John le Carré - a biography and a memoir

William Boyd: Why John le Carré is more than a spy novelist (New Statesman)

"David went to Sherborne – a place he loathed – and he left, of his own accord, early, in 1948, at 16, preferring to move to Bern, Switzerland, where he learned fluent German. It was at this stage of his education that he was first recruited by consular officials at the British embassy to report on local left-wingers and fellow-travellers and another duality entered his life, that of the spy".

In his review of Adam Sisman's biography (The Times, October 24, 2015), John Sutherland writes of David Cornwell (the author;s real name):

"Why, for example, did David suddenly leave Sherborne? He has given irreconcilable accounts. A master tried to kiss him. He was unfairly flogged. He couldn't ("always an outsider in his own country") stand the 'neo-fascist' Englishness of the place. His father's cheque bounced once too often, We'll never know".

Official website

"John le Carré: The Biography" by Adam Sisman is published by Bloomsbury (672pp, £25).

From cold war spy to angry old man: the politics of John le Carré, The Guardian
John le Carré's own memoir will be published in September 2016

"The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life" – John le Carré