Sam Brigger

They include Tigerman, Noman, and Titanium Noir.

So Nick Harkaway, welcome to Fresh Air.

Hello.

Tell me, how did you decide to write a George Smiley novel and why now?

It must have been a pretty daunting task, though, when you decided to go ahead to actually start writing this book.

What were some of the things in your head that you thought about that sort of overrode the anxiety or fear about writing this that you were really excited to try to do in the novel?

Let's talk a little bit about George Smiley.

He's physically unremarkable.

He's this pudgy, middle-aged guy who you'd likely forget if you saw him in a crowd, and that's in part intentional.

One character, when first meeting him, thinks he has more like the personality of a green grocer rather than a spymaster.

And not how she would imagine what a spy was like.

And you write, he has a wit so dry that many people miss it and mistake it for dullness.

So why do you think your father originally wrote the character like that?

Which was, it was almost an antidote to the James Bond novels originally.

I'd like you to just read a little bit from the book.

This is as Smiley is going back to the circus for the first time.

He's been asked to come back after he's retired.

And he's been enjoying his life.

He's been spending time with his wife.

He hasn't really been thinking about espionage.