TY - JOUR
T1 - ‘An anarchy of treason’
T2 - public history, insider knowledge and the early spy novels of John le Carré
AU - Dylan, Huw
AU - Burton, Alan
N1 - Funding Information:
Research for this article was supported by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (Grant AH/V001000/1)
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - John le Carré is credited with re-defining spy fiction into something widely considered as more ‘authentic’. His work emerged during a period replete with spy scandals and public investigations. This article considers the intersection of the public history of intelligence with le Carré’s early novels, particularly The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. It reveals how the author drew creatively on that public history to shape his narratives and underpin the mood of his stories. Finally, it probes the ‘insider knowledge’ in the stories, illustrating that, contrary to le Carré’s protestations, there exists a demonstrable correspondence between fact and fiction.
AB - John le Carré is credited with re-defining spy fiction into something widely considered as more ‘authentic’. His work emerged during a period replete with spy scandals and public investigations. This article considers the intersection of the public history of intelligence with le Carré’s early novels, particularly The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. It reveals how the author drew creatively on that public history to shape his narratives and underpin the mood of his stories. Finally, it probes the ‘insider knowledge’ in the stories, illustrating that, contrary to le Carré’s protestations, there exists a demonstrable correspondence between fact and fiction.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85164499070&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/02684527.2023.2225934
DO - 10.1080/02684527.2023.2225934
M3 - Article
SN - 0268-4527
VL - 38
SP - 902
EP - 919
JO - Intelligence and National Security
JF - Intelligence and National Security
IS - 6
ER -