John le Carré Social History Exhibition

This exhibition is being mounted in conjunction with the inaugural John le Carré Memorial Lecture which will be presented on 2 May 2024 by The Morrab Library at the Acorn Theatre, Penzance.

David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 1931 – 12 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré, was a British Irish author, best known for his espionage novels, and is considered one of the greatest novelists of the postwar era. During the 1950s and 1960s, he worked for both the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).

Most of le Carré’s books are spy stories set during the Cold War (1945–91) and portray British Intelligence agents as unheroic political functionaries, aware of the moral ambiguity of their work and engaged more in psychological than physical drama. Le Carré’s third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), became an international best-seller and remains one of his best-known works. Following its publication, he left MI6 to become a full-time writer.

His novels include The Looking Glass War (1965), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974), Smiley’s People (1979), The Little Drummer Girl (1983), The Night Manager (1993), The Tailor of Panama (1996), The Constant Gardener (2001), A Most Wanted Man (2008) and Our Kind of Traitor (2010).

Le Carré, who lived in St Buryan until his death in 2020, at age 89, was a passionate supporter of the Morrab Library from the 1970s, later serving as president (1997-2002), then for many years as a patron. He had a special interest in encouraging young people to read and be inspired by the place. He was also a Vice-President of the Friends of Penlee House from 1997 to 2020.

The lecture, which is sponsored by The Arts Society West Cornwall, is planned to be a biennial event. This year’s speaker is Mick Herron, celebrated author of the Slow Horses / Slough House espionage novels.

Penlee House Gallery & Museum and The Morrab Library would like to thank the Cornwell family for the loan of these items, and to Vicki Phillips – who worked for John le Carré for nearly 20 years – for her help in assembling this collection.