New Delhi: “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” author John le Carre, who cast flawed spies on to the bleak chessboard of Cold War rivalry, has died aged 89.
“It is with great sadness that I must share the news that David Cornwell, known to the world as John le Carré, passed away after a short illness (not Covid-19 related) in Cornwall on December 12, 2020. His like will never be seen again, and his loss will be felt by every book lover, everyone interested in the human condition”, his agent said in a statement.
The writer’s family also released a statement that said that he had died of pneumonia. He is survived by his wife, Jane, and four sons.
By exploring treachery at the heart of British intelligence in spy novels, le Carre challenged Western assumptions about the Cold War by defining for millions the moral ambiguities of the battle between the Soviet Union and the West.
Born on October 19, 1931 in England, le Carre’s career began in the 1960s with ‘Call for the Dead’ in 1961 and ‘A Murder of Quality’ in 1962. In 2016, he also released a memoir called ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’ that detailed his fractured relationship with an abusive, conman father and a lonely upbringing after his mother abandoned him aged five.
