The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels
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Top 5 letters in A Private Spy: The Letters of John le Carré
The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels
12/06/22 • -1 min
Donate to Room to Read here or share the link – http://tinyurl.com/spiesread
We are back with a look at the new release A Private Spy: The Letters of John le Carré. I’m pleased to welcome Steven Ritterman, one of the foremost collectors of le Carré in the world, to the show.
Steven reveals his top five letters from the recently released book. We talk about the letters as well as a bit about what else the estate may end up releasing. All that and more in this episode!
Steven’s Top Five John le Carré Letters
5. Le Carré’s letter to pharma execs following the release of The Constant Gardener.
4. Le Carré’s letter to Tom Stoppard answering the question of just why he shelved his posthumously released novel Silverview.
3. Le Carré’s letter on his approach to writing his novel A Legacy of Spies.
2. Le Carré’s letter to his wife and sons looking at his past family relationships.
Bonus Letter – Le Carré talks about writing another Smiley post Legacy.
1. A writer puts down his pen
Others letters we discuss touch on his relationship with his stepmother, his care about his work and readers, and the proper spelling of his pen name.
Get a letter of your own from me. Email your address to lecarrecast [at] gmail [dot] com and I will send a spy letter of your very own.
Interact with Steven and other spy fans on the Spybrary Facebook discussion group – https://www.spybrary.com/facebook
Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com
Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite
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In Depth with Shaun McKenna: Adapting John le Carré for Radio
The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels
08/05/24 • 46 min
In this episode of The le Carré Cast, I interview acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Shaun McKenna. Sean discusses his journey into writing, his collaboration process for bringing le Carré’s complex characters to life on BBC Radio 4, and the challenges of adapting intricate novels for audio. about his adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Looking Glass War while highlighting Shaun’s eclectic career, including his involvement in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ musical. Sean also shares insights on the enduring appeal of audio drama in the UK and his current and upcoming projects.
Our previous look at The Smiley Radio Dramas can be found here –
00:46 Meet Shaun McKenna: The Adaptation Maestro
02:37 Shaun’s Journey into Audio Drama
04:13 The Smiley Radio Dramas: A Deep Dive
06:13 Challenges and Triumphs in Adaptation
08:39 The Art of Radio Drama
16:06 Capturing the Essence of le Carré
23:56 The Joys and Challenges of Radio Drama
26:11 The Decline of Radio Drama in the UK
28:48 A Writer’s Journey: From Actor to Adaptation Specialist
33:12 The Legacy of John le Carré’s Smiley Series
38:56 Reviving The Lord of the Rings Musical
41:20 Upcoming Projects and Final Thoughts
Shaun McKenna’s Website – ShaunMcKenna.me
The Lord of the Rings World Tour
The Lord of the Rings in Chicago
Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com
Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite
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After le Carré: Jonathan Ray on Sarah Gainham
The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels
09/02/24 • 56 min
Part 1 can be found here. Part 2 can be found here.
We delve into the fascinating life of the enigmatic author Sarah Gainham, also known as Rachel Ames, with her godson Jonathan Ray, a drinks editor for The Spectator. We explore Rachel’s mysterious persona, her connections with spies and diplomats, and her life as an author.
Jonathan shares stories about Rachel’s life in Vienna, her eccentric habits like stealing cats and smoking incessantly, and her love for Austrian wine. They also discuss her friendships with notable figures like Ian Fleming and John le Carré, her failed romantic relationships, and her significant yet largely forgotten contributions to spy fiction. Plus some stories of Jonathan’s war correspondent father, Cyril Ray.
All that and more in this episode!
The Estate of Sarah Gainham’s agent – https://greeneheaton.co.uk/clients/the-estate-of-sarah-gainham
Vienna’s Beer Clinic – http://www.goesser-bierklinik.at/en/
The Third Man Museum – https://www.3mpc.net/englsamml.htm
Grüner Veltliner – https://www.austrianwine.com/our-wine/grape-varieties/white-wine/gruener-veltliner
Jonathan’s article on The Third Man – https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-third-man-fans-guide-to-vienna/
Jonathan’s other writing at The Spectator – https://www.spectator.co.uk/writer/jonathan-ray/
Jonathan’s book – That’s the Spirit!
Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com
Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite
The le Carré Cast on Twitter – @lecarrécast
00:48 Introducing Jonathan Ray
01:19 Rachel Ames: The Godmother
02:30 Early Life and Connections
04:37 Life in Vienna
05:59 Rachel’s Personality and Habits
09:38 Literary and Personal Legacy
24:37 Cold War Experiences
27:36 The Forgotten Fame of Rachel
28:33 Vienna and The Third Man
30:11 Rachel’s Love and Loneliness
34:16 Rachel’s Eccentricities and Memories
41:47 The Legacy of Rachel’s Novels
47:33 Preserving Rachel’s Archive
53:39 Final Thoughts and Farewell
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Single and Single by John Carré Explored Part 2
The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels
08/27/23 • 54 min
In this episode we continue our look at John le Carré’s 1999 novel, Single and Single.
Returning to discuss the book is espionage and nonfiction author Adam Brookes.
We discuss Adam’s interactions with shady Russians in the 90’s, why le Carré just can’t quit Russia, and that wild ending. Plus, is there such a thing as Chekhov’s Motorcycle?
All that and more in this episode.
The full interview with le Carré for the Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy DVD release – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89FHIGL3N54
My interview with Adam for Spybrary – https://spybrary.com/conversation-with-spy-author-adam-brookes/
Adam’s Website – https://www.adambrookes.com/
Adam’s Twitter – https://twitter.com/AdamBrookesWord
Adam’s spy trilogy – Night Heron, Spy Games, The Spy’s Daughter – https://www.adambrookes.com/philip-mangan-series
Fragile Cargo: China’s Wartime Race to Save the Treasures of the Forbidden City –
US – https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Fragile-Cargo/Adam-Brookes/9781982149291
UK – https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/441577/fragile-cargo-by-brookes-adam/9781784743796
Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com
Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite
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Secret and Beyond – John le Carré’s battle with book titles
The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels
01/01/23 • -1 min
Donate to Room to Read here or share the link – http://tinyurl.com/spiesread
We are back with a look at some of John le Carré’s unused book titles. These have been gathered from Adam Sisman’s biography, John le Carré: A Life, as well as a few from A Private Spy: The letters of John le Carré.
For more on spy book titles, listen to this episode of Spybrary where I speak with author Jeremy Duns on the difficulty of picking a book title – Title Fight! The good, the bad and the ugly of spy book titles.
See the list below –
A Clear Case of Suicide
The Carcass of the Lion
The Two-Stroke Lover
All My Life I Have Been Terrified of Ridicule
The Love Thief
The Death of Christopher Robin
The Reluctant Autumn of George Smiley
Operation Limberlost
The Twelfth Direction
The Pigeon Tunnel
The London Occasional
A Spy for Reasons of Politeness
The Giant Hunter
The Twice-Promised Girl
The Piper and the Tune
The Cage on the Roof
The Girl on the Casino Roof
Taking One All the Way Through
The Burn Box
A Man with Two Houses
A Spy with Excellent Manners
Plain Tales from the Circus
The Interrogators’ Poll
The Case Officer
The Silent Pilgrim
A Woman of Cairo
The Junior Leader
The Unknown Soldier
The Underground Soldier
The Last Clean Englishman
The Camel’s Nose
The Passion of his Time
The Road to Honeybrook Farm
A Man of the Caucasus
The Free Servant
The Siege of Heidelberg
Sasha’s Virtue
The Stay-Behind Man
Secret and Beyond
The Angry Gardener
Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com
Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite
Music by SergeQuadrado from Pixabay
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The Great Blurb Scandal
The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels
12/23/24 • 16 min
This episode the le Carré Cast delves into the world of true crime with a look at one of the strangest moments in le Carré’s literary history.
You won’t read about this one in Sisman’s biography!
Settle in for the case of the fake blurbs.
Further Reading
Sources used to write this post are below. Both The New York Times and The Washington Post had some great reporting on the story with “The Bizarre story of Derek Goodwin” being especially well done.
“A Spy Novel’s boosters it seems, aren’t” 04/13/1991, The New York Times
“Book Notes” 09/25/1991, The New York Times
“Manuscript with False Praise is Rejected” 04/26/1991, The New York Times
“The Bizarre story of Derek Goodwin” 04/08/1991, The Washington Post
“What’s up with the book biz” 04/23/1991, The Washington Post
Thanks to Matthew Kresal for finding this 06/02/2013 interview, “The killer serial killer who scared the FBI”, with the Derek Goodwin in the French magazine, L’Express. All quotes from that story are with the caveat that they were run through Google Translate.
Val Mcdermid’s message board posts circa 2003-2008 had some interesting discussions on the book.
Clive Cussler by Stuart Leuthner had more on Cussler’s take on the incident.
Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com
Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite
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Karla’s Choice by Nick Harkaway Explored Part One
The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels
01/09/25 • 46 min
In this episode we look at Nick Harkaway’s 2024 George Smiley novel, Karla’s Choice.
Steven Ritterman, le Carré expert and collector, joins me to talk through all of our thoughts on this Smiley continuation novel.
We talk reference Jurassic Park’s famous quote “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should,”
All that and much more in this episode.
We’ll be back in two weeks for part 2.
Steven’s episode on collecting John le Carré is here.
Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com
Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite
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Absolute Friends by John le Carré Explored Part 1
The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels
11/26/24 • 45 min
In this episode we look at John le Carré’s 2003 novel, Absolute Friends.
Shane Whaley, host of the Spybrary podcast joins the show to look at one of his favorite le Carré novels.
We talk about the enigma that is Absolute Friends lead character Ted Mundy. How many trips over the wall does it take to get a gold watch from MI6? And do all tour guides make good spies? Plus, Lutheran pastor Stasi spies!
All that and much more in this episode.
We’ll be back in two weeks for part 2.
God’s Spies by Elizabeth Braw – https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Spies-Stasis-Espionage-Campaign-ebook/dp/B07Z4BFKSL/
Shane’s show Spybrary – https://spybrary.com/
Spybrary’s Facebook Community – https://www.facebook.com/groups/spybrary/
Shane’s Twitter – https://x.com/spybrary
Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com
Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite
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Absolute Friends by John le Carré Explored Part 2
The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels
12/09/24 • 43 min
In this episode we continue to look at John le Carré’s 2003 novel, Absolute Friends.
Shane Whaley, host of the Spybrary podcast, is back to break down all of the action in this novel.
We talk about the dramatic end of the novel, Mundy and Sasha’s motives and talk about the dangers of entrapment.
Plus, an unexpected change in point of view that le Carré deploys at the end of the book?
All that and much more in this episode.
Find Part 1 here.
God’s Spies by Elizabeth Braw – https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Spies-Stasis-Espionage-Campaign-ebook/dp/B07Z4BFKSL/
Laura Miller’s interview with le Carré on Absolute Friends – https://www.salon.com/2004/01/05/le_carre/
The Sceptre cover –
Shane’s show Spybrary – https://spybrary.com/
Spybrary’s Facebook Community – https://www.facebook.com/groups/spybrary/
Shane’s Twitter – https://x.com/spybrary
Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com
Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite
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After le Carré: Sarah Gainham Explored Part 1
The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels
08/19/24 • 46 min
Discovering Sarah Gainham: Unveiling the Overlooked Cold War Novelist
In this episode of the le Carré Cast, we introduce a new feature – ‘After le Carré,’ spotlighting authors beyond John le Carré. Jeff welcomes back Jeremy Duns, writer and spy fiction enthusiast, to discuss Sarah Gainham, a lesser-known but richly talented spy novelist. They delve into the essential elements of le Carré’s works, Gainham’s life and career, and especially her novel The Tiger, Life.
The discussion explores Gainham’s intricate plotting, authentic depictions of Cold War espionage, and her personal experiences that shaped her stories. The episode wraps up with intriguing insights into the realities of spy life and the dynamic between Gainham and her contemporaries.
All that and more in this episode.
00:00 Welcome to the le Carré Cast
00:38 Introducing ‘After le Carré’
00:48 Guest Introduction: Jeremy Duns
01:01 Defining a le Carré Novel
03:21 Spotlight on Sarah Gainham
06:24 Sarah Gainham’s Life and Career
09:30 Exploring Gainham’s Spy Novels
16:22 The Tiger, Life: Gainham’s Masterpiece
23:41 Debating Book Titles and Their Impact
26:33 Exploring the Novel’s Setting and Characters
28:23 Autobiographical Elements and Espionage
30:02 Complex Relationships and Character Analysis
39:38 Real-Life Inspirations and Historical Context
44:29 Conclusion and Upcoming Episodes
Title Fight! The Good, the Bad and Ugly of Spy Book Titles with Jeremy Duns and Jeff Quest. (102)Jeremy’s twitter – @JeremyDuns
Jeremy’s Website – Jeremy-Duns.com
Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com
Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite
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How many episodes does The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels have?
The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels currently has 54 episodes available.
What topics does The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels cover?
The podcast is about Society & Culture, Podcasts, Books and Arts.
What is the most popular episode on The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels?
The episode title 'John le Carré – A rememberance – Episode 3' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels?
The average episode length on The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is 43 minutes.
How often are episodes of The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels released?
Episodes of The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels are typically released every 14 days, 3 hours.
When was the first episode of The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels?
The first episode of The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels was released on Oct 14, 2021.
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