Jump To:

• le Carré
  le Carré

  noun

  John David John Moore Cornwell, 1931–2020, English author of spy novels.
• Le Carré
  Le Carré

  noun

  John, real name David John Cornwell. born 1931, English novelist, esp of spy thrillers such as The Spy who came in from the Cold (1963), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974), Smiley's People (1980), The Tailor of Panama (1996), and The Mission Song (2006)

le Carré

American  

[luh ka-rey] / lə kæˈreɪ /

noun

1. John David John Moore Cornwell, 1931–2020, English author of spy novels.

---

Le Carré British  

/ lə ˈkæreɪ /

noun

1. John, real name David John Cornwell. born 1931, English novelist, esp of spy thrillers such as The Spy who came in from the Cold (1963), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974), Smiley's People (1980), The Tailor of Panama (1996), and The Mission Song (2006)

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

le Carré Le Carré

Weisz spoke of “Gardener” source material author John le Carré in her speech, noting on stage that he “wrote this unflinching, angry story.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026

Simon Cornwell, executive producer of the popular spy series, said his late father John le Carré "could never quite shake the character of his father off" when writing the book's villain, Roper.

From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026

The spy-thriller miniseries “The Night Manager,” based on the John le Carré novel, won over critics and audiences when it aired way back in 2016.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 31, 2025

But these convoluted John le Carré diversions are not engaging, and the attempts to enrich the characters are clunky.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025

In the interview, Adam shares how he managed to land such an exciting project and how he was granted so much access to le Carré, whose real name was David Cornwell.

From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2024

Simon Cornwell believes Le Carré used the difficult relationship as "fuel" for his writing.

From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026

At Oxford, Le Carré was more intent on becoming an artist than a writer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026

Also on display is a fascinating selection of photographs taken by Le Carré in London for “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” that are labeled with locations and scenes in the novel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026

Le Carré didn’t write one and the six-episode series, which aired in 2016, had a definitive ending.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2026

"I wish there was a Le Carré quality here, you know," he said, referring to the late British spy novelist.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2025