Tradecraft: Writers on John le Carré
This eclectic collection of essays offers personal perspectives from authors of varied backgrounds
on their experiences working with John le Carré (true name David Cornwell) in very different situations. A companion volume to the exhibit of le Carré’s papers at the Bodleian Library at Oxford University (he attended Lincoln College there), Tradecraft comprises several categories. Some describe his research trips, the locales where some of his novels are set, and the gradual
geographic expansion of their scope. Others discuss his collaboration with an academic; the process of developing screen adaptations of his memoir and one of his novels; perceptions of his novels by the Soviets and Russians; and the polemical features of some of his later works. Lastly,
one of le Carré’s sons explains why he decided to take up his father’s legacy and craft his own le Carré-esque novel. Overall, Tradecraft accomplishes its purpose of giving insights into the methods le Carré used to craft his works and how a novelist can employ history and social geography as a grounding for the development of fictional plots and characters. As with many anthologies, the quality of the essays varies, but nearly all of them provide new views on previously unexamined aspects of le Carré’s personal and writing lives.