John Le Carré interviewed by Democracy Now

I have been going through something of a John Le Carré phase recently, watching the BBC adaptation of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy again and reading the novel. Tomorrow I hope to see the new film of it in London.

John Le Carré has made a remarkable journey, beginning his career in intelligence and as a novelist in the era when the Soviet Union was our enemy. Today capitalists, sometimes Russian capitalists, are the enemy in his books.

Except that you suspect he has not moved at all. He has held his ground as a decent man without illusions. We would be a better country if more people had held steadfast to his sort of Englishness.

Le Carré (or David Cornwell) gave this interview to Democracy Now! last year. He talks about writing, globalisation, Tony Blair and much else.