If one were to ask What is the capital of Switzerland the vast majority of people we offer Zurich. Some, with a slightly more abstract mind may offer Lausanne, or, confusingly, Luzern. Basel will occasionally get a mention. Of course, the more astute of you will know it is Berne. A beautiful, small city, with, possibly Europe’s smallest capital city airport is within sight of the Jungefrau and a short hop and skip from Reichenbach. Zurich is of course the financial capital of Switzerland, Berne is the diplomatic centre. It was of course where young David Cornwell studied languages, principally German and Russian. Bern has featured heavily in Cornwells, or more famously John le Carrés novels over the years.
And over the years I have read, and thoroughly enjoyed may of Le Carrés novels, both as books to read and audiobooks to listen. I have driven from Berne to Blighty in one go, with nothing more to listen to then the collected works of George Smiley. The latest novel of le Carrés, which I have read, is A Legacy of Spies, a novel told principally from the point of young Peter Guillame. It tells the story of Guillames recollection of the events surrounding Alex Leamas, whose story was told in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.
For those le Carré fans who long for a retelling, or a reincarnation of the cold war scenarios, this book manages to straddle two worlds. It is contemporary. Guillame, age as ever ambiguous, has retired and is in his early 70’s. But his recollections are classical, referencing the late 1950s, early 1960’s cold war period during which Leamas was most influential. It is also, perhaps the lightest of the Guillame novels, a mere 335 pages. Certainly, this was the quickest Guillame book I have read, polishing it off in under a week of evening reading after work.
It is no less a book however and, for me, as a fan of the Carré collective, it was no less enjoyable a read for it being a quick read. It gave me the opportunity to read it again, straight after. Not every le Carré book is quite so forgiving. This piece is not intended to be a review, more a collection of my thoughts about the book and as such, without revealing any details around plot or outcome, I would utterly recommend a £9.00 purchase of an actual real book. And lest you forget, books even work without a USB port.
Mark Daniels 