The Man Who Was George Smiley: The Life of John Bingham - Softcover

Michael Jago

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1785902970 ISBN 13: 9781785902970

Publisher: Biteback Publishing, 2017

Synopsis

Investigator, interrogator, agent runner: the perfect inspiration for the perfect spy. This first full-length biography traces the life of the remarkable John Bingham, the man behind John le Carré's George Smiley.

The heir to an Irish barony and a spirited young journalist, John Bingham joined MI5 in 1940; his quiet intellect, wry wit and knack for observation made him a natural. He took part in many of MI5's greatest wartime missions - from tracking Nazi agents in Britain to Operation Double Cross that ensured the success of D-Day - and later spent three decades running agents in Britain against the Communist target. Among his colleagues his skills were legendary and he soon became a mentor to many a novice spy - including one David Cornwell, later le Carré.

Bingham, too, was an innovative writer; he perfected the psychological thriller, marrying cold objectivity with an explanation of the darkest reaches of human behaviour. His early novels were applauded but, for all his success, Bingham struggled to match the fame of the man he had inspired.

Drawing on Bingham's published and unpublished writings, as well as interviews with his family, Michael Jago skilfully tells the riveting yet poignant tale of the man who was George Smiley.

About this title

About the Author

Michael Jago read Ancient History and Philosophy at University College, Oxford before settling in the USA in 1980. For fifteen years he ran an educational travel business, focusing on the battlefields of western Europe. Formerly a publisher and editor of a number of journals, he now specialises in biography. Previous publications include the acclaimed Clement Attlee: The Inevitable Prime Minister (shortlisted for the 2015 Paddy Power Political Biography of the Year Award) and Rab Butler: The Best Prime Minister We Never Had?

From the Back Cover

Investigator, interrogator, agent runner: the perfect inspiration for the perfect spy. This first full-length biography traces the life of the remarkable John Bingham, the man behind John le Carré’s George Smiley.

The heir to an Irish barony and a spirited young journalist, John Bingham joined MI5 in 1940, taking part in many of MI5’s greatest wartime missions – including Operation DOUBLE CROSS, which ensured the success of D-Day – and later spent decades running agents in Britain against the Communist target. His skills were legendary and he became a mentor to many a novice spy – including one David Cornwell, later le Carré.

Bingham, too, was an innovative writer; he perfected the psychological thriller, marrying cold objectivity with an explanation of the darkest reaches of human behaviour. His early novels were applauded, but he struggled to match the fame of the man he had inspired.

Drawing on Bingham’s published and unpublished writings, as well as interviews with his family, Michael Jago skilfully tells the riveting yet poignant tale of the man who was George Smiley.

Edition details

• Publisher: Biteback Publishing
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1785902970
• ISBN 13: 9781785902970
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320