The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
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 Cover for the Victor Gollancz first edition |
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| Author | John le Carré |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Spy Novel |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz & Pan |
| Released | September, 1963 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback and Paperback) |
| Pages | 256 pages (Hardback edition) & 240 pages (Paperback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-575-00149-6 (Hardback edition) & ISBN 0-330-20107-7 (Paperback edition) |
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a 1963 espionage novel by John le Carré, adapted into a 1965 film starring Richard Burton.
The novel received good reviews and was a best seller.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
It is a spy novel based on the Cold War period of East/West "bloc" tensions. Based primarily in Eastern Europe it follows the character of Alec Leamas.
[edit] Plot summary
It tells the story of Alec Leamas, a British spy, who resigns from the Circus (as the British Secret Service is known in John le Carré's books) and defects to East Germany. Leamas is actually being manipulated by the director of the Circus, who goes by the code name "Control", as part of an elaborate plot to discredit an effective East German spymaster and protect a British double agent in the East German Secret Service from discovery.
[edit] Characters in "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold"
- Alec Leamas: The British spy in the centre of this web of intrigue.
- Mundt: Leader of the East German Spy Agency and Leamas's nemesis.
- Fiedler: Communist spy, Second in Command to Mundt
- Liz Gold: English librarian and member of the Communist Party (renamed Nan Perry for the film)
- Control: Leader of British Intelligence
- George Smiley: British spy
[edit] Awards
Le Carré's book won a 1964 Gold Dagger award from the British Crime Writers Association for Best Crime Novel. One year later the US edition was awarded the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Mystery Novel. It was the first work to win the award for Best Novel from both mystery writing organizations. Screenwriters Dehn and Trosper received an Edgar the following year for Best Motion Picture Screenplay for an American Movie. In 2005, the fiftieth anniversary of the Dagger Awards, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold was awarded the "Dagger of Daggers," a one-time only award given to the Golden Dagger winner regarded as the stand-out among all fifty winners over the history of CWA.
[edit] Trivia
An episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges was very similar in theme and plot.
The title was spoofed in the 1965 comedy film The Spy with a Cold Nose and in the title of an episode of the 1960s television series, The Monkees, "The Spy Who Came in from the Cool." The 1990s television series Power Rangers Zeo had an episode entitled "The Ranger Who Came in From the Gold."
[edit] Quote
"It is the best spy story I have ever read." (Graham Greene) [1]
"A topical and terrible story...he can communicate emotion, from sweating fear to despairing love, with terse and compassionate conviction. Above all, he can tell a tale. Formidable equipment for a rare and disturbing writer" (The Sunday Times)
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ The Manhattan Rare Book Company (2005). John Le Carre: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, First Edition. Retrieved January 23, 2006.
