Ken often listens to the news after I head off to bed. Last night (Sunday) I came back downstairs to get a glass of water and was stunned by the headline banner on the television: "John le Carré, Dead at 89." I was shocked and ever so saddened. Because le Carré, David John Moore Cornwell, has been so intensely productive in his eighties, even in his very late eighties, publishing two books within the past 4 years, I was hoping he would at least live on into his nineties. He would be around, I thought, and even if not writing, then just generally enriching our universe.
John le Carré,'s works are so monumental: I was thrilled this morning that The New York Times gave him such a lengthy, substantive obituary. It went on and on, and there was so much there to contemplate, so many nuances. (Even if you're not a subscriber, do search Google or your alternative for this obit. So well done, so many bits and pieces to savor.)
Earlier this December, there came news of the death of the American novelist, Alison Lurie. Her novels spoke to me--even though she was closer to my mother's age than to mine, she understood the travails of intellectual women and the hard road of their romances, and of their lives. Sigh. A cut above the rest! Do look her up. Have you read any of her novels?
What I didn't realise was that John le Carré has for many years lived in St. Buryan, just a few miles from my hometown of Penzance. It's a rugged place, exposed to the Atlantic gales and prone to sea mists. He must've loved it there but in Penzance 'Buryan' is thought of as a village where only the hardy go to live. I vividly remember elderly relatives who would mention that some person or other had moved 'up Buryan', shaking their haeds as though that was last anyone would hear of them now. LOL! I just love the idea of him there. Sorry to ramble on but it says something about him I think that he lived in such a remote spot.
ReplyDeleteOh, Cath, that is marvelous, that he lived "up Buryan." It sort of goes with the person he was, I think. Now I would love to go up Buryan to see what it's like there, mists and gales and all! I totally agree with you that the fact that he lived there says volumes about who he was as a person. Thanks for sharing that!!
DeleteIt is sad that there will be no more books by le Carré. The LA Times also had a very good obituary for him. Fortunately I still have many books of his to read for the first time.
ReplyDeleteI know nothing about Alison Lurie, but I looked her up. She was born the same year as my mother (who died in 2014). Her novels sound interesting, I will check into them more.
Hi Tracy--Absolutely, yes--I have many books of his which I have not read yet. I fervently hope that someone, sometime soon writes his definitive biography, because there is so much in his life that was hidden over the years. He tried so hard to hide the fact that he had been and WAS a spy, for one thing. Interesting!!
DeleteIt's always sad when a popular author passes. I felt the same about Anita Shreve and Anna Dewdney passed way too young.
ReplyDeleteHi Diane,
DeleteAh!! Anna Dewdney--I don't know of her. Will look her up! Thanks!
Oh, Diane, I meant to add that I felt the loss of Anita Shreve so painfully. Her fiction was so resonant--so good. Worst of all, I hate to see great writers die as young as he did. Sigh.
DeleteI am not sure why I haven't been able to get into le Carre but have tried more than once. Alison Lurie, on the other hand, I find intriguing although have not read all her books. She went to Radcliffe as I did so I suppose that is partly why I was aware of her. However, a few years ago, she wrote something that my mother disagreed with and wrote to her, and got a thoughtful and agreeable response, which pleased her. Diane, I was also saddened by Anita Shreve's death. I really like her books, especially Where or When.
ReplyDeleteYes, I wrote a long post at the time of Anita Shreve's death. I'm sure she had lots more great books within her.
DeleteI haven't read Lurie's The War between the Tates, partly because of the popular film and partly because it is probably "dated" by now. Her other books are all great.
It is sad, like you I somehow thought he had quite a few good years left in him. I've really enjoyed his writng in the past but have quite a few to catch up with, which is a plus I suppose.
ReplyDeleteKatrina,
DeleteI thought his intellectual production of the past four years would surely protect him into his nineties.
And I'm glad, at least, that you, like me, still have lots of his books to appreciate.