Spy’s the limit

Now it’s not just James Bond who lives on in novels long after his creator’s death, writes Gary Dalkin.

In the autumn John le Carré’s famous spy, George Smiley, will return in a new book being written by the author’s son, Nicholas Cornwell. Cornwell is himself a well-established novelist, having penned five speculative fiction titles as Nick Harkaway (Angelmaker was nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award), as well as a pair of thrillers under the name Aidan Truhen, thus following the family tradition of adopting non de plumes, le Carré’s real name being David Cornwell.

The new story will unfold between the end of le Carré’s fourth novel, The Looking Glass War, set in 1964, and in which George Smiley plays a significant supporting role, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, set in the autumn of 1973 and which sees Smiley becoming the iconic character we know today.

Cornwell said, ‘Smiley is woven into my life. Tinker Tailor was written in the two years after I was born and I grew up with the evolution of the Circus (le Carré’s version of MI6), so this is a deeply personal journey for me.’ He added, ‘It also seems as if we need the Smiley stories back now because they ask us the questions of the moment. What compassion do we owe to one another as human beings, and at what point does that compassion become more important than nation, law or duty?’

While admitting to being ‘terrified’ at adopting his late father’s mantel – the new, as yet untitled novel will be credited to both authors – Cornwell continued, ‘But look at the world! Vladimir Putin was born in 1952; he grew up into the peak of the Cold War. We live in the ghost of the 20th century, the absolute core of the Smiley books. This is a story about how our world happens. And it opens the door to stories which explore more of our present through that lens. It’s an amazing thing to be part of.’ The new George Smiley novel will be published by Penguin Random House.