CARRÉ, JOHN LE (DAVID CORNWELL). (1931-2020). British intelligence officer and author of some of the best-known works of the espionage genre. ALS. (“John le Carre”). 1p. 4to. “Edinburgh – visiting grandkids,” March 3, 2006. An unusual letter written on his personal stationery to Gil Moody of Moody Books in Johnson City, Tennessee.
“Herewith, and all good wishes to accompany them, & thanks for your support. (My pen name is actually three words, with the l in lower case,) I’ll look in the cupboard for a photograph – Best…”
Born David Cornwell in Dorset, le Carré, as he would later be known, was abandoned by his mother at age 5 and raised by his father, Ronald “Ronnie” Cornwell, a known associate of English gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray. Frequently in debt, Carré’s father was once imprisoned for insurance fraud. After attending public school and studying foreign languages in Switzerland, le Carré was recruited by the Intelligence Corps and interrogated defectors from East Germany. Following his studies at Oxford, he began work as a spy, first for MI5 and, later, MI6.
His first work of fiction, featuring George Smiley, was published in 1961. Among his best-known works are The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, The Tailor of Panama, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and The Constant Gardener.
Le Carré’s surname is often misspelled as “Le Carré” or LeCarré.”
Normal letter folds, otherwise fine.
