Category: Podcast
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Secret And Beyond – Political Thrillers with Frank Sennett
Frank Sennett joins the show to talk about political thrillers and Mick Herron and John le Carré. We talk about US versus UK spy novels, Matt Helm, and favorite Herron and le Carré novels. Plus we talk about how to write politics in fiction without alienating readers and how one author used the nuclear option…
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Guillam Coffee and Abdelraham Fathalla – Interview
We raised $1300 for Room to Read this holiday season. Thanks to everyone who donated. If you still wanted to donate, go here or share the link – http://tinyurl.com/spiesread We are back with a interview with founder of Guillam Coffee and le Carré superfan Abdelrahman Fathalla. We talk about why he named his business after…
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Secret and Beyond – John le Carré’s battle with book titles
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.…
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Top 5 letters in A Private Spy: The Letters of John le Carré
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…
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Dead Drop – Letters in Spy Fiction and Reality Part 2
We are back with part 2 of our look at the letter in spy fiction and reality. Listen to part 1 here. We talk about the novel to read if you want to imagine you’re a CIA analyst, the first techno-thriller and learn about how real spies are communicating right now! All that and much…
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John le Carré’s London
We talk with Richard Hutt the writer of the new map titled John le Carré’s London from Herb Lester Associates. We talk about his previous map, The Secret City, reading le Carré in lockdown, the difficulties and joys in finding locations le Carré used in his novels and challenge the listener to find le Carré’s…
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The Secret History of Spy Letters
The book A Private Spy: The Letters of John le Carré has just been released in the UK. We’ll be taking a look at that book once it’s released in the US in December, but this is a perfect time to take a look at the usage of the humble letter in espionage. We talk…
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A Small Town in Germany by John le Carré Explored Part 2
In this episode we finish our look at A Small Town in Germany, John le Carré’s fifth novel. Returning to discuss the book is espionage author James Wolff. We discuss how his treatment of female characters, whether this is a Agatha Christie novel in disguise and whether this could ever be adapted for television? Plus,…
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A Small Town in Germany by John le Carré Explored Part 1
In this episode we look at A Small Town in Germany, the novel that comes midway between John le Carré’s breakout success – The Spy Who Came in from the Cold – and the novel that solidified his place as one of the world’s best spy novelists – Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. I’m joined to…
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Collecting John le Carré
We talk with one of the foremost collectors of John le Carré novels, Steven Ritterman, whose collection of pristine le Carré editions numbers over 300 items. We learn about the Haycroft-Queen list, rare signed editions, and Steve’s undercover mission to meet le Carré himself. All that plus talk on champagne toasts with Otto Penzler, meeting Eric Ambler,…
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The Looking-Glass War by John le Carré Explored Part 2
Find Part One Here. In this episode we continue to take a deep dive into the intricacies of one of John le Carré’s most unjustly overlooked novels – The Looking-Glass War. I’m again joined by critic and author Jeremy Duns. We talk class and Britain’s role in the world, how the book could be adapted…
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The Looking-Glass War by John le Carré Explored Part 1
In this episode we take a deep dive into the intricacies of one of John le Carré’s most unjustly overlooked novels – The Looking-Glass War. I’m joined by critic and author Jeremy Duns. We talk about weird relationships, how the book is a proto-Slow Horses, and get the first ever comparison of le Carré and…
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Laura Marsh on John le Carré – Episode 13
In this episode I speak to Laura Marsh about her essay on le Carré and Silverview in the February 10th edition of The New York Review of Books. Laura is currently the literary editor at the The New Republic and previously wrote for and was an editor at The New York Review of Books. Her…
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John le Carré in The Spy Writers Club – Episode 12
In this episode we explore what happens when you get a whole gaggle of Cold War spy novelists together in one room. This is an adaption of an earlier piece that can be found here with links to various sources. Also there is a photo of the attendees. Find more podcasts like this in the…
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Silverview by John le Carré Explored Part 4 – Episode 11
In the final episode of this four part look at Silverview Matthew Bradford and I continue to discuss John le Carré’s final complete novel. We discuss the climatic conclusion of Silverview! We also talk about where Silverview fits among le Carré’s work and some talk on collecting the book. All that and much more in…
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Silverview by John le Carré Explored Part 3 – Episode 10
In Part three of this four part look at Silverview Matthew Bradford and I continue to discuss John le Carré’s final complete novel. In this third part we explore the plot and espionage in the novel. We discuss the way betrayal is different in this novel, what’s up with Edward’s creepy obsession with basements, and…
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Silverview by John le Carré Explored Part 2 – Episode 9
In Part two of this four part look at Silverview Matthew Bradford and I continue to discuss John le Carré’s final complete novel. In our second part we talk about the settings of the novel. We discuss le Carré success in capturing life in a coastal town, the connection between W.G. Sebald’s The Rings of…
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Silverview by John le Carré Explored Part 1 – Episode 8
In Part one of this four part look at Silverview I welcome back Matthew Bradford to discuss John le Carré’s final complete novel. In our first part we talk about the main characters in this novel. We discuss surprise over the speedy release of the novel, how this novel revisits many of le Carré’s favorite…
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Call for the Dead by John le Carré Explored Part 2 – Episode 7
In Part Two of this deep dive into Call for the Dead I welcome back guest Bee to discuss John le Carré’s first novel. We continue to get lots of hot takes on the novel from someone who has done a very close reading of le Carré’s work, but especially Call for the Dead. We…
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John le Carré – His Lips are Sealed – Episode 6
In this episode we explore a previously hidden chapter of le Carré’s life. Was this the moment everything changed for him? Listen for answers to that and much, much more. Previous discussion of this topic is here. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts Listen on Spotify RSS Feed
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Call for the Dead by John le Carré Explored Part 1 – Episode 5
In Part One of this deep dive into Call for the Dead I welcome guest Bee to discuss John le Carré’s first novel. In this provocative conversation we get plenty of hot takes on the novel from someone who has done a very close reading of all of le Carré’s work, but especially Call for…
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A Murder of Quality by John le Carré – Explored – Episode 4
In this episode I am joined by Matthew Bradford of doubleOsection.blogspot.com to do a deep exploration of the sometimes overlooked John le Carré novel A Murder of Quality. We discuss private schools, religion in the UK and just how deep George Smiley’s cruel streak runs. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts Listen on…
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John le Carré – A rememberance – Episode 3
Just after the passing away of John le Carré in December 2020, I spoke with Matthew Bradford of double0section.blogspot.com about le Carrê’s impact on espionage fiction. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts Listen on Spotify RSS Feed
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His Secret Sharer – The hidden truths of John le Carré – Episode 2
In this episode I provide an introduction to the world’s most famous spy writer. John le Carré began writing novels as a way to relieve the boredom of his duties as an upper-class raised British diplomat. That was what the world was told. The reality was that he wrote under a pseudonym; in truth he…
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An introduction – Episode 1
I’m quite excited to launch something that has been in the process for awhile, a podcast dedicated to the works of John le Carré. The goal of this podcast is to do deep dives on each of his works, round table discussions on various topics related to the novels. films and TV programs. I hope…
The le Carré Cast 