A man who lives a part, not to others but alone, is exposed to obvious psychological dangers. In itself, the practice of deception is not particularly exacting; it is a matter of experience, of professional expertise, it is a facility most of us can acquire. But while a confidence trickster, a play-actor or a gambler can return from his performance to the ranks of his admirers, the secret agent enjoys no such relief. For him, deception is first a matter of self-defense.
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, John Le Carre.
I don’t often read a book twice. Life is too short and there are just too many books out there. Even my list of CLASSIC must-reads is kind of mind-boggling at the moment.
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| Ersatz- A coffee substitute mentioned in the book. "Coffee he drinks--nothing else--just coffee all the time." |
Having read The Spy Who Came In From The Cold by John Le Carre for the second time, I must propose that it is the quintessential classic spy novel. There is something about it that makes the reading experience feel so...authentic. It’s almost as if the book isn’t even fiction at all. Everything about it is so subtle, so underplayed, it feels like the straight-forward account of what one man working for the British Secret Service lived through. Period. No extra drama, elaborate costumes, or back handsprings necessary. This is merely real life. And yet, it is mere espionage, which makes it perhaps the coolest thing you’ll ever read in fiction.
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| The Berlin Wall |
Le Carre paints a stark picture of reality through the telling of Station Head Alec Leamas’s story, a man who has suffered a great professional loss with the death of his last and best double agent in East Berlin during the Cold War. It is sometimes difficult to keep up with the turn of events, the abrupt twists, and life-or-death decisions made by Leamas and his adversaries. It’s scope is grand, touching on philosophy, politics, and religion, crossing international borders at airports and heavily guarded bridges, while highlighting the minute actions of a man reaching for a packet of matches. The carefully-spun web of duplicity and mind games is a sobering take on the way countries, political movements, counter-intelligence, and humanity in general operate. It speaks on the sanctity of life and the philosophy of making necessary sacrifices for the greater good.
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| The DKW, or Dampf-Kraft-Wagen mentioned in the book |
As I cannot help but view everything through the gospel lens, (for, “by it I see everything else” to throw in a random C.S. Lewis reference) I have to stop and wonder at the utter depravity of the “real world” that Le Carre paints, as well as the one in which we currently live. I don’t think Le Carre was being negative. I think he was being honest. I think the world is worse off than we could possibly imagine. Just as the ending of Le Carre’s novel shocked me with its profound sadness, I think the world today is probably sadder than I can even realize. And I think it is necessary that we see it as so. If we blind ourselves to this fact, how can we accept the reality that we were created for something more, for something lasting and good and far beyond what we deserve? No, I need to be made to stop and think about these sad truths, because they compel me to search for something more, something beyond myself and beyond this present darkness.
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| Steinhager- a German gin mentioned in the novel |
Le Carre’s fiction merely speaks the truth, ultimately. It is only part of the truth- the first part. But it is a necessary one to digest so that we can “let it steep”- the very weight of sadness. And I’m thankful that Le Carre makes me take pause, for only THEN am I free to savor the reality of my utterly desperate need for someone to rescue me out of this darkness, and rescue me even out of my OWN darkness. For the darkness lurks not only behind shady pubs and ominous DKWs, but within the heart of every human.
"Good-bye, Liz," he said. "Good-bye," and then: "Don't follow me. Not again."
Liz nodded and muttered, "Like we said." She was thankful for the biting cold of the street and for the dark which hid her tears.
The darkness of men’s hearts is something I explore in Wolves and Men, a book that has recently had its cover DESIGNED! We will probably be working out a few details before showing anything off, so bear with me. But I can’t tell you how excited I am to see Jesse Owen’s stunning work! You will see it soon, dear friends, SOON! :)
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Are there any other spy novels that you've read and loved? G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday kept springing to mind during my reading. :)
Have you ever picked out a book at the library or bookstore JUST because of the cover design?
What things do you love and hate in a book cover?
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