Alan Judd
The Guy Who Came in from the Cold
John le Carré: The Biography
By Adam Sisman
Bloomsbury 652pp £25
I confess an interest: I know and like the subject of this biography and greatly admire his literary achievements. I should also confess to having doubted the wisdom of his biographer in taking it on. Writing about the life of a living person, even a cooperative one, is difficult, especially someone as layered as David Cornwell, the real name of the author John le Carré. Also, a long and busy life brings with it a comet’s tail of living witnesses whose opinions will be varied and contradictory. Some of them will be offended to be left out, others unwilling to be identified. But Sisman pulls it off: this is a well-written and highly readable book which is neither hagiography nor hatchet job and which promises, according to his hint in the introduction (‘I hope to publish a revised and updated version of this biography in the fullness of time’), more to come.
In most biographies the chapters covering the early years are the least interesting, but here Cornwell’s extraordinary upbringing, at once privileged and deprived, makes them fascinating. The reason is his father, Ronnie, a con man, crook and charmer. To read about, he’s a likeable rogue, glad-handing everyone from Don Bradman
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
Twitter Feed
Are iPhones ruining children's lives? A prominent American psychologist thinks so.
@tiffanyjenkins is not so sure:
Tiffany Jenkins - The Smartphone Pandemic
Tiffany Jenkins: The Smartphone Pandemic - The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an...
literaryreview.co.uk
India's 'festival of democracy', or general election, begins next month. Like every good festival, it looks likely to have its fair share of murders and arrests.
@OwenBennettJon probes the state of democracy in India:
Owen Bennett-Jones - New Delhi Confidential
Owen Bennett-Jones: New Delhi Confidential - The Incarcerations: BK-16 and the Search for Democracy in India by Alpa Shah
literaryreview.co.uk
Where is the world's newest narcostate and why is it thriving?
@AdamBrookesWord investigates Asia's meth mecca.
Adam Brookes - Meth Comes to Myanmar
Adam Brookes: Meth Comes to Myanmar - Narcotopia: In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel That Outwitted the CIA by Patrick Winn
literaryreview.co.uk