Discover the Penguin books that shaped us

John le Carré reads George Smiley

byJohn le Carré

Six Story Novel Collection including Call for the Dead, A Murder of Quality, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, The Looking Glass War, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Smiley's People

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Penguin Audio presents a captivating collection of six John le Carré novels, each featuring the iconic character George Smiley.

This collection includes the finest examples of le Carré's work, written between 1961 and 1979, and contains over 30 hours of unmissable drama. It includes captivating readings of his classic novels Call for the Dead, A Murder of Quality, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, The Looking Glass War, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Smiley's People, performed by the author himself.

Call for the Dead introduces George Smiley, a British intelligence officer, who investigates the suspicious suicide of a Foreign Office official, uncovering a web of espionage and deceit. In A Murder of Quality, Smiley is drawn into a murder investigation at a prestigious school, where he must navigate complex social dynamics to uncover the truth behind the crime. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold follows Alec Leamas, a disillusioned British spy, as he embarks on a dangerous mission to bring down an East German intelligence officer, with Smiley orchestrating the operation from behind the scenes. The Looking Glass War is a gripping tale of espionage and betrayal, where Smiley oversees a mission involving a former pilot sent to East Germany, highlighting the bureaucratic infighting within British intelligence. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy sees Smiley called out of retirement to root out a Soviet mole within the highest ranks of the British Secret Service, leading to a tense and intricate investigation. Finally, Smiley's People concludes the collection with Smiley returning to track down his nemesis, Karla, the Soviet spymaster, in a final showdown that tests his skills and resolve.

This definitive collection is a must-have for fans of John le Carré and lovers of espionage fiction, offering an immersive experience into the world of George Smiley.

About John le Carré

John le Carré was born in 1931. For six decades, he wrote novels that came to define our age. The son of a confidence trickster, he spent his childhood between boarding school and the London underworld. At sixteen he found refuge at the University of Bern, then later at Oxford. A spell of teaching at Eton led him to a short career in British Intelligence (MI5 & 6). He published his debut novel, Call for the Dead, in 1961 while still a secret servant. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, secured him a worldwide reputation, which was consolidated by the acclaim for his trilogy, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People. At the end of the Cold War, le Carré widened his scope to explore an international landscape including the arms trade and the War on Terror. His memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel, was published in 2016 and the last George Smiley novel, A Legacy of Spies, appeared in 2017. He died on 12 December 2020. His posthumous novel, Silverview, was published in 2021.
Details
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • ISBN: 9781837312993
  • Length: 1020 minutes
  • Price: £16.00