Acclaimed spy novelist John le Carré’s decision to posthumously publish his new novel Silverview is “a mystery” in itself, according to the author’s literary agent Jonny Geller.
Mr Geller, who worked with le Carré for just under 15 years, says the book was finished in September 2014: “He said to me ‘ok it’s ready’ … I was waiting at my house for the book but nobody delivered a box, instead I got a letter that said ‘I’ve decided this isn’t the time but if you wish to publish this after my death with the permission of my sons, please have my blessing’.”
Le Carré – who went on to publish three further books before his death in December 2020 – wouldn’t reveal to his agent why he would only release Silverview posthumously.
“It’s a mystery to me,” Mr Geller admits. “He said ‘Look, I don’t want you to read it because I’m worried that you’ll like it and try and persuade me and, at the moment, I don’t feel I want this book out there’.”
Mr Geller says neither he nor le Carré’s family fully understand the author’s reasons for doing so.
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After the author’s death, Mary Mount, his editor of the past decade, worked alongside le Carré’s youngest son, novelist Nick Cornwell, to get Silverview ready for publishing.
“It was in a very polished shape when it arrived … we were very respectful and we were both channelling le Carré’s very strong voice throughout.”
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Le Carré’s novel is being released on what the industry calls “Super Thursday”, when hundreds of books are released aimed at the Christmas market.
Trade magazine The Bookseller has suggested this year’s event will be the lightest in years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with fewer titles than normal released.
Highlights include memoirs and non-fiction books by Olympic diver Tom Daley, Drag Race runner-up Bimini Bon Boulash, TV personality Paris Fury and comedians Billy Connolly, Michael McIntyre, Jack Whitehall, Rob Beckett and Julian Clary; a posthumous novel by Andrea Camilleri; new fiction from Sophie Kinsella, Christine Pride, Jo Piazza and Heather Morris; cookery titles from Nigel Slater and the Hairy Bikers; and children’s books by Julia Donaldson, Liz Pichon, Tom Fletcher and Sir Lenny Henry.
Le Carré’s posthumous novel is likely to top the bestseller charts for weeks to come. A prolific writer whose work was translated into 47 different languages, the sustained popularity of his body of work speaks for itself.
But the current popularity of spy novels as a genre is a sign of the times, according to Professor Penny Fielding from Edinburgh University.
“In a world where there aren’t any truths, spy novels perhaps mirror that more, they give us a sense that knowledge is contingent and provisional rather than absolute,” she says.
Famed character George Smiley was a man from a very British institution but le Carré’s writing inspired many around the world.
Lauren Wilkinson, author of American Spy, says: “Yeah it can be a very white, very male, straight genre but I feel that a writer like le Carré sort of made me see this genre and think ‘well maybe I can my add my voice as well.'”
Well, while this is being touted as le Carre’s “last complete masterwork”, read between the lines and the implication is, amongst the extensive archive he left behind there might still be a book or two that may still come in from the cold.
The creators of Friends have revealed that parts of the script for the final episode were leaked by an insider ahead of the show airing.
Simply titled The Last One, millions tuned in as the episode brought the hit comedy to a close 20 years ago, on 6 May 2004, finally resolving the decade-long “will they, won’t they?” romance between Ross and Rachel.
Looking back at the final shows in an interview with NBC’s Today show in the US, Friends creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane revealed details of the leak.
“Oh my god, we tried so hard to keep it a secret!” Kauffman said. “We were desperate to keep it a secret and it got out. And it was an inside job.”
Scripts sent out ahead of the premiere of the final episode were numbered, Crane explained.
“We knew how many people knew what it was going to be,” he said. “So it did, through an element of… it became a behind-the-scenes detective show.
“It was frustrating, but at the end of the day, what are you gonna do?”
Part of the script that leaked included the details of Ross and Rachel finally getting back together, Kauffman said.
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But when asked if the mystery of who released the information was solved, she replied with a smile: “Ish.”
“Ish,” Crane repeated.
After 10 series and 236 episodes, as well as Ross and Rachel’s reunion, the final instalment saw Monica and Chandler leaving their famous Manhattan apartment and moving to the suburbs as new parents to adopted twins.
Perry, who died last year, aged 54, wrote about the finale in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, And The Big Terrible Thing.
“Before that final episode, I’d taken Marta Kauffman to one side,” he wrote. “‘Nobody else will care about this except me’, I said. ‘So may I please have the last line?'”
His character Chandler did indeed have the last line. As the Friends decide to go for one last coffee before the move, he simply asks, “Where?”, in a trademark sarcastic but poignant joke about the fact that so much of their time on screen has been spent in the Central Perk coffee shop.
“It’s incredibly poignant. It’s a legacy for him, one of his many legacies,” Kauffman said.
Friends has found a new generation of fans in recent years after being picked up by streaming sites.
Earlier this year, two scripts for The One With Ross’s Wedding, season four’s famous two-part finale filmed in London, sold at auction for £22,000 after being found in a bin.
The new music venue – which is set to become the largest in the UK when it does open, seating 23,500 people – has said it will now open on 14 May, when British rock band Elbow are scheduled to perform.
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Last week, the venue said it would be taking “a short pause to events… to fully ensure the safety and security of fans and artists visiting the venue”.
American rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie had been cancelled at the last minute the previous day, due to a “technical issue” during a soundcheck.
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What is happening with Co-op Live Arena?
Tim Leiweke, chairman and chief executive of US-based venue operator Oak View Group, apologised for the delays and to “all those that have been affected” and said staff were working “incredibly hard” to get the building ready for 14 May.
“As many of you will know, it’s not been the smooth start we had planned for, and I know that has caused a huge amount of disruption and frustration to thousands of people,” he said.
The issues began following a test event in April which led to Co-op Live announcing it would have to reschedule Kay’s stand-up shows. These were first moved to later dates in April before a second rescheduling to 23 and 24 May.
A gig by The Black Keys has also been moved to 15 May. Rodrigo’s 3 and 4 May dates were postponed, while A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s 1 May performance took place three days later, having moved to the city’s AO Arena.
The Eagles, Nicki Minaj, Pet Shop Boys, Liam Gallagher, Pearl Jam, The Killers and Eric Clapton are among the big-name acts scheduled to perform at the venue in the coming months, but so far only a test event by Rick Astley has gone ahead.
The arena’s general manager Gary Roden announced his resignation last month.
A Co-op Group spokesperson previously said: “Co-op is a sponsor and does not own or run the venue, and we have made it clear to Oak View Group, who are responsible for the building, that the impact on ticketholders must be addressed as a priority.
“We are pleased that they will shortly be putting plans in place to do so.”
They added that safety checks would be independently verified so Co-op members and other ticket holders “can be reassured that the venue has the very highest levels of security and safety measures”.
The Met Gala always produces the most memorable red carpet looks of the year.
Following this year’s theme, Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, and a Garden Of Time dress code, the stars pulled out all the botanical stops with their outfits, with floral and garden-inspired fashion unsurprisingly dominating.