Comment

Jan 07, 2017JLMason rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
David Cornwell (aka John Le Carre) tells his “autobiography" as a set of short story vignettes organized by topic not by timeline. He focuses mainly on the events, travels, and encounters that inspired the stories, settings, and characters in his books. And what a fascinating life he has led, told by a master storyteller with intelligence and wry, self-deprecating humour. He recounts his stories as one who is able to be part of a situation yet observe it with detachment, from his early days as a minor spy in the British embassy in Bonn during the cold war to his encounters with celebrities and world leaders as he becomes famous and his books are made into movies. One learns who inspired certain characters in his books and that he traveled widely, sometimes to dangerous places, to research locales to ensure authenticity. But he is very selective in what he tells, keeping information about his personal life to a minimum until near the end where he shows the only real emotion in the book, unleashing bitterness and resentment about his conman, reprobate father and the mother who abandoned him. How much of his life story is remembered correctly, how much is embellished, how much has been left out: the storyteller does not give away his secrets. A fine and enjoyable read.