A very welcome, nostalgic return for Smiley. But this time he is reminiscing for the students of the service. This is essentially a framing device for a bunch of short stories. As such, it is probably one for those already into le Carré, not one to create converts. That said, there are some beautiful passages here — it kinda feels like pieces that he couldn't work into the novels (there is one which feels like it emerged from the writing of The Honourable Schoolboy for example). Written in the aftermath of the fall of the Soviet regime there is a lot which still feels very highly relevant —toward the end of the book Smiley reflects on the negative effect that untrammeled capitalism has on democracy, which feels incredibly relevant at the moment. Recommended, but don't start here. ( )

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et kalla kriget är slut. Berlinmuren har fallit. George Smiley är nästan pensionerad, nästan men inte riktigt. Ned, som varit aktiv själv en gång i tiden i det Brittiska spionnätverket världen över, har numera en tillbakadragen tjänst som utbildare av nya personer i underrättelseväsendet. Han bjuder in George smiley till en middag med alla sina färska elever, en middag som drar ut på tiden. George Smiley är full av berättelser.

Det får Ned att tänka tillbaks på sin egen inte alltid lyckade karriär. Till exempel när han var stationerad i Wien och fick ansvaret för en av de viktigaste spionkällorna in i Öststaterna. Eller kanske var han bara en bluff? Eller när Ned var stationerad i Hamburg och planerade en ”exfiltrering” från en baltstat. Men det gick inte riktigt som tänkt.
I sanningens tjänst är en suggestiv, mångfasetterad skildring av den hemlige agentens värld och dess osäkra lojaliteter. En bländande uppvisning, där le Carré på nytt överträffar sig själv.

https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2023/01/2023006-secret-pilgrim-john-le-carre.html ( )

This was the next unread book on my shelves, published in 1991 and picked up in a charity shop somewhere in England. There are nine novels in the George Smiley series and this is the eighth and the first that I have read and so I have come rather late into the sequence. In fact Smiley is close to retirement and has headed out onto the lecture circuit, where he is giving a speech to young trainee spies. The secret Pilgrim is Ned also coming up to retirement who has been in the service as long as George Smiley, sometimes working for him and at other times their paths have crossed, but Ned has always seen Smiley as a mentor. Smiley's speech brings back memories for Ned who is sitting in with him, and it is these memories that are welded into the stories in this book. They cover much of Ned's career from his first assignment, where he made a bit of a fool of himself to assignments that were life threatening to him and to the spies (Joe's) that he controlled. There are thirteen chapters and each tells a story and/or takes the reader back to Smiley's lecture.

The stories take us around the world: Berlin, Hamburg, London, Poland, Cambodia, Lebanon where the British secret service battles both foreign agents and American spymasters, sometimes winning sometimes losing. Although much of their work is routine they are never sure who they can trust and they run considerable risks much of the time. The novel does not only feature these stories, but sketches in a history of British intelligence in accordance with the world peopled by the spies of John Le Carré. It also allows Smiley to contemplate the part the intelligence service played in winning the cold war: wondering if they did win or if the other side just lost. The time span covers the cold war, leading up to and beyond the fall of the Berlin Wall and the revelations of the double agents working for Russia. Near the end of the book Smiley is getting to grips with his own motives for working in the intelligence services and passing on his words of wisdom to the students.

The world of the spies and their masters portrayed in this book is very British, one would not be surprised if those at the top of the hierarchy, had all gone to the same school. Their methods and gadgetry hardly advance over the time period, they continue to keep doing the same things with equipment that sounds just a bit dated. As in many occupations competition can be fierce, but this is laced with suspicions at all levels, where trust is at a premium. Le Carré dwells on this, creating a world that will be recognisable to many readers. He is good at creating dialogue and gives his characters enough time to think through their actions. I enjoyed immersing myself in John Le Carré's world and sometimes thats all you need; I have got more novels by Le Carré and I am looking forward to reading them. 4 stars. ( )