What is a pavement artist spy?

Pavement artist: Agents who inconspicuously follow people around, carry out surveillance work. Cousins: The American intelligence agents, specifically the CIA, with whom the British agents often collaborate on some international cases.

What is a hood spy?

Hood: An agent gone bad, participating in criminal activities, also used by British agents to refer to Soviet spies. Mole: An enemy agent who buries deep into Western democratic set ups and/or intelligence networks, gathering and relaying information back to the Soviets.

Who is George Smiley based on?

In 1995, le Carré said that the character of George Smiley was inspired by his one-time Lincoln College, Oxford tutor, the former Rev. Vivian Green—a renowned historian and author with an encyclopaedic knowledge.

What does the phrase Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy mean?

Background. When Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy came out in 1974, revelations exposing the presence of Soviet double agents in Britain were still fresh in public memory. The title alludes to the nursery rhyme and counting game Tinker Tailor.

Is Tinker Tailor realistic?

On the broadest level, Tinker Tailor too is rooted in a very real and traumatic period for British intelligence. Le Carre served in MI5 and MI6 in the 1950s and early 1960s and these were troubled times. It was becoming clear that the British establishment had been subverted from within.

What is the circus in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy?

The Circus is MI6, Britain’s version of the CIA. “C” is “Control,” the murky and mysterious man atop MI6. But what’s the best way to keep track of the film’s timeline? And what about the shadow cast by Alec Guinness, who played George Smiley in a seven-hour 1979 BBC mini-series.

Are Prideaux and Haydon lovers?

During his time at Oxford, Prideaux befriended Bill Haydon, who recruited him to MI6 for his athletic prowess; the book heavily implies that the two men became lovers, with Prideaux becoming agitated and defensive when he hears people speak ill of Haydon in his presence.

Is Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy based on a true story?

What is the meaning of Le Carre?

Le Carré in British English (lə ˈkæreɪ ) noun. John, real name David John Cornwell.