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kerpa Special user Michael Miller 594 Posts |
I just came across a list of 10 best books of the last 25 years, and it included A Perfect Spy by Le Carre, a famous best-selling author of spy novels. Apparently, his father was a con artist, in and out of jail, and the novel, written in 1986, largely centers around a fictionalized version of Le Carre's relationship to his father. There is a riveting introduction written in 2000, in which Le Carre implies that, among other deeds, his father was an accomplished poker cheat.
I have just started the novel, and am looking forward to a great depiction of a con artist, which I imagine may be of interest to others around here. Le Carre was, by the way, a real spy, for British intelligence, during the Cold War. He vetted all of his novels with MI5 - except for this one, which he was determined to have published no matter what. He said that the best training he had for being a spy was growing up "enduring, and sometimes enjoying" his father's activities - better than the formal training he had had. I'll try to post my reactions once I've finished the book, but it promises to be excellent.
Michael Miller
(Michael Merlin: original family --and stage-- name) |
balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
The BBC made this into a miniseries back in the 1980s.
You can hear JLC talk about his novel here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specia......e4.shtml See the 4th interview down the list.
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
One more thing, my 'local' national newspaper ran a very interesting interview with JLC some months back. It's still available online and you might enjoy it, so here is the link:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/s......ainment/
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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kerpa Special user Michael Miller 594 Posts |
Thanks! Have you read the novel?
Michael Miller
(Michael Merlin: original family --and stage-- name) |
balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-04-05 22:18, kerpa wrote: I have not. In fact, I believe I've read only one of his novels in all of these years and at the moment I cannot even remember which one it was. But I might just look into this one.
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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