In Cornwell's lonely childhood Adam Sisman uncovers the origins of the themes of love and abandonment which have dominated le Carre's fiction: the departure of his mother when he was five, followed by 'sixteen hugless years' in the dubious care of his father, a man of energy and charm, a serial seducer and conman who hid the Bentleys in the trees when the bailiffs came calling - a 'totally incomprehensible father' who could 'put a hand on your shoulder and the other in your pocket, both gestures equally sincere'. He has consistently quarried his life for his writing, and his novels seem to offer tantalizing glimpses of their author - but in the narrative of his life fact and fiction have become intertwined, and little is really known of one of the world's most successful writers. Over half a century since The Spy Who came in from the Cold made John le Carre a worldwide, bestselling sensation, David Cornwell, the man behind the pseudonym, remains an enigma.

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Hong Kong Golden Dragon Books 2022-2023.

Who is John le Carré? Intriguing, thorough, and packed with entertaining detail, this biography will be a treat for the legions of le Carré fans. Sisman has benefited from unfettered access to le Carré's private archive, talked to the most important people in his life, and interviewed the man himself at length. Sisman probes Cornwell's unusual upbringing, abandoned by his mother at the age of only five and raised by his con man father (when not in prison), and explores his background in British intelligence, as well as his struggle to become a writer, and his personal life.

Of course, the pseudonym 'John le Carré' has helped to keep the public at a distance. In John le Carré, Sisman shines a spotlight on David Cornwell, an expert at hiding in plain sight-'born to lying,' he wrote in 2002, 'bred to it, trained to it by an industry that lies for a living, practiced in it as a novelist.' In this definitive biography-blessed by John le Carré himself-Adam Sisman reveals the man behind the bestselling persona. The definitive biography of the internationally adored author of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and A Perfect Spy-arguably one of the most important and influential writers of the post-World War II period-by the award-winning biographer Adam Sisman. 'An insightful and highly readable portrait of a writer and a man who has often been as elusive and enigmatic as his fictional heroes.' - Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

John le Carré by Adam Sisman