Viking signs 'spectacular' George Smiley novel from le Carré’s son Nick Harkaway

Viking has signed a new novel with character George Smiley, the famous spy from John le Carré’s novels, from le Carré’s son Nick Harkaway.

Harriet Bourton, publishing director, and Edd Kirke, editor, acquired UK & Commonwealth rights from Jonny Geller at Curtis Brown and agent to the le Carré estate. Harkaway is represented by Patrick Walsh at PEW Literary. The novel will be published in hardback in autumn 2024.

"When I read the opening chapters of Nick’s story, I had this uncanny feeling David (John le Carré) had just delivered his new work to me," said Geller. "I heard David’s voice lift off the page. Not only has Nick caught his father’s idiom, but he has also inhabited the world of the Circus and Tinker Tailor to create a completely new story, set in the period just after the end of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. This will be the literary event of 2024."

Smiley is "one of the most memorable literary creations of the 20th century" and featured in le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Smiley’s People. The novels "starring the renowned spy" have sold over 30 million copies across all formats around the globe, according to the publisher.

The new novel by Harkaway will explore the life and world of Smiley in the decade in-between The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Harkaway is also the author of Gnomon, The Gone-Away World, Angelmaker and Tigerman, all published by Cornerstone. He has also written under the pen name Aidan Truhen for the Jack Price novels. Harkaway commented: "Smiley is woven into my life; Tinker Tailor was written in the two years after I was born and I grew up with the evolution of the Circus, so this is a deeply personal journey for me, and of course it’s a journey which has to feel right to the le Carré audience. It also seems as if we need the Smiley stories back now because they ask us the questions of the moment: what compassion do we owe to one another as human beings, and at what point does that compassion become more important than nation, law or duty?"

Bourton said: "As a life-long fan of the incredible world that John le Carré created, these missing years in Smiley’s career have always intrigued me and nobody is better placed to capture the spirit and voice of John le Carré than Nick Harkaway."