'Making your reader listen'

 

“If I had to put a name to it, I would wish that all my books were entertainments. I think the first thing you've got to do is grab the reader by the ear and make him sit down and listen. Make him laugh, make him feel. We all want to be entertained at a very high level.” – John le Carre

 

Born in Poole, England on Oct. 19, 1931 one-time spy le Carre, whose real name was David John Moore Cornwell, established himself as one of the greatest “espionage” authors of all time, and is listed by the London Times as one of the 50 greatest English writers of the 20th Century.   

 

Most of le Carre's novels – including his final one Silverview, published shortly after his death in 2020 – are set in the Cold War Era (1945–91).  They feature British MI-6 agents, unheroic political functionaries aware of the moral ambiguity of their work and engaged in psychological more than physical drama.   His most well-known book is The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, a 60-year bestseller and also an award-winning movie.

 

“Like every novelist, I fantasize about film.  But novelists are not equipped to make a movie, in my opinion,” le Carre said. “They make their own movie when they write: they're casting, they're dressing the scene, they're working out where the energy of the scene is coming from, but they're also relying tremendously on the creative imagination of the reader.

 

 “Having your book turned into a movie is like seeing your oxen turned into bouillon cubes.”