What I Am Reading: "Smiley's People" by John le Carré

In his introduction to this edition, le Carré says that he wrote it to close out the story of George Smiley. He says that at one point, he had intended at one point to write over a dozen novels recounting the battles between Smiley and his arch-nemesis, the Soviet spymaster Karla. However, he came to find that he wanted to observe changes in society through younger characters; and thought that Smiley, despite his internal rejection of the absurdities of Cold War espionage, would ultimately do his job dutifully at the end of every mission.

Despite knowing that the novel is intended as a conclusion, it still takes until the halfway point for the plot to fully come into focus. This is often the case with le Carré’s winding, shadowy plots. As Smiley and his comrades take the initiative, the tension ratchets up considerably, and remains high until the last pages of the novel. I wasn’t sure how it was going to end, because the success or failure of the mission did not depend on the survival of the protagonist, but on the survival of another character.

Regardless of this tension, I take an odd feeling of comfort from these spy novels. The protagonist always has a support network to rely on, despite their dubious trustworthiness. Even when they are on their own, in the field, they always have a safe house or a transport prepared for them, inaccessible as it may be. Espionage is a team sport, and there is always a support network. Perhaps it is the Cold War setting – a settled event that we already know the result of, even if we are still living in its aftermath. The contrast in setting between just a few decades ago and now can be somewhat jarring, such as when the Baltic countries are described as “lost” to the Russians, though we can find Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia on modern maps.

Even though I have fun with professional, unassuming George Smiley, it may be for the best that le Carré decided to retire him. He is obviously very fond of the character, and we again see the “recounting” style, where it is noted that characters in an upcoming scene would later praise Smiley’s actions. Smiley does appear in other books, but le Carré would (to his credit) move forward with other protagonists in evolving espionage activities, and these protagonists, like some in “The Honourable Schoolboy,” would prove much less secure from the perils they faced.