A Perfect Spy
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| A Perfect Spy | |
 First edition cover |
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| Author | John le Carré |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Spy novel |
| Publisher | Hodder & Stoughton (UK) & Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. (USA) |
| Publication date | 1986 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback and Paperback) |
| Pages | 475 pages (Hardback edition) & 688 (Paperback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-394-55141-9 (Hardback edition) & 0671042750 (Paperback edition) |
A Perfect Spy (1986) by John le Carré, is a novel about the mental and moral dissolution of a secret agent.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
A Perfect Spy is the tale of Magnus Pym, a long-time spy for the United Kingdom. When agent Pym mysteriously disappears, his fellow secret agents (not unreasonably) suspect he might have betrayed them — throughout most of his career, Magnus worked for the Czechoslovak secret service. Although intrigue, wit, and suspense compose the novel, the story of Magnus Pym partly is unadorned recollection of Rick Pym, father of Magnus. The non-linear, memoir format incorporates flashbacks to Pym's childhood with the enterprising, charismatic (rogue and con-man) Rick; to his early years at university; to indoctrination to espionage and state secrets; and to his job adventures. There are several narrators: Mary, Pym's wife, and Jack Brotherhood, Pym's mentor and family friend. The portraits reveal Pym as a man who for so long has manipulated his appearance to those closest to him, that, in the end, he is was unable to hold together the conflicting personae in his self. Magnus Pym has been a perfect spy, but at the cost of his soul.
[edit] Literary significance & criticism
The novel marks an important step in le Carré's transition from writing spy novels, albeit with more depth and less action than is typical of the genre, to writing complex character studies of individuals, some of whom happen to be spies. Many consider it to be his best work.
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
- A 1987 TV adaptation of the same name was produced by the BBC starring Peter Egan.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Sharpe's Gold (English). imdb.com. Retrieved on May 15, 2008.
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