John le Carre: The Biography - Couverture souple

Sisman, Adam

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 140882793X ISBN 13 : 9781408827932

Editeur : Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2015

A propos du livre

Revue de presse :

“This is the best biography of 2015—a rare achievement that invites rereading.” —Edward Wilson, The Independent

“Sisman’s life of the British secret-service-veteran-turned-novelist is admiring without toadyism, highly readable and, above all, knowledgeable about the books.” —The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)

“Sisman’s book answered all the questions le Carré watchers had been asking for years. . . . [A] shrewdly forensic anatomising of le Carré’s eighty-something years. . . . Paradoxically, and perhaps irritatingly for the author, [le Carré’s] autobiography [The Pigeon Tunnel] serves to underline the general excellence of Sisman’s biography.” —William Boyd, The Guardian

“[A] long, full and revealing work, written in blessedly readable prose, and makes a three-dimensional figure of a subject who can come across as something of a superman. . . . Sisman’s account of Cornwell’s espionage work is particularly good. . . . [N]obody will ever come closer than Sisman has to cracking the great le Carré enigma.” —The Telegraph 

“[T]he biography one imagines le Carré wanted: admiring without being toadying, detailed without being overstuffed, highly readable and, above all, knowledgeable about the work. . . . [John le Carré: The Biography] offers a knowing refresher course, and what we take away is a new appreciation of le Carré’s full range.” —Joseph Kanon, The New York Times 

“[A] fascinating truce between candour and guile. . . . [T]his book fulfils almost every expectation. Sisman has immersed himself in an extraordinary life story and reported it with exemplary dedication, following le Carré’s footsteps and, like a literary Jeeves, quietly correcting his master’s narrative with here a discreet cough, there a raised eyebrow, anon a sharp intake of breath. . . . Rarely has there been a more passionate marriage between life and art.” —Robert McCrum, The Observer

“[An]  intriguing biography. . . . [T]his is biography as detective work, or, if you like, as espionage. . . . This book is a substantial achievement. It confirms Sisman’s reputation as one of the best literary biographers now working in English.” —The Washington Free Beacon

“Adam Sisman’s biography of John le Carré is a masterpiece.” —Irish Examiner

“[A] respectful and unsycophantic biography.” —The Telegraph

“Sisman has done his work diligently and he’s very smart. One reads avidly.” —John Sutherland, The Times

“Splendid. . . . Smiley himself could not have done a better job.” —Dominic Sandbrook, The Sunday Times

“[Sisman] has got behind Mr. le Carré’s mask to unravel the enigma. . . . [A] balanced, focused and compelling study of a man of depth and individuality. . . . This biography expertly shows how distance, distrust and even disillusionment have informed Mr. le Carré and influenced his bestselling fiction.” —The Economist 

“In Sisman’s telling, [le Carré] is fascinating and enigmatic. . . . Sisman’s portrait is cogent, tirelessly researched, and always absorbing.” —Adam Woog, The Seattle Times

“[O]ne of the best biographies to be written about a living subject. It combines a thoroughly researched account of le Carré’s eventful life with incisive and often brilliant insights into his peerless writing career. . . . [A]s thrilling and detailed as any of its subject’s novels and an equally essential read. . . . Sisman’s hugely confident and gripping storytelling makes this biography a pleasure to read over its six hundred pages. Le Carré himself may struggle to better it.” —Charlotte Heathcote, Daily Express

“To his craft as a biographer, Sisman adds the tradecraft of the spy. He waits and watches, gathering intelligence on his subject for us. We are individual members of his ‘Joint Intelligence Committee’ as much as we are his readers.” —Vin Arthey, The Scotsman

“[A] model of exposition and tact. While not hagiography, it is certainly very admiring. . . . Sisman, a trustworthy exegete, teases out the strands of a contradictious life.” —Ian Thomson, The Irish Times

“[A]dmirably detailed and judicious.” —Roger Lewis, Daily Mail

“Sisman is up to the challenge. He has just the style for a biographer: questioning, clear-eyed and honest. . . . Sisman equally knows how to write and this magnificent book is testament.” —The Buffalo News 

Présentation de l'éditeur :

The definitive biography of the internationally adored author of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and A Perfect Spy—arguably one of the most important and influential writers of the post-World War II period—by the National Book Critics Circle Award-winning biographer Adam Sisman.

In this definitive biography—blessed by John le Carré himself—Adam Sisman reveals the man behind the bestselling persona. In John le Carré, Sisman shines a spotlight on David Cornwell, an expert at hiding in plain sight—“born to lying,” he wrote in 2002, “bred to it, trained to it by an industry that lies for a living, practiced in it as a novelist.”

Of course, the pseudonym “John le Carré” has helped to keep the public at a distance. Sisman probes Cornwell’s unusual upbringing, abandoned by his mother at the age of only five and raised by his con man father (when not in prison), and explores his background in British intelligence, as well as his struggle to become a writer, and his personal life. Sisman has benefited from unfettered access to le Carré’s private archive, talked to the most important people in his life, and interviewed the man himself at length.

Who is John le Carré? Intriguing, thorough, and packed with entertaining detail, this biography will be a treat for the legions of le Carré fans.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Date d'édition: 2015
• ISBN 10: 140882793X
• ISBN 13: 9781408827932
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 672