Culture | You look so familiar

Can there ever be another great le Carré novel?

John le Carré’s son has written a bold new thriller in the vein of the great spy writer’s chronicles

John le Carre — Photograph: Bridgeman Images

Oct 24th 2024

Characters do not die with their creators. Some live on in bold new guises in modern spin-offs and mash-ups. Over the past two decades, authors have brought Shakespeare’s protagonists and Jane Austen’s heroines into the 21st century in a range of inventive “retellings”. Another sort of resurrection can come in the form of a continuation novel. Literary estates commission authors they regard as a safe pair of (typing) hands to breathe new life into a franchise and further the adventures of much-loved characters.

This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “You look so familiar”