The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (2001) - Plot & Excerpts
”What do you think spies are: priests, saints, and martyrs? They’re a squalid procession of vain fools, traitors too, yes; pansies, sadists, and drunkards, people who play cowboys and Indians to brighten their rotten lives. Do you think they sit like monks in London balancing the rights and wrongs?” Checkpoint Charlie where it all begins.John Le Carre A.K.A. David John Moore Cornwell while in college started working for MI5 and then later transferred to MI6. He worked as a consul (code for spy) for the British Embassy in Germany and that is where he saw something that would spur the creation of the most influential spy novel of all time. ”It was the Berlin Wall that had got me going, of course: I had flown from Bonn to take a look at it as soon as it started going up. I went with a colleagues from the Embassy and as we stared back at the weasel faces of the brainwashed little thugs who guarded the Kremlin’s latest battlement, he told me to wipe the grin off my face. I was not aware I had been grinning, so it must have been one of those soupy grins that comes over me at dreadfully serious moments. There was certainly nothing but disgust and terror, which was exactly what I was supposed to feel: the Wall was perfect theatre as well as a perfect symbol of the monstrosity of ideology gone mad.”This moment spawned The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.He’d written two little novels, almost novellas, where he introduces his character George Smiley. Smiley is in this novel as well, a shadowy figure behind the scenes which is where he works best. He can pull strings, and at the same time smooth the path, dropping just the right amount of crumbs to lead enemies into making assumptions. (we all know the ditty about assumptions) Cornwell wrote these books under an assumed name to protect himself from blowback which was prudent given the nature of his clandestine work. When Spy is published and it stays on the US bestseller list for over a year all pretenses of anonymity are replaced with the exact opposite...celebrity. The Spy, David Cornwell, who wrote novels, John Le Carre.Le Carre has an interest in secrets. He wants to understand them, and the need that people have to keep them. His father Ronnie was a man that probably would have made a great spy if he hadn’t decided to be a criminal instead. Much to Le Carre’s ongoing embarrassment Ronnie was eventually jailed for insurance fraud and was frequently on the verge of bankruptcy."His father, Ronnie, made and lost his fortune a number of times due to elaborate confidence tricks and schemes which landed him in prison on at least one occasion. This was one of the factors that led to le Carré's fascination with secrets."His father also had business dealings with the notorious Kray Twins who were London gangsters in the 1960s. I recently ordered a book on the Kray Twins because...well...look at them. I must know more. Reginald and Ronald KraySpying and committed fraud are not so far apart on the scale of unsavory professions, so those aspects that may have made Ronnie a con artist are exactly the same attributes that made his son a good spy. So Smiley is relegated to the shadows and in the forefront is Alec Leamas. ”He had an attractive face, muscular, and a stubborn line to his thin mouth. His eyes were brown and small; Irish, some said. It was hard to place Leamas. If he were to walk into a London club the porter would certainly not mistake him for a member; in a Berlin night club they usually gave him the best table. He looked like a man who could make trouble, a man who looked after his money, a man who was not quite a gentleman.” The intensity of Richard Burton playing Alec Leamas in the movie brought the fictional character to life.Leamas was head of the Berlin branch until too many things went wrong. His network of spies had been dismantled one by one by his arch enemy Mundt, head of the East German Intelligence. When I say dismantled I mean dead and by dead I mean murdered. Leamas is recalled to London where in a meeting with Control, head of the Circus; and of course, Smiley is there, a plan is hatched to bring Mundt down. It is going to have to take a con, not the short con, but the long con. It would take time to turn Leamas from a reasonably respectable man into a man that is desperate enough to want to sell his country’s secrets. First step, he must begin drinking copious amounts of alcohol, not a hard chore given his penchant for heavy drinking anyway. Second, they find him a job shelving books in a library a job so mundane for most people (you know... norms) it would create desperation. The plan goes slightly awry when he meets Liz, who also works at the library. Later when he is at one of his bleakest moments behind the Iron Curtain he realizes that Liz has given him something to hope for beyond just the success of this mission. Claire Bloom stars as Liz in the 1965 movie.”He knew what it was then that Liz had given him; the thing that he would have to go back and find if ever he got home to England: it was the caring about little things----the faith in ordinary life; the simplicity that made you break up a bit of bread into paper bag, walk down to the beach, and throw it to the gulls. It was this respect for triviality which he had never been allowed to possess; whether it was bread for the seagulls or love, whatever it was he would go back and find it; he would make Liz find it for him.”To me, anyone who can inspire those thoughts in another person is a beautiful human being. The diabolical thing about Smiley is that what seems random is simply a carefully planned roll of loaded dice. As the pieces of plot fall into place my respect for Smiley continues grow right along with a leeriness of ever wanting my fate in his hands. Being a weighed risk before men such as Control, Smiley, or Mundt is like waiting for a judgment from Pontius Pilate. Though this is a short book the plot is heavy, forcing the reader to pay close attention, to ponder each revelation, and still be left at the end with doubts about who among the main players pulled the final string. I will defer to Graham Greene’s assessment of this book. ”The best spy story I have ever read.” I also watched the 1965 British movie starring Richard Burton. This was a reread and a rewatch for me, but so much water has went under the bridge that much of it was new again or at least being seen, being read, with older, hopefully wiser eyes. The movie is faithful to the book. Many great novels inspire great movies and many great novels/great movies inspire future writers. The overall impact of this novel on the genre is hard to calculate, but it is impossible to deny that this book set the bar high for all writers who try to write a better one. My Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Review
« Solo molto raramente – come adesso, al momento di coricarsi – si concedeva il pericoloso lusso di ammettere la grandiosa bugia che aveva vissuto ». Sarò sincera: non avrei scommesso un soldo su le Carré. Perciò il fatto che l’abbia trovato piacevole si abbatte sul mio capo come una punizione letteraria, come la gogna dei miei pregiudizi. Sì, questo romanzo mi è piaciuto. Mea culpa, mea grandissima culpa. E, soprattutto, grande sorpresa per coloro ai quali, nelle passate settantadue ore, ho dato a intendere che si trattava di un romanzo noioso, irrilevante, scritto scialbamente. Vedete, cari confidenti, non ho voluto mentirvi: stavo mentendo a me stessa. Questo romanzo mi è piaciuto. Che colpa ne ho?‘La spia che venne dal freddo’ è la storia dell’ultima missione di Alec Leamas, per anni a capo della rete di spionaggio inglese a Berlino. Siamo negli anni Sessanta: un Muro tristemente noto divide Berlino est, la Repubblica Democratica Tedesca comunista e filo-sovietica, da Berlino Ovest, filo-occidentale. Rientrato in Inghilterra dopo tanti anni là fuori, “nel freddo”, Leamas è incaricato di portare a termine un’ultima operazione prima del meritato pensionamento: dovrà fingere di tradire il proprio paese e rivendere preziose informazioni al nemico, allo scopo di incastrare un sanguinario dirigente del Partito Comunista. Tornato “dal freddo” dopo così tanti anni, da Leamas si pretende che ritorni “nel freddo”, una sottolineatura che poco ha a che fare con la nozione strettamente storica di “guerra fredda”. Per le Carré il freddo è molto di più che una coloritura, una denominazione: il freddo è la condizione esistenziale che permea la vita di Leamas e di molti suoi colleghi spioni. Sia in Germania, sia alle Barbados, da una spia si richiede la medesima etica professionale: la menzogna, l’arte di saper rigirare la frittata, l’indifferenza, la mancanza di empatia, il non attaccarsi alle cose, alle persone, il non cedere ai sentimentalismi, il non farsi toccare da affetti. E così Leamas, richiamato alla vita, è di nuovo spedito lontano dalla vita, di nuovo ricacciato a forza dentro la menzogna. Ora, alcuni di voi diranno « embé, è tutto qui? ». Fino a pagina 228 avrei detto di sì, avrei dato tre stelline e ci saremmo arenati sul « ho letto questo libro, adesso è finito e passiamo oltre ». E c’era ben poco da sperare, visto che il romanzo conta 258 pagine, « e in 30 pagine cosa potrà mai succedere? ». Bene, le ultime 30 pagine cambiano tutto. Mannaggia a le Carré. Proprio alla fine del suo romanzo, le Carré prende il lettore per la collottola, lo solleva e lo mette gentilmente con le spalle al muro, costringendolo a guardare con occhi davvero limpidi l’immane tragedia di cui ha letto nelle 228 pagine precedenti. L’immane tragedia di un uomo che sta cercando di portare a termine il suo lavoro con grande dedizione e grande sofferenza e che invece si scopre, anziché artefice, mero strumento del suo lavoro. Cosa accade, cosa parla dentro di noi quando capiamo di essere solo strumenti di qualcosa di più grande, di qualcuno più potente? Cosa capita quando l’individuo è costretto ad annullarsi, a vedere negato il proprio valore di essere umano per un bene maggiore, per il benessere di una società, di un mondo sempre più grandi, sempre più importanti della sua misera, individuale umanità? Il sacrificio del singolo è giustificabile in vista di un futuro di pace, prosperità e felice ignoranza per la moltitudine? Sì, il sacrificio del singolo è giustificabile, quando si applica alla realtà la violenza dell’ideologia. Sia il comunismo e le sue derive, sia il fascismo e le sue derive, qualsiasi ideologia, spinta alle estreme conseguenze e applicata alla realtà, annulla il valore dell’individuo di fronte al fine, il fine giustifica i mezzi, qualsiasi mezzo, giustifica l’eliminazione, giustifica la scomparsa del diritto del singolo a una vita e una vita felice. Problemucci non proprio da niente che le Carré ci costringe a fronteggiare a 30 pagine dalla grandiosa – davvero scenografica – ultima scena del suo romanzo. La quale, per ovvie ragioni, lascerò alla curiosità del lettore. Nella postfazione al libro, scritta nel 1989, le Carré ripensa alla propria opera in questi termini (e mi piace trascriverne qualche passaggio, perché mi sembra significativa e molto dolce):« Che cosa mi spinse a scriverlo? […] Oh, dopo tanto tempo qualsiasi risposta potrebbe sembrare tendenziosa. So che ero profondamente infelice della mia vita privata e professionale e che stavo sopportando le estreme conseguenze della solitudine e della confusione personale. Forse un po’ della mia solitudine e amarezza si sono fatte strada dentro Alec Leamas. So che desideravo l’amore, ma che il mio passato e la mia propria interiorità me lo rendevano impossibile. So che forse il filo spinato e le macchinazioni del complotto hanno preso il posto di altri ostacoli che stavano tra me e la mia libertà. Ero stato povero troppo a lungo, bevevo troppo, stavo cominciando a dubitare, nel più profondo dei modi, della saggezza della mia scelta lavorativa. […] Fissare il Muro fu come fissare la Frustrazione stessa e toccò in me una rabbia che trovò il suo sbocco nel romanzo. Nelle interviste di quel periodo sono sicuro di non aver detto nulla di tutto ciò. Forse stavo giocando ancora alla spia o forse non mi conoscevo abbastanza per capire che, nel raccontare una storia di fantasia, stavo rabbiosamente facendo un po’ d’ordine nel mio caos interiore. »John le Carré, un cuoricino per te.
What do You think about The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (2001)?
I was unprepared for the journey this book would take me on. Maybe this was because I don't read very many spy novels or maybe it was because John le Carré is just that good."And suddenly, with the terrible clarity of a man too long deceived, Leamus understood the whole ghastly trick." [CH 23: Confession]At the end of chapter 23 Alec Leamus had the ultimate "aha" moment. Sadly, I realized I had not a clue what his revelation was. I was stumped and desperately racking my brain to recall any information that would shine a light on what I missed. What was the trick!? What the hell just happened!? What a great feeling! I continued on none the wiser and the ending left me breathless. No wonder this book is considered to be a classic. I would definitely read another of John le Carré's books. Next time I'll be armed with the knowledge that I will probably have no idea what's really going on. Oh and trust no one!
—Dionisia
“Half a million liquidated is a statistic, and one man killed in a traffic accident is a national tragedy.”I really shouldn't have been surprised by the final twist. I mean, living in this age by the time when there have been so many good spy novels by masters such as Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy & Frederick Forsyth (to name a few that come to mind immediately) which have so admirably dissected the genre over the last few decades. Perhaps, it is the hallmark of this timeless classic that it still managed to deceive me.Alec Leamas, the head of Berlin Station for the British Secret Service (nicknamed "the Circus") watches helplessly as the last one of his agents is shot by East German soldiers just yards from crossing the Berlin Wall into the safety of West Germany. Disgruntled & tired of his work as a spymaster, Control (head of the Circus) offers Leamas a unique opportunity to avenge the deaths of his agents - by discrediting East Germany's intelligence agency head Mundt. Control has laid out an elaborate plan to entrap Mundt, the bait is Leamas himself & to execute it to perfection, George Smiley hovers in the background to pull the strings just the way Control wants him to. But in the muddy world of espionage, bad men thrive & often a few good men don't exactly get what they deserve."The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" robbed John le Carre of his comforts in anonymity - to paraphrase how he puts it in the foreword. If one does not understand the time when it was written, it is hard to appreciate its true brilliance. For when spy novels usually meant either the glitzy daredevilry of Ian Fleming's James Bond or whatever pulp fiction had to offer, this book was unlike anything people had come across before in the genre.Le Carre explores the moral ambiguities of the world of espionage through his characters. As the plot progresses, the protagonist discovers & comes to realise that though his opposite number might be more ideologically motivated than he probably is, he is not necessarily an evil person & even might treat him with honour & respect. On the other hand, one's supposed allies are tolerated just because they are useful, nothing more. And one can only be horrified to see there is no line that separates the good from the bad - duplicity & manipulation is everyday business for those in the higher echelons of power & no cost - be it even human lives at stake - is high enough if it is mission accomplished at the end of the affair."The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" is undoubtedly one of the finest books John le Carre has ever written & fans of espionage thrillers should definitely not miss out on this classic which incidentally changed the way spy novels would be written for years to come. Highly recommended.
—Abhinav
Le Carre’s style is quite recognizable . Economical in words , rough , laconic . Intricate plot , agents , double agents , cat-and-mouse game . Feelings of burnout , cynicism and hopelessness . Atmosphere of a constant threat and fatigue , melancholic gray London , claustrophobic East Berlin . Everything written in harsh almost impersonal prose what only deepens the feeling of coldness in human relations. The Spy Who Came In from the Cold takes place in the time of cold war and we’re following the actions of Alec Leamas , a British agent who having lose his best spy behind the Iron Curtain returns to East Berlin with last job . Once again we meet our old friends : George Smiley , Peter Guillam and Control ; though they are not playing the leading role here . You will not find here striking chases and gunfights , do not seek here a clear distinction between good and bad , you won’t get here in the end an easy consolation . Do know that people are only pawns on History’s chessboard . Prepare yourself that sometimes there is no escape from the cold .
—Agnieszka
