Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Characters edit see section history

• Mr George Smiley: A career British intelligence officer forced into retirement and suspected by Control of being a mole.
• Control: The paranoid long-time head of British intelligence whose real name is not known by anyone. Recently discredited by a faction attempting to wrest control of The Circus from him.
• Roy Bland: Part of the faction hoping to unseat Control. One of four suspected by Control of being a Russian mole.
• Peter Guillam: A dashing British Intelligence agent forced into a minor role by earlier disgrace. He is now the head of the British's "scalphunters"and consequently the boss of field agent Ricki Tarr.
• Ann Smiley: Smiley's very attractive wife, whose infidelities are common knowledge.George Smiley's wife. From a noble family, she far outclasses George and is notorious for sleeping around.
• Bill Haydon: Conservative and brilliant British officer who has long been Smiley's rival within The Circus and for Anne's affections. Part of the faction seeking to unseat Control.
• Toby Esterhase: A high ranking officer in "The Circus" who eventually becomes head of the lamplighters.
• Mr James Prideaux: A British agent in "The Circus" whose mission in Czechoslovakia ends in his capture and injury. This 'Czechoslovakia mission' sets the story in motion.
• Ricki Tarr: A field agent in "The Circus" who supplies information that indicates that there is most likely a mole in the organization.
• Percy Alleline: The chief of "The Circus"
• Mendel: Inspector Mendel: Frequently a go between for George and other members helping him investigate. Younger, with respect for George and his ability. Used also as muscle and body guard.
• Mr Oliver Lacon: A Permanent Secretary in Great Britain's Cabinet Office. Civilian overseer of the Circus
• Source Merlin: Code name for a top-grade source of Soviet information. His true identity is known by only the top four members of 'The Circus.'
• Miss Connie Sachs: Researcher at the Circus
• Aleksey Aleksandrovich Polyakov: Cultural Attache, Soviet Embassy London
• Bill Roach: Young student at the boarding school where Jim Prideaux teaches.
• Gerald: Code name given to a possible Russian mole inside the British Secret Service
• Mr Gerstmann: Phony name used by Karla when he operated a network of spies in San Francisco in a time period before the events in this story.
• Sam Collins: Duty Officer at the Circus the night of the 'Czechoslovakia incident.'
• Jerry Westerby: A former rugby player who now runs a newspaper. Acquainted with Smiley and the Circus. Loud and overbearing.
• Hanka Bilova: A Czech double agent.
• First Smiley: Add a description of this character.
• Alwyn: A marine who guards the secret door into the Circus' library of past and present case files.
• Camilla: A girl dating and living with Peter Guillam. She is an aspiring flautist.
• Mr Stroll
• Norman
• Mr Maltby
• Mary Masterman
• Rudi Hartmann: The cover name for Max. An Austrian identity.
• Lorimer
• Jackie Lacon
• Fawn
• Mr Barraclough: George Smiley's cover name while he stays at the Islay Hotel.
• Mikhail Fedorovich Komarov
• Phil Porteous
• J. P. Ribble
• Ailsa Brimley
• Cy Vanhofer
• P. R. de T. Fanshawe
• Brother Stanley
• Boris
• Willy Andrewartha
• Jim Ellis: Jim Prideaux's cover name.
• Ben Thruxton
• Mr Thomas
• Ivlov: Polyakov's legman. Just a cover name.
• Stevcek: A Czech general.
• Eva Krieglova
• Sal
• Craddox
• Pribyl
• Mackelvore
• Miles Sercombe: Ann's cousin and a high ranking intelligence minister in the English government. A boor.
• Gregor Viktorov
• Toad Spikely
• Latzy
• Mrs Pope Graham
• Irina: A Russian woman Ricki Tarr meets in Hong Kong who reveals to him the existence of a mole in the Circus.
• Magyar: A Hungarian driver during Operation Testify.
• John Landsbury
• Diana Dolphin
• Millie McCraig: Landlady of a safehouse in London.
• Stan
• Mr Thursgood: Operator of Thursgood's school where Jim Prideaux teaches.
• Mr Jefferson
• Giles Langley
• Miss Danny Poole
• Marjoribanks
• Steve Mackelvore
• Rudnev
• Roddy Martindale: A low ranking member of the Foreign Office who bores Smiley with his loud and boisterous manner and blathering on about nothing important.
• Brother Lilley
• Mo Delaware
• Bardin
• Cole Slaw
• Lauder Strickland
• Max: A Czech agent working for the Circus who was forcibly retired after Operation Testify.
• Paul Skordeno
• Miss Aaronson
• Bill Haydon: A high ranking member of the Circus. Widely loved.
• Oscar Allitson
• Mr Adrian Hebden
• Dear Guillam
• Attaché Polyakov
• Mr Hyde
• Mr Poole
• Mister Poole
• P. Bryant

Quotes edit see section history

• “"I once heard someone say morality was method. Do you hold with that? I suppose you wouldn't. You would say that morality was vested in the aim, I expect. Difficult to know what one's aimrs are, that's the trouble, specially if you're British."”

  Lacon

• “And if you want a sermon, Karla is not fireproof, because he's a fanatic. And one day, If I have anything to do with it, that lack of moderation will be his downfall.”

  Smiley

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• London Station
• Moscow Centre
• Brixton
• Whitehall
• Alwyn
• England
• Rußland
• Paris
• Poljakow
• Berlin
• Stevcek
• Fach
• Acton
• Oxford
• Washington
• Unterredung
• Immingham
• Irina
• San Francisco
• Unsinn
• Angelika
• Hotel Islay
• Budapest
• Mo Delaware
• Bywater Street
• Taunton
• Brno
• Sarratt
• Prague
• Russia

Organizations edit see section history

• The Circus: The code name for British Intelligence.

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• Pianist: Jargon term for radio operator.
• Housekeepers: The internal auditors and financial disciplinarians of the Circus.
• Scalphunters: Handle the violent side of Circus missions e.g. blackmail, assassinations etc.
• Janitors: Operations staff at Circus headquarters.
• Lamplighters: People who provide surveillance and couriers.
• Mothers: Secretaries and typists serving senior Circus staff.
• Nuts and Bolts: The engineering department of the Circus, they develop and make espionage devices.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Followed by The Honourable Schoolboy.

Preceded by The Looking Glass War, and followed by The Honourable Schoolboy.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. John le Carré (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: PZ4.L4526 Ti5 PR6062.E33
• Dewey: 823.914

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Add a note to help parents select a book for a child.

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Mystery & Thrillers › Authors, A-Z › ( L ) › Le Carre, John
• Books › Mystery & Thrillers › Thrillers › Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue
• Books › Mystery & Thrillers › Thrillers › Suspense
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Literary

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• Folio Society: George Smiley looks nothing like a spy. But in his day, he was right-hand man to ‘Control’, head of the ‘Circus’ – codeword for British Intelligence. Forced into early retirement, Smiley is prepared for a quiet life of academic obscurity, until the long arm of the Circus pulls him back into the game. One of the highest-ranking officials in the Service is a Russian mole implanted decades ago, and Smiley’s mission is to identify the traitor. In the chess game of wits that follows, he comes face to face with old enemies, unsolved mysteries and his own past.
• Book Review: George Smiley’s world just got a whole lot more complicated. The man he knew as “Control” is dead, and the young Turks who forced him out now run the “Circus” – the uppermost level of the British Secret Intelligence Service. But retired agent Smiley isn’t out of the game yet – especially when a would-be defector appears out of nowhere with a devastating accusation: a Soviet spy has penetrated the Circus. Recruiting his wits and a few loyal friends, Smiley launches an undercover investigation and sets a trap to catch the mole. “It’s the oldest question of all, George: who can spy on the spies?”
• Book Review: A grimly realistic spy thriller, which portrays the world of espionage in a dower, conflicted light. Retired spy, George Smiley, is called out of retirement to help root out a Soviet mole who has infiltrated the British secret service and betrayed many of its top agents. There are five suspects and Smiley is called upon to “spy upon the spies” as it were, unpicking the tangled web of deceit. The pursuit is far from frenetic, with long interviews and the careful scanning of paperwork driving the plot, rather than the standard thriller-fare of explosions, shoot-outs, and heart-stopping action. Le Carré, himself a former member of MI6, draws on his own experiences of the spy game, in particular the famous defection of Kim Philby, who exposed Le Carré's identity to the Russians, to create a sharply-observed, realistic spy story. Indeed, Smiley is a most unlikely hero; unable to control his adulterous wife, he is retiring, compassionate, contemplative, but quietly brilliant and possessed of an iron will.

Movie Connections edit see section history

• Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (IMDb): British TV mini-series 1979
• Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (IMDb): 2011 movie

More Books Like This edit see section history