Re-Reading John Le Carre.

SCOTFORTHLAD

SCOTFORTHLAD

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I have spent some time recently, re-reading some of the truly brilliant John Le Carre espionage novels from the early 1970's.I realise now that these represent an evocative commentary on my teenage and early adult lifetime,to an degree which I had almost forgotten.

I am very glad that those times are gone,(although I wish I had more time in front of me ,if you see what I mean.😉 )

I think I see more clearly why I have such a fascination with FSU equipment,it's not only great stuff to use,it's link with those days,and a deep interest re-awakened.

Here endeth the soul searching for today.🙂

Brian.
 
Brian, thanks for bringing up this subject. I've enjoyed LeCarre's novels as speaking truly to what motivates the spy, or spy's handler, which is the inner thought life, emotional turmoil and one's upbringing, rather than the gee-whiz spy gadgettry of Ian Fleming's (and, to a lesser extent, Clancy's) novels.

When reading true-to-life accounts, such as the John Walker spy ring, they begin to read just like a LeCarre novel.

As for the FSU connection, I now enjoy the use of a Zorki IV, but can remember fondly back to the late 1970's, while serving in the US Navy, and on port call in Singapore, that I was shopping for my first SLR - a Minolta SRT-101b - when in to the camera store walks a large, well-dressed, middle-aged Russian man who, after sizing us up as American sailors on port call, dressed in civilian clothes, proceeded to pull out a large wad of US dollars and proudly pronounce "Me, Russian!", and proceeds to buy a Nikon camera. I've always wondered since if that camera he purchased was for personal, or official use.

~Joe
 
Personal use, probably. Sounds like he was trying to impress some Americans that he, a mere Russian, had the cash to buy a Nikon.

If the local Soviet embassy wanted to buy a Nikon for official use, I'm sure they would have submitted a purchase order and a large helping of bureaucracy. They'd have been charged full retail, of course.
 
my dad was Under Secretary to the Air Ministry [ Uk ] duruing the Cold War - I guess the locked briefcase brought home had a lot to do with the Iron Curtain fascination - though the Leica , post war , was still '' linked '' to the Nazi culture '' bad '' .

dee
 
Why is it that in movies and tv the camera often has the maker's name blacked out, but cars, whisky bottles and fast food restaurants don't?

I know there is 'product placement' whereby the manufacturer pays for visibility in a movie. So why don't camera companies pay and have their product featured?

If James Bond used a Leica everybody would want one too.
 
John le Carre (the pen-name of David Cornwell) has indeed written some very involving books.

One should also have a look at the writings of the late Ted Allbeury (obituary here), for example "The Lantern Network".

These writers are part of the generation who had various experiences in the second world war and/or it's aftermath, and that does seem to make a difference.
 
Brian, I certainly understand what you mean - and I know that the same feelings are the source of my involvement with FSU cameras and history.

To those of us who grew up in those days, the USSR was the mysterious, fascinating and yet bizarrely familiar other. Whilst it may have been different in the USA, where the Cold War could be seen as a manichean struggle between good and evil, I think there was a very different feeling in the UK, going back to the old Great Game - the 19th century imperial shenanigans between the British and Russian Empires. In fact, if one thinks of the Britain of the 70s, where everything was nationalised and nothing much worked, there is a certain tempting parallel to be drawn 🙂

I never heard anyone express hostility towards the USSR or the Soviet people. Obviously there was international rivalry, but the relationship reminds me more of the psychological split between conscious and unconscious or the balance of ying and yang than simple emnity. When I picture an embodiment of the idea of the Soviet Union, as I understood it in the early 80s, I think of the great Oscar Homulka as Colonel Stok in the Harry Palmer movies - a lumbering, ursine and deeply dodgy uncle, sentimental, utterly ruthless, yet with a menacing, twinkling charm and the saving grace of cynicism🙂

I too would like to recommend a book, which to me brilliantly sums up that Cold War atmosphere and the curious romance of the USSR - Octobriana and the Russian Underground, by Peter Sadecky - http://www.amazon.com/Octobriana-Russian-underground-Peter-Sadecky/dp/0060137371
Published in 1971, this inspired hoax - supposedly a Soviet underground comic, it was in fact produced by Czech dissidents - is something of a literary (and graphic) masterwork which I think strikes many chords today.

Cheers, Ian
 
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charjohncarter said:
Once I read a La Carre' novel and didn't understand what was going on. Moles that were within moles. But Smiley, great.
Click to expand...


By the time of the Bolshevik revolution there was a group of young English aristocrat students, at the Oxford university, communist minded, who joined the Soviet secret services. The leading member was called Kim Philby. With the pass of time, due to his aristocratic roots and his personal qualities, he became the Chief of the Brittish Counter Spionage bureau, while in fact being a Soviet agent.

Along his path to such heights, he and his group infiltrated an unknown number of critical branches of the Brittish security services. You can imagine that by 1965, when Philby had to escape to the Soviet Union due to the network being discovered and closing on him, the blow for Brittish intelligence was of such magnitude, that I will be not surprised if they are still looking around today to find Philby heirs out there.

This is more or less the factual background behind the the different approaches Brittish writers and cinematographers had to undertake in order to heal the wounds. From John le Carre's "Smiley", up to Ian Flemming's "James Bond".

Cheers,
Ruben
 
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Great contributions from everyone🙂

I echo Ian's comments about general lack of hostility towards the USSR in those days,at least in my rather humble strata of the social order here in the UK.As for the intellegensia,who knows what makes them tick.😉

I guess that bringing a family into the world in the era of the 'four minute warning' must have some effect,doubtless there are ordinary guys of the same vintage over in FSU who had similar experience.

Brian.
 
I would add that the first and third novels of Le Carre's "Karla Trilogy"
were made into BBC television series between 1979 and 1982 and are
available in DVD. They are truly superb,with Alec Guiness playing the role
of Smiley.
 
Alan Furst

Alan Furst

If you liked LeCarre, you will like Alan Furst. A whole series of espionage novels taking place in the 30s right to the present. You will get hooked. Guaranteed.

His books have not been made into TV or films but I am sure that some day they will.
 
trph_2000 said:
I would add that the first and third novels of Le Carre's "Karla Trilogy"
were made into BBC television series between 1979 and 1982 and are
available in DVD. They are truly superb,with Alec Guiness playing the role
of Smiley.
Click to expand...


Anyone out there wanting to join me in buying the DVD series ?

The idea is that I buy first, see it and ship to my partner in the expense.
My partner will deposit half of the expense at my Paypal account.

Or the other way around.

It costs around us$ 40 at Amazon.

PM me.
Cheers,
Ruben
 
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