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The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

EspionageLiterary Fiction
Pages
240
Published
1963
Language
English

Synopsis

Alec Leamas is a burnt-out spy sent on one last mission into East Germany. His job is to pose as a defector and feed misinformation to the enemy, a dangerous game with no clear winners. But as the lines blur between friend and foe, Leamas finds himself caught in a web of deceit where loyalty is a luxury and survival is the only goal.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

DarkTenseReflectiveComplex
Morally GreyBetrayalSacrificeSurvivalSecret Identity

Genres

Espionage Literary Fiction Spy Thriller

About the author

J
John le Carré

David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 1931 – 12 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré was a British Irish author, best known for his espionage novels, many of which were successfully adapted for film or television. A "sophisticated, morally ambiguous writer", he is considered one of the greatest novelists of the postwar era. During the 1950s and 1960s, he worked for both the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). Near the end of his life, due to h...

Characters

Alec LeamasProtagonist

A weary, hard-drinking British agent sent on what is meant to be his final mission, posing as a defector to East German intelligence.

Hans-Dieter MundtAntagonist

The ruthless head of the East German intelligence service's Abteilung, the man Leamas's cover operation is built to destroy.

Peter GuillamSupporting

A Circus officer who assists in running Leamas's operation from the London side.

George SmileySupporting

A veteran Circus officer, recurring across le Carré's novels, who moves quietly at the edges of Leamas's operation.

Liz GoldSupporting

A young English librarian and Communist Party member whose relationship with Leamas draws her unwittingly into his mission.

All characters in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

Frequently asked questions

  • Is The Spy Who Came in from the Cold part of a series?

    It's the third book in John le Carré's George Smiley series, but it works perfectly as a standalone. Smiley appears only briefly on the margins; the central figure is Alec Leamas, not Smiley.

  • Is The Spy Who Came in from the Cold based on a true story?

    Not on a specific real case, but author John le Carré (David Cornwell) worked for Britain's MI5 and MI6 before writing it, and drew on that firsthand experience for the novel's tradecraft and its unglamorous view of espionage.

  • Was The Spy Who Came in from the Cold made into a film?

    Yes. A 1965 adaptation directed by Martin Ritt starred Richard Burton as Alec Leamas. It earned two Academy Award nominations (Best Actor for Burton, Best Art Direction) and won four BAFTAs, including Best British Film.