'Forget Bond, the understated George Smiley is fiction's greatest spy' Emma Hughes, Country Life
We're delighted to share this link to Country Life's fabulous article on George Smiley, featured in their December 2025 issue.
In the article, Emma Hughes takes a close look at the life of George Smiley, from his conception in literary form by John le Carré in the late '50s to the many adaptations in which his character has featured, and the actors who took on the role.
'Smiley was born between 1906 or 1916 (the date changes in the novels, stranding him in permanent middle age), but his birth as a character came in the late 1950s when le Carré, then an intelligence officer named David Cornwell, turned his hand to fiction during his commute from Buckinghamshire to MI5 in London. It was the height of the Cold War and the spy-heroes of the 1940s were having to get to grips with a less swashbuckling milieu. Amid stewed tea and clacking typewriters, George Smiley emerged as the antithesis of a kiss-kiss, bang-bang 007 figure.'
It really is a fascinating piece. We hope you enjoy it!