Soldier Spy

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Smiley recounts what little he knows of Karla's history to his protege, Peter Guillam, including his interview with Karla in Delhi, and opines that Karla is a "fanatic", which he hopes will one day cause his downfall. After Jim Prideaux is freed from capture by the Soviets, Smiley interrogates him, learning that Karla came to visit Prideaux in prison and showed him that he still had Smiley's lighter.

Eventually he did commit, and Guinness set about fully engaging with a character he described to the Guardian at the time as being “a vulnerable man who … is capable of taking unexpectedly swift and rather harsh action”.John le Carré, Introduction to John Bingham, My Name is Michael Sibley, London: Pan Classic Crime (2000)

Uhlich, Keith (21 January 2020). "Decade-Dance: 10 for '10s". Keith Uhlich . Retrieved 16 June 2020. Le Carré betrayed by 'bad lot' spy Kim Philby". Channel 4. 13 September 2010 . Retrieved 13 May 2018.

Polmar and Allen wrote that Smiley's banal qualities together with his intelligence and a talent for intrigue made him ideal as a spy even though he was very far from the popular stereotype of what a spy should be like. [14] Smiley's wife Ann calls him "breathtakingly ordinary", which Polmar and Allen wrote was an advantage for a spy, the very nature of their profession which requires them to be as inconspicuous as possible. [15] In 1980, le Carré defined Smiley's politics as: "I think he stands where I stand; he feels that to pit yourself against any 'ism' is to strike a posture which is itself ideological and therefore offensive in terms of practical decency. In practice almost any political ideology invites you to set aside your humanitarian instincts". [15] The world of espionage presented by le Carré in his novels was a world where lies, betrayal, intrigue and paranoia were the norm for both sides, and much of the appeal of Smiley was that of a moral man trying his best to stay decent in a profoundly amoral world. [15] Age [ edit ] George Cole played Smiley in BBC Radio versions of both Call for the Dead (1978) and A Murder of Quality (1981). [29] a b Ascherson, Neal (11 September 2011). "The real-life spies of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy". The Guardian . Retrieved 14 May 2018.