John Le Carré: Espionage writer dies at 89
One of Britain’s best known authors John le Carre has died at the age of 89.
The spy-turned-novelist defined the Cold War espionage thriller and brought him much acclaim.
In classics such as “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and “The Honourable Schoolboy,” Le Carre combined terse prose with the kind of complexity expected in literary fiction.
His books grappled with betrayal, moral compromise and the psychological toll of a secret life.
In the quiet, watchful spymaster George Smiley, he created one of 20th-century fiction’s iconic characters – a decent man at the heart of a web of deceit.
Several of Le Carré’s 25 works were turned into films including The Constant Gardener, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, while the Night Manager became a successful television series.
Paying tribute to le Carré, author Stephen King said in a tweet: “This terrible year has claimed a literary giant and a humanitarian spirit.”
Le Carré died in Cornwall, southwest England on Saturday after a short illness not said to have been related to COVID-19.
