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The Secret Pilgrim by John Le Carre
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The Secret Pilgrim (original 1990; edition 1990)

by John Le Carre

Series: George Smiley (8)

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2,604325,595 (3.63)52
The Berlin Wall is toppled, the Iron Curtain swept aside. The Secret Pilgrim is Ned, a decent, loyal soldier of the Cold War, who has been in British Intelligence all his adult life. Now, approaching the end of his career, he is forced by the explosions of change to revisit his secret years. He illuminates the brave past and even braver present of George Smiley, his hero and mentor, who gives back to him the dangerous edge of memory that empowers him finally to frame the questions that have haunted him - and the world - for thirty years ...… (more)
Member:rbott
Title:The Secret Pilgrim
Authors:John Le Carre
Info:Knopf (1990), Hardcover, 335 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:**
Tags:Fiction, Spy

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The Secret Pilgrim by John le Carré (1990)

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English (24)  Spanish (4)  Swedish (1)  Hungarian (1)  French (1)  Hebrew (1)  All languages (32)
Showing 1-5 of 24 (next | show all)
A very welcome, nostalgic return for Smiley. But this time he is reminiscing for the students of the service. This is essentially a framing device for a bunch of short stories. As such, it is probably one for those already into le Carré, not one to create converts. That said, there are some beautiful passages here — it kinda feels like pieces that he couldn't work into the novels (there is one which feels like it emerged from the writing of The Honourable Schoolboy for example). Written in the aftermath of the fall of the Soviet regime there is a lot which still feels very highly relevant —toward the end of the book Smiley reflects on the negative effect that untrammeled capitalism has on democracy, which feels incredibly relevant at the moment. Recommended, but don't start here. ( )
  thisisstephenbetts | Nov 25, 2023 |
2221070313
  archivomorero | May 21, 2023 |
This was the next unread book on my shelves, published in 1991 and picked up in a charity shop somewhere in England. There are nine novels in the George Smiley series and this is the eighth and the first that I have read and so I have come rather late into the sequence. In fact Smiley is close to retirement and has headed out onto the lecture circuit, where he is giving a speech to young trainee spies. The secret Pilgrim is Ned also coming up to retirement who has been in the service as long as George Smiley, sometimes working for him and at other times their paths have crossed, but Ned has always seen Smiley as a mentor. Smiley's speech brings back memories for Ned who is sitting in with him, and it is these memories that are welded into the stories in this book. They cover much of Ned's career from his first assignment, where he made a bit of a fool of himself to assignments that were life threatening to him and to the spies (Joe's) that he controlled. There are thirteen chapters and each tells a story and/or takes the reader back to Smiley's lecture.

The stories take us around the world: Berlin, Hamburg, London, Poland, Cambodia, Lebanon where the British secret service battles both foreign agents and American spymasters, sometimes winning sometimes losing. Although much of their work is routine they are never sure who they can trust and they run considerable risks much of the time. The novel does not only feature these stories, but sketches in a history of British intelligence in accordance with the world peopled by the spies of John Le Carré. It also allows Smiley to contemplate the part the intelligence service played in winning the cold war: wondering if they did win or if the other side just lost. The time span covers the cold war, leading up to and beyond the fall of the Berlin Wall and the revelations of the double agents working for Russia. Near the end of the book Smiley is getting to grips with his own motives for working in the intelligence services and passing on his words of wisdom to the students.

The world of the spies and their masters portrayed in this book is very British, one would not be surprised if those at the top of the hierarchy, had all gone to the same school. Their methods and gadgetry hardly advance over the time period, they continue to keep doing the same things with equipment that sounds just a bit dated. As in many occupations competition can be fierce, but this is laced with suspicions at all levels, where trust is at a premium. Le Carré dwells on this, creating a world that will be recognisable to many readers. He is good at creating dialogue and gives his characters enough time to think through their actions. I enjoyed immersing myself in John Le Carré's world and sometimes thats all you need; I have got more novels by Le Carré and I am looking forward to reading them. 4 stars. ( )
1 vote baswood | Jan 16, 2023 |
2.5 stars ( )
  Marlobo | Dec 24, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 24 (next | show all)
There is a valedictory tone in this book that is not wholly caused by Ned's approaching retirement. The cold war is over, the old enemies have been replaced by glasnost and perestroika, and for Mr. le Carré himself it must have been a bizarre experience to see the raw material of his art disintegrate over the last few years. But the spies, we can be sure, will never be made redundant. At the end of the novel, decent, honorable Ned encounters a particularly nasty specimen of the new antagonists -- an utterly cynical and amoral British millionaire entrepreneur and arms dealer, and a knight, to boot. He is a perfect embodiment of the so-called market forces dogma of the Thatcher years in its most brutish form. "Now we had defeated Communism, we were going to have to set about defeating capitalism," Ned reflects. One senses a new foe emerging, new battles for the Circus to fight.
added by John_Vaughan | editNY Times, William Boyd (Jul 20, 1991)
 

» Add other authors (8 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
le Carré, Johnprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Baker, Dorothy S.Designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Taylor, MattCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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For Alec Guinness with affection and thanks
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Let me confess to you at once that if I had not, on the spur of the moment, picked up the pen and scribbled a note to George Smiley inviting him to address my passing-out class on the closing evening of their entry course-and had Smiley not, against all my expectations, consented-I would not be making so free to you with my heart.
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ISBN 1416594884 is actually for A Most Wanted Man.
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The Berlin Wall is toppled, the Iron Curtain swept aside. The Secret Pilgrim is Ned, a decent, loyal soldier of the Cold War, who has been in British Intelligence all his adult life. Now, approaching the end of his career, he is forced by the explosions of change to revisit his secret years. He illuminates the brave past and even braver present of George Smiley, his hero and mentor, who gives back to him the dangerous edge of memory that empowers him finally to frame the questions that have haunted him - and the world - for thirty years ...

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Penguin Australia

2 editions of this book were published by Penguin Australia.

Editions: 014119636X, 0241962196

 

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