Nonfiction

The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life

The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life

  • Downloads：3643
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-08-30 03:41:46
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
  • Status：finish
  • Author：John le Carré
  • ISBN：0241396379
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING MEMOIR OF SPY-WRITING LEGEND JOHN LE CARRÉ

'As recognizable a writer as Dickens or Austen' Financial Times

From his years serving in British Intelligence during the Cold War to a career as a writer， John le Carré has lived a unique life。

In this， his first memoir， le Carré is as funny as he is incisive - reading into the events he witnesses the same moral ambiguity with which he imbues his novels。 Whether he's interviewing a German terrorist in her desert prison or watching Alec Guinness preparing for his role as George Smiley， this book invites us to think anew about events and people we believed we understood。

Best of all， le Carré gives us a glimpse of a writer's journey over more than six decades， and his own hunt for the human spark that has given so much life and heart to his fictional characters。

'No other writer has charted - pitilessly for politicians but thrillingly for readers - the public and secret histories of his times' Guardian

'When I was under house arrest I was helped by the books of John le Carré 。 。 。 These were the journeys that made me feel that I was not really cut off from the rest of humankind' Aung San Suu Kyi

Download

Reviews

Nicholas Sandars ，

Filled with fascinating stories， le Carré gives an insight into a varied and memorable light。

Pat B ，

I enjoyed this book， but by his own admission， some of the stories are a bit light and occasionally carry a whiff of indulgence。 Nonetheless， an interesting and at times illuminating collection of memories。 The chapter about His father （Ronnie） is by far the most compelling piece here。

Jeff Bachman ，

While his novels aren’t really my bag （find them a little plodding for the most part—maybe I’ll try again after reading this）， it was interesting to read about the process。 There was a lot of “I met x， and you may know them as y， from my novel z。” I’ve always been intrigued how the writers mind works， and this offers a great glimpse。

Steven Owad ，

Owad’s Micro-Review #26This is more of a eulogy than a review。 I went to see LeCarre give a talk at the University of Warsaw in the early 1990s。 He had recently stopped feuding with Salman Rushdie over The Satanic Verses， and he had a reputation as a crusty old know-all who couldn’t care less about people。 The lecture was brilliant， and afterwards many of the attendees went to a screening of the movie version of The Russia House。 I left the movie early （had somewhere to go）， and the man himself Owad’s Micro-Review #26This is more of a eulogy than a review。 I went to see LeCarre give a talk at the University of Warsaw in the early 1990s。 He had recently stopped feuding with Salman Rushdie over The Satanic Verses， and he had a reputation as a crusty old know-all who couldn’t care less about people。 The lecture was brilliant， and afterwards many of the attendees went to a screening of the movie version of The Russia House。 I left the movie early （had somewhere to go）， and the man himself was standing outside the doors waiting to talk to whoever might come out。I sheepishly introduced myself and ended up talking for maybe half an hour。 During this， I noticed he was holding a notebook with a list of email addresses。 Old Mr。 Curmudgeon was offering to read the novel drafts of the young writers at the movie。 He asked me what I wrote， and he offered to find me an agent。 Not once did he talk about himself unless I insisted on it。 And he wasn’t in Warsaw to promote a book。 He gave the talk because a professor of international relations had reached out to him。 I mention all this because the image of the tweed-wearing elitist has to go away。 The man made a point of helping writers and students。tAs for The Pigeon Tunnel， it’s a charming memoir of times and people in his life。 There are thought-provoking descriptions of his （non）relationship with his con-man father and of being a young spy in Bonn。 There are also amusing anecdotes about movie people like Alec Guinness and Sidney Pollock。 Don’t expect a window into LeCarre’s soul。 Instead， enjoy the collection of reminiscences of a life very well lived。 R。I。P。 Dec。 14， 2020 。。。more

Susan Quinn ，

Le Carré is the pen name of David Cornwall。 I hadn't even known that before even though I have read a number of Le Carré's books。 This book is a series of stories/vignettes from Le Carré's past that are as "true" as memory allows him。 Le Carré had been in the Secret Service in Britain for a short time - enough time to become knowledgeable about the workings of the Service and be able to write about them。 What impressed me in reading this book is the amount of research he did in order to write th Le Carré is the pen name of David Cornwall。 I hadn't even known that before even though I have read a number of Le Carré's books。 This book is a series of stories/vignettes from Le Carré's past that are as "true" as memory allows him。 Le Carré had been in the Secret Service in Britain for a short time - enough time to become knowledgeable about the workings of the Service and be able to write about them。 What impressed me in reading this book is the amount of research he did in order to write the stories。 He had to fictionalize the stories of course and his research took him all over the world to get the setting right and to meet with a whole host of people so that he could get the details right。 He meets warlords and Arafat and of course Kim Philby， among others。 And his recounting of his interactions with them is to me， fascinating。 The writing is， as usual， excellent。 I loved it。 。。。more

John ，

This is essential reading for le Carré fans。 It provides not only fascinating details of his life （no official secrets， but plenty from his MI5 and MI6 days）， but the origins for a number of his books， many surprising。 Lots of celebrities and famous and infamous figures。 There is an extended account of his nefarious conman dad， Ronnie。

Sarah ，

Stories from Le Carre's life， many of them involving intriguing people and locations as research for his books。 Lacking some structure or theme - until thr long chapter about his father and his childhood。 I understand why he wanted to delay this chapter， but feel that with these childhood stories first the book would have held together better and seemed like a more cohesively motivated whole。 Stories from Le Carre's life， many of them involving intriguing people and locations as research for his books。 Lacking some structure or theme - until thr long chapter about his father and his childhood。 I understand why he wanted to delay this chapter， but feel that with these childhood stories first the book would have held together better and seemed like a more cohesively motivated whole。 。。。more

Laura ，

Enjoyable and informative。 My very favorite part is the chapter "Bumping into Jerry Westerby，" which tells the story of Peter Simms who served as Le Carre's guide in Southeast Asia and who embodied Jerry Westerby to a T。 I just finished listening to an audio version of The Honourable Schoolboy narrated by Michael Jayston and can't get Westerby out of my mind。 Other notable chapters for me cover the filming of the Spy Who Came in From the Cold and two visits to Russia before and after the fall of Enjoyable and informative。 My very favorite part is the chapter "Bumping into Jerry Westerby，" which tells the story of Peter Simms who served as Le Carre's guide in Southeast Asia and who embodied Jerry Westerby to a T。 I just finished listening to an audio version of The Honourable Schoolboy narrated by Michael Jayston and can't get Westerby out of my mind。 Other notable chapters for me cover the filming of the Spy Who Came in From the Cold and two visits to Russia before and after the fall of the Soviet Union。 。。。more

John Walker ，

A memoir from one of the great authors of our time。 John Le Carre （alias David Cornwall） life as an agent for MI5， MI6 and world renown bestselling author of such hits as The Spy who Came in From the Cold， Smiley's People， Tinker， Tailor， Soldier Spy and others Life as an agent。 Of course the real spy world is nothing like James Bond or other TV and movie spies。 Just simple work that doesn't involve exploding pens and other nonsense。 Interesting stories of the people and places he'd been to。he d A memoir from one of the great authors of our time。 John Le Carre （alias David Cornwall） life as an agent for MI5， MI6 and world renown bestselling author of such hits as The Spy who Came in From the Cold， Smiley's People， Tinker， Tailor， Soldier Spy and others Life as an agent。 Of course the real spy world is nothing like James Bond or other TV and movie spies。 Just simple work that doesn't involve exploding pens and other nonsense。 Interesting stories of the people and places he'd been to。he does talk a great deal about his writing with emphasis on researching places and in his life he visited most of what he wrote about， sometimes in great danger to himself。 Maybe not as exciting as fiction but still a worthy book。 。。。more

Barbara Luiselli ，

The book is very well written， you can almost hear le Carré voice in your head while reading。 It is filled with charming， funny and dramatic stories from the writer’s life。 Sometimes the material is too much… if you don’t know the context or the historical background you are a little lost。

Robert Scott ，

+++An anthology of stories in which Le Carre was present and/or actually participated。 Really a terrific insight to why his spy stories were often convoluted。+++ Highly recommended。

Rome Doherty ，

As a long time LeCarre fan， I found this book fascinating。

Mohan Das ，

It was interesting to get a glimpse into the personal life of this legendary author of famous spy novels。Despite the author repeatedly admitting that he had a very short stint at the British Secret Service， everyone around him seemed convinced that he was an expert in the field of spycraft。 How else could he write such amazing spy novels？ This question has been addressed very carefully by the author in this beautifully written autobiography。

Bob Koelle ，

This was like a book of le Carre short stories。 It's about how incidents in his life informed his novels， with an especially long section at the end about his ne'er-do-well father。 His feelings toward his father haven't diminished a jot， which was almost startling。 I loved the chapter about Burton and making the film adaptation of The Spy Who Came In From the Cold， which was a brilliant film。 I re-watched it as a result， and I was struck about how bleak and complicated a movie it was。 It didn't This was like a book of le Carre short stories。 It's about how incidents in his life informed his novels， with an especially long section at the end about his ne'er-do-well father。 His feelings toward his father haven't diminished a jot， which was almost startling。 I loved the chapter about Burton and making the film adaptation of The Spy Who Came In From the Cold， which was a brilliant film。 I re-watched it as a result， and I was struck about how bleak and complicated a movie it was。 It didn't take any of the edge off the novel。 。。。more

William ，

4+ stars。 A most interesting autobiographical account of how Le Carre came upon the characters who occupied his novels。 His was a paradoxical life full of bland intrigue， exciting times， famous personages， and sad family stories， all of which he combined to provide us with memorable tales。

Louise Yarnall ，

Through a series of recollections， LeCarré shares the inspirations for his many novels and describes surprising encounters with famed actors， KGB and British spymasters， and politicians — all admirers of his work。 The reader follows LeCarré as he conducts meticulous research for his spy novels: We see Yasser Arafat making him wait for hours and a group of Chechens preparing to smuggle him into war lord hideaways。 Through it all， LeCarré’s suave and understated voice transports the reader into th Through a series of recollections， LeCarré shares the inspirations for his many novels and describes surprising encounters with famed actors， KGB and British spymasters， and politicians — all admirers of his work。 The reader follows LeCarré as he conducts meticulous research for his spy novels: We see Yasser Arafat making him wait for hours and a group of Chechens preparing to smuggle him into war lord hideaways。 Through it all， LeCarré’s suave and understated voice transports the reader into the clubby world of the upper crust Brits。 It feels like sipping a gin and tonic， and sitting in a wood paneled study with candles flickering in the sconces。 For me， the two most memorable moments include his discovery that one of his novels served as a lifeline for a Hezbollah hostage and his crisp， but jaw-dropping， summary of the exploits of his father—an international con artist with great powers of seduction and a string of spectacular failures that landed him repeatedly in jails in one exotic spot after the next。 Great stuff！ 。。。more

Melodyredford ，

Fantastic memoirs of the author's life as a spy writer。 Love the gorgeous narration by the author himself。 What a great life he lead！ Fantastic memoirs of the author's life as a spy writer。 Love the gorgeous narration by the author himself。 What a great life he lead！ 。。。more

Daniel Dykes ，

A fantastic memoir spread over some 30 different stories from David Cornwell's life。 If you ever doubted the quality of Cornwell's prose， his ability to turn a phrase or illustrate a scene so well you imagine yourself there， this collection of stories will leave you with no disbelief in the fact that he was one of Britain's best 20c/21c writers。 A fantastic memoir spread over some 30 different stories from David Cornwell's life。 If you ever doubted the quality of Cornwell's prose， his ability to turn a phrase or illustrate a scene so well you imagine yourself there， this collection of stories will leave you with no disbelief in the fact that he was one of Britain's best 20c/21c writers。 。。。more

Joe Faust ，

Now this is how a creative should write a memoir。 le Carre - known to his former colleagues in MI-6 as David Cornwell - presents his story as a series of episodes from his life， based on his adventures as a spy， diplomat， and author。 Interestingly enough， his most danger-ridden travels were as a novelist in the name of research， crossing war-torn Africa and having an audience with the elusive Yassir Arafat。 The stories are witty， and tell as much about their subjects （ranging from Graham Gre Now this is how a creative should write a memoir。 le Carre - known to his former colleagues in MI-6 as David Cornwell - presents his story as a series of episodes from his life， based on his adventures as a spy， diplomat， and author。 Interestingly enough， his most danger-ridden travels were as a novelist in the name of research， crossing war-torn Africa and having an audience with the elusive Yassir Arafat。 The stories are witty， and tell as much about their subjects （ranging from Graham Greene to Margaret Thatcher） as they do the author; and some are touching - as he recounts help he received as a university student （an act he would later return to a Czech defector）， and recounting his troubled relationships with his absentee mother and con-man father。 Through all of these experiences， le Carre came through with fodder for some of the most memorable characters in espionage fiction。 You'll never look at a paper airplane the same way again。 。。。more

Faith McLellan ，

Fascinating tales from a full life as a spy and a writer and much more。 Throughly enjoyable。 I am going to hang onto my copy as I now read my way through all of his books。

Anne Bayley ，

Just not my cup of tea。 Very disjointed stories。

Fraser Sherman ，

Less a biography that a collection of stories about Le Carré's writing life。 People who inspired his stories。 British officials who thought his critical view of British espionage was letting the side down。 Meeting Russian mobsters and Yasser Arafat while doing research。 Being called in when Polish militants seize a Polish embassy because a master spy like him knows what to do， right （spoiler: no）。 And a long section on his conniving， charming conman father。3。5 because it doesn't work as well as Less a biography that a collection of stories about Le Carré's writing life。 People who inspired his stories。 British officials who thought his critical view of British espionage was letting the side down。 Meeting Russian mobsters and Yasser Arafat while doing research。 Being called in when Polish militants seize a Polish embassy because a master spy like him knows what to do， right （spoiler: no）。 And a long section on his conniving， charming conman father。3。5 because it doesn't work as well as his best novels， but it's still quite fascinating。 。。。more

Kathy Shuker ，

I highly recommend this book， especially if you're already a fan of Le Carre's novels。 I found it successively engrossing， fascinating， amusing and astonishing with the added bonus of a wonderful insight into the background and creation of some of his beautifully drawn characters。 What a master of the pen portrait he was - succinct and spare， yet breathtakingly vivid。 It was a book I was sorry to finish。 I highly recommend this book， especially if you're already a fan of Le Carre's novels。 I found it successively engrossing， fascinating， amusing and astonishing with the added bonus of a wonderful insight into the background and creation of some of his beautifully drawn characters。 What a master of the pen portrait he was - succinct and spare， yet breathtakingly vivid。 It was a book I was sorry to finish。 。。。more

Lkrauss ，

Such a good writer。

Michael Eklund ，

Det här olika minnesvärda händelser och möten under ett långt liv som författare。 Läsvärt。 Starkast intryck är mötet med Issa Kostoev， som ingusjier， ett av de minoritetsfolk som massmördades， deporterades och sattes i slavarbetsläger av ryssarna i ganska okända etniska förföljelser。 Hemskast är nästan mötet med Brigitte， en ung fanatisk tyska， som i sin övertygelse om dolda fascistiska strukturer i västvärldens demokratier gett sig ut för att döda judar。 Efter ett misslyckat försök att skjuta n Det här olika minnesvärda händelser och möten under ett långt liv som författare。 Läsvärt。 Starkast intryck är mötet med Issa Kostoev， som ingusjier， ett av de minoritetsfolk som massmördades， deporterades och sattes i slavarbetsläger av ryssarna i ganska okända etniska förföljelser。 Hemskast är nästan mötet med Brigitte， en ung fanatisk tyska， som i sin övertygelse om dolda fascistiska strukturer i västvärldens demokratier gett sig ut för att döda judar。 Efter ett misslyckat försök att skjuta ner ett passagerarflygplan hamnar hon i israeliskt fängelse där le Carré träffar henne。 Hon är nästan religiöst troende och går inte att nå。 Efter samtalet förs Brigitte bort och le Carré börjar prata med israeliskan som är fångvakterska。 Israeliskan pratar tyska med le Carré， något hon inte klarat av att göra med Brigitte。 "Ni förstår， jag var i Dachau"。 。。。more

Patricia ，

I really enjoyed this book。 Some places I've been to and it was interesting to see them from another perspective and another period of time。 Some people and events I've read about in heard about。 He's a good writer and I enjoyed the book very much。 I really enjoyed this book。 Some places I've been to and it was interesting to see them from another perspective and another period of time。 Some people and events I've read about in heard about。 He's a good writer and I enjoyed the book very much。 。。。more

Kelly ，

Fascinating memoir。 While I love his work， I loved this collection of stories/ memories more。 What an amazing life David Cornwell lived。

Ajit Oke ，

The master storyteller tells the story of his life。 Such a thrill！

David ，

Interesting， especially for the background it provides for some of his novels。 His family story was also compelling。

Manish ，

le Carre takes us back to his eventful life by citing diplomatic gaffes， stories of friendships and shining the light on a few unsung heroes who inspired many characters in his works。 His meeting with Arafat was probably the section that I'm going to remember for long。。。 le Carre takes us back to his eventful life by citing diplomatic gaffes， stories of friendships and shining the light on a few unsung heroes who inspired many characters in his works。 His meeting with Arafat was probably the section that I'm going to remember for long。。。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0