'' is a
1986 novel by the eminent British author David Cornwell, written under the pseudonym
John Le Carré .
The novel tells the tale of Magnus Pym, a long-time spy for the United Kingdom, who mysteriously disappears, leaving behind his wife and son and a number of his fellow secret agents, who suspect he may have betrayed them, not without reason--through most of his career, Magnus was also halfheartedly but helplessly cooperating with the Czechoslovak secret service. Although the book is filled with intrigue, wit, and suspense, the novel is in part an unadorned recollection of Rick, Magnus's father, who was based on le Carré's own father Ronnie.
The story itself is non-linear and told primarily in a
Memoir format, incorporating a number of flashbacks into Pym's childhood with the enterprising and charismatic Rick (who is a rogue and a con-man ), his early years at university, his indoctrination into the world of
Espionage and state secrets, and his numerous adventures on the job. In addition, the novel incorporates multiple narrators, from Pym's wife Mary to his mentor and family friend Jack Brotherhood. The various portraits gradually reveal Pym as an individual who has worked for so long at manipulating his appearance to those closest to him that in the end he is unable to hold his conflicting persona together. He has been a perfect spy, but at the cost of his soul.
The novel marks an important step in le Carré's transition from writing spy novels, albeit with more depth and less action than is typical of the genre, to writing complex character studies of individuals, some of whom happen to be spies. Many consider it to be his best work.
The
BBC produced a television miniseries adaptation of the novel in 1987, starring
Peter Egan as Magnus Pym.
