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Spy Novelist John Le Carre

Spy novelist John Le Carre. His novels, almost every one of which is considered a masterpiece of the genre, include "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold," "A Small Town in Germany," "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and "The Little Drummer Girl." To many critics, Le Carre is not simply the finest spy novelist of his era, but perhaps the finest all-around novelist. His new best-seller is called "The Night Manager."

09:36
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Other segments from the episode on July 22, 1994

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, July 22, 1994: Interview with John Le Carre; Interview with James Lee Burke; Interview with Walter Mosley; Tribute to Dorothy Collins.
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13:10

James Lee Burke Confronts Race Issues in His Crime Novels

Burke has been writing for 35 years but he's best known for his more recent detective novels about Dave Robicheaux, a recovering alcoholic who is also a troubled Vietnam vet and a New Orleans police lieutenant. His books include: "The Neon Rain," "Heaven's Prisoners," "Black Cherry Blues," "A Morning for Flamingos" and "A Stained White Radiance." Burke's new book, his eighth Dave Robicheaux novel, is called "Dixie City Jam."

Interview
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16:37

Walter Mosley on the Next Phase of Easy Rawlins' Life

Mystery writer Walter Mosley. He's written a new book in his series about gumshoe hero Easy Rawlins, called "Black Betty." Betty's a shark of a woman who leaves dead men in her wake. Like the other books in the series, "Black Betty" has Easy in post-War, but pre-present South Central L.A.-- this time the year is 1961. Mosley gained public attention when presidential candidate Bill Clinton said that Mosley was his favorite mystery writer. His next book,"RL's Dream" comes out this August.

Interview
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04:20

Remembering Singer Dorothy Collins

We pay tribute to singer Dorothy Collins, who died yesterday at the age of 67. Collins was the star of the 1950's TV show "Your Hit Parade," and received a Tony nomination in1971 for her role in Stephen Sondheim's Broadway show "Follies." We will play "Losing My Mind," from that show.

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22:56

Literary Spy Master John Le Carre.

An author at the pinnacle of the espionage genre, Le Carre has written such classics as "Smiley's People", "Tinker Tailor, Soldier, Spy", and "The Russia House". Le Carre has shifted his gaze to the Gulf War and international arms dealers in his new novel "The Night Manager."

Interview
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27:18

Spy Novelist John Le Carre

Le Carre is the pseudonym of writer David Cromwell, who used to be a spy himself. His newest novel, The Russia House, considers the glasnost reforms of the Soviet Union's Gorbachev administration. Some of Le Carre's past novels include The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, The Little Drummer Girl, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Interview
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05:29

'Get Smart' Goes Hollywood, with Mixed Results

The '60s sitcom was often a one-joke affair; the film's starry-eyed geek has room for nuance. You can make a case for both Maxes, but critic David Edelstein misses the tube's lovable boob. Anne Hathaway's Agent 99, now ... that's another matter.

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