiley is married, and his wife dislikes him and cheats on him.
Also unlike Bond, Smiley is the star of several smart, well-written novels.
Collectively, they form the best espionage series ever written.
The only question is where to start.
What if communism … isnt?
(Ignore for everyones sake that Smiley gets a new birth date sometime between this book andTinker Tailor.)
And ifthatdoesnt convince you, well,Smileys Peoplefeatures an extremely awful and hugely entertaining portrayal of German hippies.
Its a nice way to say good-bye to literatures least libertine spy.
Just dont expect any spy jargon.
