The Looking Glass War
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| The Looking Glass War | |
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| Author | John le Carré |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Spy novel |
| Publisher | William Heinemann (UK) & Putnam (USA) |
| Publication date | June 1965 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) & Audio Cassette |
| Pages | 246 pp (hardback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-434-41200-7 (UK hardback edition) ISBN 0-698-10218-5 (US hardback edition) |
| Preceded by | The Spy Who Came in from the Cold |
| Followed by | A Small Town in Germany |
The Looking Glass War (1965), by John le Carré is a spy novel about a British Intelligence agency, known as 'The Department ' and its attempts to infiltrate an agent to East Germany.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
John le Carré has stated that (i) this novel is his most realistic portrayal of the intelligence world as he knew it and (ii) that may have been one reason for its relative lack of success. Le Carré's most famous character, George Smiley, appears in the book, but only in a supporting role.
[edit] Plot summary
"The Department" had much success running agents against the Nazis during the Second World War but has been resting on its laurels since. It seems to expend most of its energies on a bureaucratic turf war with the more professional "Circus."
After The Department comes across evidence that Soviet missiles are being emplaced near the West German border, the head of the Department, LeClerc, decides to send an agent over the border to discover the truth without involving the Circus. The Department reactivates one of its WWII agents, a naturalised Pole known as Fred Leiser. Leiser is retrained and infiltrated over the border into East Germany to investigate the missiles. However, the clumsiness of The Department's operation, compared to the operations of the Circus, leads the East Germans to determine almost immediately that security had been breached and to find Leiser's approximate location. As a result, Circus agent George Smiley forces The Department to abandon its espionage operation, with Leiser still trapped in East Germany.
Not knowing the fate of the operation, Leiser continues with his mission. His attempts to make contact with The Department lead the East Germans to him, and he is killed.
[edit] Characters in "The Looking-Glass War"
- Fred Leiser – British spy of Polish background, main protagonist
- LeClerc – head of "The Department"
- Avery – LeClerc's younger assistant
- George Smiley – Circus officer
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
A film of the novel was released in 1969, starring Christopher Jones as Leiser, Ralph Richardson as LeClerc and Anthony Hopkins as Avery. It was directed by Frank Pierson.
[edit] Release details
- 1965, UK, William Heinemann ISBN 0-434-41200-7, Pub date ? June 1965, Hardback
- 1965, USA, Putnam Pub Group ISBN 0-698-10218-5, Pub date ? June 1965, Hardback
- 1965, USA, Coward-McCann, Inc., New York, Book Club Edition, Hardback
- 1985, UK, G K Hall & Co ISBN 0-8161-4040-5, Pub date ? April 1986, Hardback (Large Print)
- 1991, UK, Hodder & Stoughton Ltd ISBN 0-340-55813-X, Pub date 21 November 1991, Hardback
- 1991, UK, Hodder & Stoughton (Coronet) ISBN 0-340-55446-0, Pub date 21 November 1991, Paperback
- 1992, USA, Ballantine Books ISBN 0-345-37736-2, Pub date ? March 1992, Paperback
- 1999, UK, Hodder & Stoughton ISBN 1-84032-108-3, Pub date 22 February 1999, Audio Cassette (read by John le Carré}
[edit] External links
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