I was deeply saddened to learn about John le Carré’s passing. To me, he was by far the preeminent writer of our age – as much in a league of his own as man of letters as the Stones are as a rock band, if not more so. And this coming just a couple of weeks after the
greatest football player of our time was laid to rest in the hands of God. A sad year indeed, this almost pushes COVID to the background. I can’t help but feel that there is something symbolic in the fact that le Carré left this world days before Brexit, which he abhorred, is to be sealed.
An unsurpassed master of unravelling the human condition, le Carré could condense in a single sentence a deeper understanding of people’s complexities, frailties and moral contradictions than other bestselling authors can achieve in their collected works. And yet, his books were always so intensely readable.
I thank David Cornwell from the bottom of my heart for all the life-enriching books that he has given us. May he rest in peace.
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