John Le Carré, Our Game

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 Glasgow), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1995

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel
Spy and Espionage

Resources

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The “game” in John le Carré’s

Our Game

(1995) is not only espionage enmeshed in global politics, but also the game of one-upmanship between the novel’s narrator, Timothy D’Abell (Tim) Cranmer, a cautious, somewhat fainthearted desk agent, and Cranmer’s recruit and long-term field agent, Lawrence (Larry) Pettifer, the ultimate romantic. The two spies have played games with, and against, each other throughout their professional careers and their personal lives with varying degrees of deception.

Our Game

interlocks two betrayals: geopolitical treatment of the Caucasus nations by the Russian state and the accompanying neglect or tepid response by Western nations, and Larry’s betrayal of Tim and of both of his employers’ countries as he pursues his unrealistic dreams.

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3282 words

Citation: Beene, LynnDianne. "Our Game". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 August 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=2944, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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