John le Carre and the Cold War explores the historical contexts and political implications of le Carre's major Cold-War novels. The first in-depth study of le Carre this century, this book analyses his work in light of key topics in 20th-century history, including containment of Communism, decolonization, the Berlin Wall, the Cuban missile crisis, the Cambridge spy-ring, the Vietnam War, the 70s oil crisis and Thatcherism.
Examining The Spy Who Came in from the Cold [tel], Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy [tel], Smiley's People [tel] and other novels, this book offers an illuminating picture of Cold-War Britain, while situating le Carre's work alongside that of George Orwell, Graham Greene and Ian Fleming. Providing a valuable contribution to contemporary understandings of both British spy fiction and post-war fiction, Toby Manning challenges the critical consensus to reveal a considerably less radical writer than is conventionally presented.