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Re-reading the novels of John le Carré

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Re: Re-reading the novels of John le Carré

#11

Post by nindalf »

markonen wrote: post #7
gnat wrote: post #5

Mick Herron's "Slow Horses" series is fantastic, highly recommended. Slough House (from which the title) is where agents go when they fuck up. So everyone is flawed, and know they have failed. They're the ones who get a whiff of something going on, and their sorting of it is a redemption quest made difficult by the fact that they are fuckups. My memory is that it gets the tech right and the banter is A+ hilarious. (H…

This is now also being made into an Apple TV+ original series, starring Gary Oldman.

I'm sure Oldman will be fantastic. He killed it as John le Carre's George Smiley in Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy.

Re: Re-reading the novels of John le Carré

#14

Post by WilTimSon »

My favorite tidbit about le Carre is that he invented [1] terms like 'honey pot', 'mole', 'pavement artist', and other spy lingo. There's still some debate on whether or not he did it since he either denies some of these or says he 'can't remember' but, no matter what the truth is, he certainly popularized them greatly. The guy changed language with several new additions and that's a mark of a culturally significant man.

[1] https://www.oregonlive.com/books/2015/11/how_john_le_carre_r...

Re: Re-reading the novels of John le Carré

#15

Post by secfirstmd »

emmelaich wrote: post #12

If you like gritty spy dramas, have a look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callan_(TV_series) Probably a bit dated now, but intense and cynical.

Leaving aside the politics, Fauda and The Americans are excellent in terms of being gritty and attempts to make the tradecraft a bit more realistic than typical spy stuff. I still think there is a long way to go for someone to make a really realistic intelligence series - there would be some great stories from the Northern Ireland conflict for example.

The documentary "Inside the Mossad" is also very interesting.

Re: Re-reading the novels of John le Carré

#16

Post by coleifer »

le Carré is one of my favorite authors. I was happy to see the article cover The Honourable Schoolboy, which is certainly overshadowed by some of his others, but which, to me, always packed the hardest emotional punch. After reading le Carré, it's impossible to see the world in the same way again.

I especially recommend getting the books on tape, the English readers really bring the stories to life.

For another excellent series, check out Martin Cruz Smith, Gorky Park (Arkady Renko series).

Re: Re-reading the novels of John le Carré

#17

Post by teh_klev »

W-Stool wrote: post #3

I always considered Sir Alec Guiness's role in "Tinker Tailor ..." and "Smiley's People" to be the pinnacle of acting in a short run series - he really became George Smiley. Since viewing the recent series "Chernobyl" I for the first time haved added Jared Harris to that pile of excellence for his portrayal of Vaverly Legasov. As troubling as some days seem to be in the world I find comfort that people like Guiness a…

Jared Harris is a tremendous actor. I could watch him watching paint dry whilst reciting the local takeaway menu for 30 minutes and not get bored.

Re: Re-reading the novels of John le Carré

#18

Post by iudqnolq »

secfirstmd wrote: post #15
emmelaich wrote: post #12

If you like gritty spy dramas, have a look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callan_(TV_series) Probably a bit dated now, but intense and cynical.

Leaving aside the politics, Fauda and The Americans are excellent in terms of being gritty and attempts to make the tradecraft a bit more realistic than typical spy stuff. I still think there is a long way to go for someone to make a really realistic intelligence series - there would be some great stories from the Northern Ireland conflict for example. The documentary "Inside the Mossad" is also very interesting.

If you want gritty, British gov, and a bit of The Troubles give The Fall a shot.

> The psychological thriller examines the lives of two hunters -- one is a serial killer who preys on victims in and around Belfast, Northern Ireland, and the other is a female detective drafted from the London Metropolitan Police to catch him. The local authorities have no suspects and no experience with cases involving sexually motivated serial killers; DSI Stella Gibson has. She heads a task force dedicated to solving the crime spree, with a simple motto: Anyone not part of the solution is part of the problem. The killer? He's Paul Spector, a father and a husband leading a double life, as viewers learn from the outset. He's hiding in plain sight, the protagonist in a cat and mouse game that is every police officer's worst nightmare.

Re: Re-reading the novels of John le Carré

#19

Post by secfirstmd »

iudqnolq wrote: post #18
secfirstmd wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Leaving aside the politics, Fauda and The Americans are excellent in terms of being gritty and attempts to make the tradecraft a bit more realistic than typical spy stuff. I still think there is a long way to go for someone to make a really realistic intelligence series - there would be some great stories from the Northern Ireland conflict for example. The documentary "Inside the Mossad" is also very interesting.

If you want gritty, British gov, and a bit of The Troubles give The Fall a shot. > The psychological thriller examines the lives of two hunters -- one is a serial killer who preys on victims in and around Belfast, Northern Ireland, and the other is a female detective drafted from the London Metropolitan Police to catch him. The local authorities have no suspects and no experience with cases involving sexually motivat…

Will have a look at that!

Re: Re-reading the novels of John le Carré

#20

Post by russellbeattie »

I'm actually reading the Karla books now, so I stopped reading the article as the author seems to assume you've already read them.

I can't seem to find any streams of the BBC TV series, which is too bad. The audio book narrator is doing a fine Alec Guinness impersonation, but it would nice to see the real thing.

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