2 publishers · first seen Sat, 07 Nov 2026 05:03 UTC · updated Sat, 07 Nov 2026 05:45 UTC
Nick Harkaway, son of the late John le Carre, has published his second novel in the Smileyverse, The Taper Man. The book, published by Viking, is set in 1965 and follows British spymaster George Smiley as he chases a Soviet agent in the US. Harkaway says writing a Cold War story in 2026 is like 'writing in the mirror', as the global situation is 'weirdly the same in some slightly alarming ways, it's weirdly different in some alarming ways.'
Harkaway, whose real name is Nicholas Cornwell, is the youngest of the four sons of David Cornwell, an MI6 agent turned author who used the pen name John le Carre. Harkaway made his name with sci-fi thrillers, but was drawn to writing in his father's world, sitting in his father's 'very uncomfortable' chair as he writes in his north London house.
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