Der Spion, der aus der Kälte kam (1963)

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold belongs to a genre that I usually wouldn’t read, but that is the beauty of book clubs. This seminal spy novel is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and I’m glad I plodded through it. Alec Leamas is a British spy at the end of his career who agrees to one last assignment. Through his exploits, the story focuses on Cold War attitudes and brings Leamas behind the Iron Curtain to dethrone a powerful GDR (German Democratic Republic) agent. When interacting with East Germans and discussing Communism, the reader returns to the philosophy of the day and the roots of many modern socio-political battles.

The well-rounded characters expose and emphasize the duplicity of spies and the heartlessness of officials involved in espionage. Some also reveal their humanity. Some memorable lines force one to wonder whether cultures and beliefs differ when crossing lines of demarcation. Indeed the story forces us to question which ideologies are worth defending.
"There’s only one law in this game,” Leamas retorted. “Mundt is their man; he gives them what they need. That’s easy enough to understand, isn’t it? Leninism—the expediency of temporary alliances. What do you think spies are: priests, saints, and martyrs? They’re a squalid procession of vain fools, traitors too, yes; pansies, sadists, and drunkards, people who play cowboys and Indians to brighten their rotten lives."
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Fiction

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold by John Le Carre is a brilliant literary thriller that was originally published in 1963. This book exposes the dirty, messy business of spies on both sides of the Cold War and is totally unlike James Bond with his martini on one side and a beautiful woman on the other. In this book we meet Alec Leamas, a disillusioned British spy who is both mentally and physically fatigued. He is being used as a faux defector to help a British mole from being exposed.

It’s obvious that the author has a strong understanding of how the British intelligence worked during the Cold War and the result is a unique and flawlessly crafted story. His characters are complex and nuanced to give the book a feeling of authenticity. As disturbing as the story content is, I was even more upset by the casual immorality of the characters. They go about their shadowy dealings much like playing a game, there is no sense of right or wrong in the unethical world of espionage.

The Spy Who Came In From the Cold is my first book by this author and I am now looking forward to reading more. This was an intelligent and dark story that shows how the line between good and evil can be blurred and the many twists and turns it takes, along with the excellent writing rises this book beyond the “spy genre” into the Classic it has become. ( )

The Classic Spy Novel

The first book I manage to finish reading is John le Carré’s well-known classic spy novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. I always was a bit curious about the classical spy novel genre as defined by le Carré, and this book exemplifies that era of Cold War espionage where drama, danger, betrayal all simmer under the seemingly mundane surface, while loyalty and love are tested.

This genre may feel a bit slower-paced than the modern thrillers, but somehow the lack of sensationalism actually makes the storytelling have more depth and color. The characters feel less “in your face,” and yet are just as intriguing. Often just when I began to slightly worry about the story becoming mundane, le Carré uncannily interjects with a small peak of excitement and my attention returns and am again absorbed by the storytelling.

A good read for those who enjoy the more classical style of storytelling and the Cold War espionage era. ( )

I enjoyed watching the miniseries version of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", but this is the first John le Carré book I've read, and I didn't like it very much. The characters were a too cartoonish for the serious subject matter and the story was slower than I like. ( )