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A review by komet2020
The Secret Life of John Le Carre by Adam Sisman
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Reading The Secret Life of John le Carré confirms for me a quote I read recently that is ascribed to Jackie Kennedy: "I have three lives - public, private, and secret." So it was with David Cornwell (better known as John le Carré).
Adam Sisman had been enlisted by Cornwell a decade ago to write his biography. From the start, Cornwell had given Sisman complete access to his papers and people with whom Cornwell had friendships and relationships through the whole of his life. From reading this book, which details some of the ups and downs Sisman experienced with Cornwell while working on the biography (which was published in 2015), I was both amazed and surprised (if not wholly shocked) about the various affairs and dalliances Cornwell had with a variety of women through 2 marriages.
I've been a fan of John le Carré's fiction since the mid-1980s and found him to be a fascinating, intriguing person from all the interviews I've heard him give either on TV or radio. Yet, in all that time, I gave little - if any - thought to his personal life.
From reading this book, it becomes clear how much Cornwell took pains to hide his secret life from the public, though many of the characters in his novels are clear reflections of the women in that aspect of his life, as well as his knowledge of the spy world. Cornwell is the embodiment of the assertion the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson once made when he said that "I am a part of all that I have met." He at times tried to undermine Sisman as he worked on his biography when it seemed to him that Susman might shed light on this secret life he lived, which was rife with duplicity, deceit, hypocrisy, passion and tenderness. So, Sisman refrained from making plain this facet of Cornwell's life so long as he and his wife Jane were alive. But once both were gone (Cornwell died in December 2020, age 89, and Jane died 6 months later), Sisman felt free to publish what he had learned about Cornwell's secret life.
I think for those of us who like to read biographies, we want to know, inasmuch as it is possible, the full arc of the person's life who is the subject of the biography. Otherwise, the biography is, at best, a half truth of what the subject of the biography was in life, warts and all. I appreciate learning about this side of Cornwell. This doesn't in any way detract from my deep admiration of his talents as a writer because his novels for me are so engaging, insightful, and a joy to read.
This is a book I much enjoyed reading. It's a sure keeper, one that I will be eager to re-read in times to come.
Adam Sisman had been enlisted by Cornwell a decade ago to write his biography. From the start, Cornwell had given Sisman complete access to his papers and people with whom Cornwell had friendships and relationships through the whole of his life. From reading this book, which details some of the ups and downs Sisman experienced with Cornwell while working on the biography (which was published in 2015), I was both amazed and surprised (if not wholly shocked) about the various affairs and dalliances Cornwell had with a variety of women through 2 marriages.
I've been a fan of John le Carré's fiction since the mid-1980s and found him to be a fascinating, intriguing person from all the interviews I've heard him give either on TV or radio. Yet, in all that time, I gave little - if any - thought to his personal life.
From reading this book, it becomes clear how much Cornwell took pains to hide his secret life from the public, though many of the characters in his novels are clear reflections of the women in that aspect of his life, as well as his knowledge of the spy world. Cornwell is the embodiment of the assertion the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson once made when he said that "I am a part of all that I have met." He at times tried to undermine Sisman as he worked on his biography when it seemed to him that Susman might shed light on this secret life he lived, which was rife with duplicity, deceit, hypocrisy, passion and tenderness. So, Sisman refrained from making plain this facet of Cornwell's life so long as he and his wife Jane were alive. But once both were gone (Cornwell died in December 2020, age 89, and Jane died 6 months later), Sisman felt free to publish what he had learned about Cornwell's secret life.
I think for those of us who like to read biographies, we want to know, inasmuch as it is possible, the full arc of the person's life who is the subject of the biography. Otherwise, the biography is, at best, a half truth of what the subject of the biography was in life, warts and all. I appreciate learning about this side of Cornwell. This doesn't in any way detract from my deep admiration of his talents as a writer because his novels for me are so engaging, insightful, and a joy to read.
This is a book I much enjoyed reading. It's a sure keeper, one that I will be eager to re-read in times to come.