In this episode of the le Carré Cast, host Jeff speaks with Mark Meynell, a freelance writer and author of ten non-fiction books, about his transition to writing fiction and his recent book, ‘A Wilderness of Mirrors.’

The discussion covers Mark’s discovery of John le Carré’s works, particularly A Legacy of Spies. They delve into the themes of espionage, secrecy, and the moral complexities of the Cold War as portrayed in le Carré’s novels. The conversation also touches on the cultural impact of le Carré’s recurring characters and broader societal issues such as public inquiries and truth-telling.

All that and much more in this episode.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:53 Discovering le Carré
04:01 Legacy of Spies Discussion
07:11 Revisiting the Cold War
20:03 Smiley’s Character Analysis
21:27 The Puppet Master: Smiley’s Control
21:48 Lady Ann and Poor George
22:20 Smiley’s Genius and Legacy
23:58 The Corrosive Effect of Secrecy
25:40 The Anti-Bond: Smiley’s Disillusionment
26:07 The Untrustworthy Institutions
28:20 The British Way of Sweeping Under the Rug
30:53 Truth Telling and Reconciliation
33:12 The Complexity of Forgiveness
38:23 The Role of Female Characters
42:12 Leamas and His Network
43:28 Cliffhanger and Next Episode Teaser

– Mark’s website

– The Met Police undercover officers scandal

– Mark’s bookshop with le Carré books on sale

– Mark’s podcast Triptych Conversations

Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com

Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite

In part two of my discussion with Sleeper Beach novelist Nick Harkaway we discuss the latest in le Carré news.

Nick talks about the upcoming adaptation of one of his novels into an Amason Prime show Kill Jackie, season 2 of The Night Manager and an update about the new comic series, The Circus: Losing Control. Finally, we of course chat about the new Smiley series. Will we see The Young George Smiley Chronicles?

Plus, the history of Finland in World War 2?

All that and much more in this episode.

Nick’s website – https://nickharkaway.com/

Nick’s Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/harkaway/

Buy Titanium Noir here.

Buy Sleeper Beach here. The Blackwell’s Link

The le Carré Sub-reddit is here.

The le Carré Facebook page is here.

More on The Blind Giant here.

Learn about when John le Carré met Rex Stout here.

Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com

Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite

Episode image from Font generator

In this episode I am pleased to welcome back novelist Nick Harkaway. We discuss his latest work, Sleeper Beach, the second in his Titanium Noir series of futuristic mysteries. We talk about his earlier nonfiction book The Blind Giant, how we should be using technologies, and what does it mean when tech companies turn un-Evil.

Plus, get your elevator pitch on why you should read Sleeper Beach.

All that and much more in this episode.

Nick’s website – https://nickharkaway.com/

Nick’s Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/harkaway/

Buy Titanium Noir here.

Buy Sleeper Beach here. The Blackwell’s Link

The le Carré Sub-reddit is here.

The le Carré Facebook page is here.

More on The Blind Giant here.

Learn about when John le Carré met Rex Stout here.

Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com

Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite

In this episode I welcome Tod Hoffman, author of Le Carré Landscape, to the show.

Tod is a former Canadian Intelligence Officer and used that knowledge to write his insightful book looking at le Carré’s work. We discuss le Carré’s use of interrogation in his novels, slow moving bureaucracy versus moving quickly and his decision to leave the service. Plus the long shadow of Kim Philby on fiction and reality.

All that and much more in this episode.

Tod’s book Le Carré’s Landscape is here.

Tod’s book The Spy Within: Larry Chin and China’s Penetration of the CIA is here.

Tod’s book Al Qaeda Declares War: The African Embassy Bombings and America’s Search for Justice is here.

Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com

Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite

In this episode we break down the news of a new George Smiley TV series – Legacy of Spies.

I have TV and Film expert Matthew Bradford on to talk through what we know and might expect to come. We talk about the long gestating project, producers, and casting.

All that and much more in this episode.

Matthew’s interview with Graham Yost in which he talks about his love of le Carré.

Tom and Greg supercut.

Matthew on le Carré is here.

Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com

Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite

In this episode we are celebrating 50 years of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by counting up to 50 interesting things about the book.

For numbers one to ten I’m welcoming Matthew Bradford back to the podcast. We talk that iconic cover, opening line and dig into the mystery of who the novel was dedicated to.

All that and much more in this episode.

Le Carré’s First Line is here.

My interview with Richard Hutt on his le Carré map is here.

Matthew on le Carré is here.

Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com

Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite

In this episode I speak to author Ben H. Winters about his Crime Reads article “In Praise of Reading Le Carré’s Entire Oeuvre In Order”.

We talk about the joys of reading an author’s work from start to finish, the connection between author and reader as well as The Looking Glass War as The Bad News Bears.

All that and much more in this episode.

P.S. Yes, there was a SNL skit that contemplated “What if Eleanor Roosevelt could fiy?”

Ben’s article on reading John le Carré is here.

Ben’s website is here.

Ben’s latest book Big Time is here.

Ben’s latest Audible original, Hitchhikers is here.

Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com

Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite

In this episode we continue to look at Nick Harkaway’s 2024 George Smiley novel, Karla’s Choice. You can find part one here.

Steven Ritterman, le Carré expert and collector, returns to talk through what we thought about this new Smiley novel.

Plus, an exclusive discussion with Nick Harkaway about Karla’s choice.

All that and much more in this episode.

Steven’s episode on collecting John le Carré is here.

Spybrary’s interview with Nick Harkaway.

The le Carré Cast interview with Nick Harkaway.

Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com

Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite

In this episode we look at Nick Harkaway’s 2024 George Smiley novel, Karla’s Choice.

Steven Ritterman, le Carré expert and collector, joins me to talk through all of our thoughts on this Smiley continuation novel.

We talk reference Jurassic Park’s famous quote “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should,”

All that and much more in this episode.

We’ll be back in two weeks for part 2.

Steven’s episode on collecting John le Carré is here.

Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com

Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite

In this episode I’ve pulled some of my favorite clips from shows this past year. If you missed an episode or enjoyed the shows from this past year, I think you’ll enjoy it. Listen in for the cream of the crop!

Dominic Sandbrook on le Carré

Paul French on The Honourable Schoolboy

Mac Rodgers on the BBC Audio Dramas

Shaun McKenna on writing the BBC Audio Dramas

Jeremy Duns on Sarah Gainham

Jonathan Ray on his Godmother Sarah Gainham

Clarissa Aykroyd on A Most Wanted Man

Shane Whaley on Absolute Friends

David Eldridge on The Spy Who Came In From The Cold

Nick Harkaway on Karla’s Choice

Jeff on the SpyHards podcast talking about Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com

Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite

Email Jeff at lecarrecast AT gmail.com