THE LOOKING GLASS WAR, which I had read as a
teenager, changed my life: John le Carré is basically why
I never pursued the idea of writing a spy novel; no one
equals Mr. le Carré when it comes to spy novels, and I
have been a fan since that day. Not only are his books
immensely captivating and realistic, but he is also one
of the greatest modern wordsmiths of the English language. Of
course, the authenticity of John le Carré's oeuvre
resides in the fact that he did work for a short time for
the British Intelligence Services. While I knew even
before going in the book that the author would never
reveal any secrets, THE PIGEON TUNNEL was a dream
come true for me.
THE PIGEON TUNNEL is a book that, after reading only a
few pages, I knew I would reread. The provenance of the
title alone exemplifies all that defines John le Carré
and his books. THE PIGEON TUNNEL is not a linear memoir.
As the subtitle to the book makes it clear, it is a
collection of stories from his life, tidbits chosen for
various purposes, some old articles augmented with
additional notes. The tone of the book is that of taking
tea with an admired and learned close acquaintance; not
precisely a friend because there always remains some a
deliberate vagueness at times between what is said and
what is not. Everyone will be able to enjoy this THE
PIGEON TUNNEL, however some events and characters will
have the author's fervent readers drooling in
anticipation.
Whether compassionate or detached, bitingly sarcastic, or
insightful and introspective, Mr. le Carré comes off as
surprisingly humble, given his astounding success, and
even candid while recounting events whose facts might
have been doctored, either by necessity or time, as the
author himself mentions. I will only point out some of my
favorite chapters of THE PIGEON TUNNEL, otherwise this
review could reach the word count of a novella.
My favorite chapters are possibly those when Mr. le
Carré, while doing some research, spoke with PLO leader
Yasser Arafat, the circumstances and the meeting itself
are completely surreal. There are also the few paragraphs
concerning the author's thoughts on the infamous double
agent Kim Philby; although a very short passage, they
provide much food for thought; I would have wished for a
tad more, but those who have read Mr. le Carré know
better. I was astonished that the author had only visited
Russia in 1987 and 1993, even though he had been out of
service for decades. His astute observations on the
political climate and the spying world are eye-opening,
as are his encounters with the Russian Mafia bosses,
which are at the same time terrifying and hilarious.
As an added bonus, Mr. le Carré mentions books and
authors whom he knows, knew, or were of professional
interest to him, and thus nosy readers such as myself
found more to read about this fascinating world. Unless
it's deliberate -- and it probably is -- doing research for
spy novels seems almost as dangerous as being in the
field. Almost. If I have only one wish it is that John le
Carré, in addition to his marvelous novels, will grace
us with more volumes of his memoirs, as there is still so
much more to be told, even with so many obligatory
omissions.
The undisputed master of the espionage genre—one of our
greatest living writers—tells his life story for the first
time.
Though John le Carré has spoken widely about his work and
the numerous film and television adaptations thereof, he has
always been less inclined to speak about his own life
experiences—until now.
From his years serving in British intelligence during the
Cold War to a career as a writer that took him from war-torn
Cambodia to Beirut on the cusp of the 1982 Israeli invasion
to Russia before and after the collapse of the Berlin Wall,
le Carré has been at the center of many of the key conflicts
and political shifts of the last seven decades. In this
series of fascinating vignettes, le Carré is as funny as he
is incisive, reading into the world events he witnessed the
same moral ambiguity with which he imbues his novels.
Whether he’s writing about the parrot at a Beirut hotel that
could perfectly mimic machine gun fire; visiting Rwanda just
after the genocide; the courageous female aid worker who
inspired the main character in The Constant Gardener; or his
friendship with Alec Guinness, the star of the legendary BBC
adaptations of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Smiley’s
People, he brings the reader into each new scene with his
characteristic deftness and flair, at once entertaining us
and making us think anew about events and situations we
believed we understood.
Offering a rare window into the life and work of a master,
The Pigeon Tunnel is an instant classic; the only account of
John le Carré’s fascinating life written in the author’s own
words.
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