John Le Carré, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

LynnDianne Beene (University of New Mexico)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Gina Lyle (University of York), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1963

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel
Spy and Espionage

Resources

At the end of the Second World War (1939-1945), the divergent ideologies of the Western Bloc nations (primarily the U.S. and its NATO allies) and the Eastern Bloc alliance (primarily the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]) erupted into a Cold War that not only separated the Western and Eastern Blocs but also led to martial law, strategies of global containment, security dilemmas, excessive military build-ups, and “an ever-deepening whirlpool of distrust” (Gaddis, 27). The Western Bloc, led by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, sought cooperation to shape a postwar settlement that would ensure a lasting peace and would spread democracy. However, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, the Eastern Bloc leader, sought security for his country (Russia) and worldwide embrace of his ideology (communism). As part of the post-war compromise...

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2669 words

Citation: Beene, LynnDianne. "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 February 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7815, accessed 09 June 2026.]

John Le Carré, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

Dates

Places

Genres and Modes

Resources

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