About the talks
Join us for a series of talks on one of the greatest writers of the past century, John le Carré. The talks will explore the le Carré archive here at the Bodleian and how the current exhibition at the Weston Library was created, as well as le Carré's legacy in world literature, his relationship with Africa, and the concept of spying in his work and the changing nature of espionage in the modern world.
You can attend the talks in person or online via Zoom.
The place of John le Carré in world literature
Friday 5 December 2025
15.30–16.45 (GMT)
This talk explores John le Carré’s relationship to world literature. Le Carré’s novels address some of the key developments in global politics in the twentieth century, and beyond. We will look closely at the two major phases into which his writing falls: how he established himself as a leading commentator on the psychological and political impacts of a world divided by confrontational ideologies; and how he fearlessly explored the crises of a still-polarised late-century world order.
In both phases, le Carré’s fiction, characters and plots register some of the definitive preoccupations of our time and the shrinking possibilities of hope.
Elleke Boehmer, FRSL, frhists, is Professor of World Literature in English at Oxford University and Fellow at Wolfson College, specializing in world literature and postcolonial studies. She has written extensively on the literature of empire, nationalism and the figure of the writer in the twentieth century.
Steven Matthews is a professor at the University of Reading, specializing in modern and contemporary poetry, literature and literary theory. His work often focuses on the relationship between poetry and place, including environmental and ecological themes, as well as on Samuel Beckett, 1930s writing and postcolonial poetry.
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Running Away with the Circus: Re-reading John Le Carre's 'The Quest for Karla'
Friday 19 December 2025
15.00–16.00 (GMT)
Well-known writer Mick Herron will speak about his memories of reading John le Carré for the first time, and le Carré's influence on his work.
This talk is hosted by the Friends of the Bodleian. Find out more and book tickets.
A week in Congo: John le Carré’s relationship with Africa
Friday 30 January 2026
15.30–16.45 (GMT)
This talk delves into the time Michela Wrong spent with le Carré in the lakeside town of Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, which served as a lesson in the art of observation – at which David excelled – while also showing a young writer the difference between the fiction and the non-fiction writing approach. But the book which resulted - The Mission Song - betrayed a certain unease on the writer’s part when it came to matters African, Wrong argues, an unease that characterises all his African novels.
Michela Wrong is a former correspondent for Reuters, the BBC and The Financial Times. Of British and Italian heritage, she has written five books on Africa, including a novel. She lives in north London.
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The secrets of John le Carré’s archive
Friday 20 February 2026
15.30–16.45 (GMT)
Join writer Adam Sisman in conversation with Bodley’s Librarian, Richard Ovenden, as they explore the secrets of John le Carré’s archive. As le Carré’s biographer, Sisman spent four years researching the author, navigating his unsorted archive and engaging in revealing discussions, often surprising Le Carré with his discoveries. The archive spans le Carré’s childhood, National Service, Oxford years—where he spied for MI5—and his early intelligence and writing careers. It also includes drafts of his novels, showcasing his meticulous writing process. Richard Ovenden, who worked with the author and his family over the bequest, discusses its significance and its journey to the Bodleian.
Richard Ovenden OBE, Hon FBA is the 25th Bodley's Librarian and the Helen Hamlyn Director of the University Libraries, and Head of Gardens, Libraries and Museums at the University of Oxford. He is also the author of Burning the Books: A History of Knowledge Under Attack.
Adam Sisman FRSL is a writer specialising in biography, who has written the lives of AJP Taylor, Hugh Trevor-Roper, Asa Briggs and John le Carré. His second book, Boswell’s Presumptuous Task, won a National Books Critics Circle award. In 2019 he published The Professor and the Parson: A Story of Desire, Deceit and Defrocking. He is an Honorary Professor at the University of St Andrews.
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Spies and mafia states: Reflections on John Le Carré, Russia and the nature of spying today
Friday 20 March 2026
15.30–16.45 (GMT)
John le Carré’s books famously explored the constantly shifting ethical borders “between us and them” in the murky world of espionage. This talk explores how the concept of spying differs in reality between authoritarian regimes—marked by internal security obsessions and paranoia—and democracies, and how it manifests itself in Putin’s Russia today.
Andrei Soldatov is a Russian investigative journalist in exile, a visiting fellow at King’s College London and the co-author of Our Dear Friends in Moscow: The Inside Story of a Broken Generation (2025).
Irina Borogan is a Russian investigative journalist in exile, a visiting fellow at King’s Centre for the Study of Intelligence, and the co-author of Our Dear Friends in Moscow: The Inside Story of a Broken Generation (2025).
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About the talks
This is a series of talks to accompany the John Le Carré: Tradecraft exhibition.
Tickets are £5 to attend in person or online, except for the talk on 19 December hosted by the Friends of the Bodleian, which is free. Please note that tickets are non-refundable.
Attend in person
Attend online
- You can also attend the talks online via Zoom. You will receive joining instructions in your confirmation email.
