Adam Sisman published his first, definitive, biography of John le Carré (AKA David Cornwell) in 2015. The book was produced with access to the author and his archive but there were aspects of his life that le Carré refused to discuss, particularly his numerous extramarital affairs. He suggested to Sisman the “worst and maddest” aspects of his behaviour be kept for a second volume. Nearly three years on from the death of le Carré – and that of his second wife, Jane – Sisman (also the award-winning author of books about historians AJP Taylor and Hugh Trevor-Roper) has written The Secret Life of John le Carré.
Did you always imagine that this material would become a second book?
Originally, I thought in terms of doing an updated version of the original book. I’m now very pleased that I’ve made it a separate book. Because I think it enabled me to do things that I wouldn’t otherwise have been able to do. It obviously includes things I wasn’t able to write about while David was still alive. But there’s also the story of the negotiations involved in writing the book and our relations during that.
