Editions

The Mission Song

  • Imprint: Penguin Classics

  • ISBN: 9780241322390

  • Length: 368  Pages

  • Dimensions: 198mm x 21mm x 129mm

  • Weight: 269g

  • RRP: £8.99

The Mission Song

'Mesmerising' Sunday Times

As an interpreter of African languages, Bruno Salvador is much in demand. He makes it a principle to remain neutral - no matter what he hears. But when he is summoned on a secret job for British Intelligence, he is told he will have to get his hands dirty. His mission is to help bring democracy to the Congo - democracy that will be delivered at the end of a gun barrel.

The Mission Song is an excoriating depiction of a corrupt world where loyalty can be bought and war is simply an opportunity to settle old scores.

'Simply astonishing ... a formidably sophisticated work of fiction' Charles Cumming

  • Imprint: Penguin Classics

  • ISBN: 9780241322390

  • Length: 368  Pages

  • Dimensions: 198mm x 21mm x 129mm

  • Weight: 269g

  • RRP: £8.99

Reviews

  • Le Carre's eye is undimmed, his passion for his craft as strong as it ever was. He delivers a tale that few could equal and none will surpass

    Observer

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About the Author

John Le Carre

John Le Carré (real name David Cornwell) is a British author of espionage novels. During the 1950s and the 1960s he worked for the Security Service and the Secret Intelligence Service, and began writing novels under a pen name. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), became an international best-seller, and it remains one of his best-known works. Following the success of this novel, he left MI6 to become a full-time author. Le Carré established himself as a writer of espionage fiction. In 2008, The Times ranked le Carré 22nd on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945". In 2011, he won the Goethe Medal, a yearly prize given by the Goethe Institute. [source: Wikipedia]

John Le Carre

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Recommendations

Where to start reading John le Carré books

His death this week marked the end of a career which produced internationally acclaimed novels in every decade from the 1960s onwards. Le Carré’s work was enjoyed by readers and critics alike and adapted multiple times for film and television, making him one of the most celebrated and influential authors of modern times. But where to start if you’re new to this work? Here is our starter for ten.
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Features

Florence Pugh reads The Little Drummer Girl

Alongside Alexander Skarsgård and Michael Shannon, Florence Pugh stars in The Little Drummer Girl, the latest adaptation of John le Carré’s thrilling novel of espionage and betrayal. Here she reads le Carré’s description of the character that she herself plays in the BBC series.
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Extracts

The Pigeon Tunnel by John le Carre

In this extract from The Pigeon Tunnel, John le Carré describes the accusations of disloyalty he faced from former Secret Service colleagues - and how Alec Guinness used them in his portrayal of George Smiley

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