John le Carre was one of the most highly acclaimed spy novelists of our time, and arguably one of the most accurate chroniclers of Britain in the Cold War. He brought the world of espionage – with all its secrecy, betrayal and treachery – into parallel with society, writing with the authority of a man who had lived and worked in the intelligence sphere. His accuracy in research and technique relied on what was undoubtedly his greatest gift – that of a born storyteller. Born as David Cornwell in Dorset in 1931, the Cold War author was brought up in a turmoil of insecurities.