John le carre biography waterstones edinburgh

British novelist and former spy (1931–2020)

David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 1931 – 12 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré (lə-KARR-ay),^[1] was a British author,^[2] best known for his espionage novels, many of which were successfully adapted for film or television.

A "sophisticated, morally ambiguous writer",^[3] he is considered one of the greatest novelists of the postwar era.

John le carre biography waterstones edinburgh

During the 1950s and 1960s, he worked for both the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).^[4] Near the end of his life, le Carré became an Irish citizen.

Le Carré's third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), became an international best-seller, was adapted as an award-winning film, and remains one of his best-known works.

This success allowed him to leave MI6 to become a full-time author.^[5] His other novels that have been adapted for film or television