Le Carré had only contempt for this sleeping-car image of espionage. Le Carré, the pen name adopted by David Cornwell, used his own experience of intelligence work to extend the range of a genre whose heroes, epitomised by James Bond, were principally still romantic figures engaged in a glamorous profession.
A Penguin paperback.John le Carré, who has died aged 89, was one of the most successful post-war English novelists, and perhaps the finest thriller writer of the 20th century. Jayston matches both perfectly, as well as all those in between.
Jayston's characterizations are invariably effective, from gruff, lonely, and broken ex-spy Jim Prideaux to the high-flying, arrogant members of the "gang of four." Two moments Smiley's subtle questioning of a former teammate, once famous for her now-fading memory, and the exciting, highly suspenseful exposure of the Russian spy are particular standouts. His spot-on portrayal of Smiley admirably includes both of the protagonist's sides: his quietly brilliant professionalism and his personal self-doubt and fecklessness. In this audio edition, he easily slips back into the loyal, dedicated Guillam, while also doing justice to the book's cast of characters. In the miniseries, Jayston portrayed Smiley's right-hand man, Peter Guillam. The twisting plot, boiled down, focuses on retired British spymaster George Smiley, who's called back to duty to find a traitor among the "gang of four" now heading England's secret service. Packaged to tie in with the recent film version of this masterful spy thriller, the audio edition benefits from strong narration from Michael Jayston, an actor who appeared in the 1979 BBC television adaptation of le Carr 's complex novel.
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