
A Perfect Spy - Penguin Modern Classics (Paperback)
John le Carré (author)- 5+ in stock

Possibly the quintessential example of an espionage novel transcending genre boundaries to establish itself as a matchless literary classic, A Perfect Spy is a simply staggering achievement. Interrogating the notion of the archetypal secret agent, le Carre builds an intricate and multi-faceted portrayal of a man of seemingly limitless talent dogged by the hurt and insecurity of a dark past.
'The best English novel since the war' Philip Roth
Magnus Pym - ranking diplomat, consummate Englishman, loving husband, secret agent - has vanished. Has he defected? Gone to ground? As the hunt for Pym intensifies, the secrets of his life are revealed: the people he has loved and betrayed, the unreliable con-man father who made him, the two mentors who moulded and shaped him, and now wish to claim this perfect spy as their own.
Described by le Carre as his most autobiographical novel, A Perfect Spy is a devastating portrayal of a man who has played different roles for so long, he no longer knows who he is.
'Le Carre understood that espionage is an extreme version of the human comedy, even the human tragedy. A Perfect Spy will very likely remain his greatest book' New Yorker
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 9780241322482
Number of pages: 672
Weight: 458 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 29 mm
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“The Proust of Spy Novels - but don't let that put you off”
Le Carre had already transcended the limitations of the espionage novel by the time he came to write A Perfect Spy, but if ever there was any doubt that the maestro should be regarded as an author of immense literary... More
“My Struggle”
I love John Le Carré, but this was a bit of a challenge. I appreciate the attempt to represent the psychological struggles of being a spy. But SO LONG! I need a holiday.
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