John LeCarre's Real Life Inspirations

If you like John LeCarre novels as much as I do, you'll probably appreciate this look at the real life inspirations for some of his characters (via Sarah Weinman's blog). His description of the world-weary man behind Alec Leamas, the protagonist of THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD, is priceless.

Richard Burton as Alec Leamas in The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

LeCarre himself wrote this piece, which talks about his father's influence and some of the, um, interesting situations he encountered.

Though the article doesn't touch on his experiences with MI5 or MI6, it still provides a window into the (master) mind of the spy novelist.