John le Carré was beaten by father and abandoned by mother
The author and former spy says he felt no affection in his childhood
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.John le Carré’s mother abandoned him at the age of five and he was beaten by his father.
The author has revealed this and other details of his difficult upbringing in his new book of memoirs, The Pigeon Tunnel.
The former spy writes also of his mother and father, who he refers to as Ronnie and Oliver.
“Today, I don’t remember feeling any affection in childhood except for my elder brother, who for a time was my only parent,” he wrote.
He also recalled an audiotape his mother left in which she describes how their father beat her and says it was the reason she chose to leave.
“Certainly Ronnie beat me up, too, but only a few times and not with much conviction. It was the shaping up that was the scary part: the lowering and readying of the shoulders, the resetting of the jaw.”
Le Carré is one of Britain's greatest novelists in the post-war era, but also worked as an MI6 agent.
However he insisted he was first and foremost an author rather than a “spy who turned to writing", claiming he loved to write and prefers the "tradition of unmechanised writing", instead of using laptops and computers.
The writer made a guest appearance in an episode of the BBC adaptation of his book The Night Manager, which starred Tom Hiddlestone, and the memoirs have also been serialised in The Guardian.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments