We are delighted this month to be celebrating 40 years of John le Carré's novel, A Perfect Spy.
Le Carré described the book, his 11th novel, as his 'most autobiographical', and it was widely held to be his masterpiece. Philip Pullman described it as 'le Carré's best book, and one of the finest novels of the twentieth century', with Publishers Weekly reviewing it as 'the best spy novel of all time', and Philip Roth as 'the best English novel since the war'.
In the book, Magnus Pym, ranking diplomat, is missing, believed defected. The chase is on: for a missing husband, a devoted father, a secret agent. Pym's life, it is revealed, is entirely made up of secrets. Dominated by a father who is also a confidence trickster on an epic scale, Pym has from the age of seventeen been controlled by two mentors. It is these men, racing each other, who are orchestrating the search to find the perfect spy.
Published in March 1986, the book enjoyed 16 weeks in the Top 10 of the New York Times bestseller list, with two weeks in the No. 1 position.
The BBC adapted the novel as a television mini-series in 1987, a year after the book's publication. Written by Arthur Hopcraft and John le Carré, and directed by Peter Smith with Jonathan Powell as Producer, the series starred Peter Egan as Magnus Pym and Ray McAnally as Magnus's father, Rick Pym. Primarily set in the Cold War era, and specifically spanning the 1940s/50s through to the 1980s, it follows Magnus's life across Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Austria and England. The mini-series is considered one of the best le Carré adaptations, and is noted for capturing the melancholy and emotional depth of the novel, especially the relationship between Magnus Pym and his father. The series was nominated for four BAFTA awards and two Primetime Emmys, and we're delighted that it is currently available on BBC iPlayer.
In 2024, in a televised interview for the BBC, Peter Egan looked back on his role as Magnus Pym. In the interview, he says A Perfect Spy is a 'great, great book and Magnus Pym is a sensational character'. You can watch the full interview here.
To order a copy of the book, please click here.
We hope you'll enjoy looking back on one of le Carré's most successful novels.