Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy author died at the age of 89

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, author, David John Moore Cornwell, known to the world as John le Carre, died at the age of 89 on December 12. The spy-turned-novelist was known for writing Cold War thrillers.

He played a major role in putting the Cold War espionage genre into the mainstream through his elegant and intricate writing.

“It is with great sadness that I must share the news that David Cornwell, known to the world as John le Carré, passed away after a short illness (not Covid-19 related) in Cornwall on Saturday evening, December 12, 2020. His like will never be seen again, and his loss will be felt by every book lover, everyone interested in the human condition”, his agent said in a statement.

Born on October 19, 1931 in England, le Carre’s career began in the 1960s with Call for the Dead in 1961 and A Murder of Quality in 1962. In 2016, he also released a memoir called The Pigeon Tunnel that detailed his fractured relationship with an abusive, conman father and a lonely upbringing after his mother abandoned him aged five.

The writer’s family also released a statement that said that he had died of pneumonia. He is survived by his wife, Jane, and four sons.

John LeCarre was one of the greatest and most influential writers of the 20th century , who challenged western assumptions about the Cold War through exploring treachery at the heart of British intelligence in spy novels. He also explored the moral ambiguities of the battle between the Soviet Union and the West.

After the news of his death was made public, netizens, including writers, took to social media platforms to pay their tribute to the British author. Among them was British Indian novelist Salman Rushdie, who had the longest-running literary feud with the late author over his book The Satanic Verses, that took 15 years to resolve.