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Nick Harkaway on new George Smiley novel and stepping into his dad John le Carré’s world

Author talks about reviving spymaster character George Smiley for Karla’s Choice, and how he got over his terror of writing the thriller

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Nick Harkaway, son of John le Carré, acknowledges there is “every reason for people to be sceptical” of Karla’s Choice, his new spy thriller that perpetuates his father’s legacy, and says writing it came easily to him. Photo: AP

George Smiley, the subtle fictional spymaster navigating treacherous Cold War currents, is back.

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And so, somewhat surprisingly, is his creator, John le Carré.

Four years after the spy writer’s death at the age of 89, comes a new thriller, Karla’s Choice. Billed as “a John le Carré novel”, it was written by Nick Harkaway, whose qualifications for the job include seven published novels, a lifetime of reading le Carré – and the fact he is the late author’s son.

After decades avoiding his famous father’s shadow, like Smiley trying to leave the intelligence agency known as the Circus, he was drawn back in.

Le Carré left a note asking his family, as custodians of his estate, to help his works live on and find new readers. They took that as permission to write new books. But Harkaway, who made his name with sci-fi thrillers including The Gone-Away World, Angelmaker and Titanium Noir, was apprehensive about being the one to do it.

British author Nick Harkaway with a copy of his book. Photo: AP
British author Nick Harkaway with a copy of his book. Photo: AP
“I would go so far as to say terrified,” said 51-year-old Harkaway, whose real name is Nicholas Cornwell. Le Carré was the pen name of his father, David Cornwell.
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