Book · 2013 · Fiction
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
A George Smiley Novel
- mentions
- 8
- people
- 6
- podcasts
- 3
- episodes
- 6
- recommendation
- 1
But now I'm kind of into the the classic Smiley books which I finished the Spy Who Came in from the cold recently which is absolutely brilliant.
What they say about it
- Read it in the past“when I was in high school”2
The best things said about it
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold moves the genre forward.
Jack Carr How I Write · Jul 2026 Spy was a landmark in its day in 1963.
Spy from the cold is just about to me it's just about that the kind of unrelenting bleakness of that world.
Malcolm Gladwell Conversations with Tyler · Mar 2017 When I was in high school, we read The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.
So Nick I'm glad I reread the Spy Who Came in from the cold before picking up Carla choice you you chose to set Carla choice between that book and Tinker Taylor.
Where and when it comes up
Mentions per year
How it comes up
Most mentions, by podcast
6 people who brought it up
Why people recommend it
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré is a renowned espionage novel that explores the gritty, bleak, and morally ambiguous realities of Cold War intelligence work. John le Carré's classic novel received widespread attention across multiple podcast episodes. John Williams mentioned on The Book Review that he had recently finished reading the brilliant classic Smiley book. Jack Carr noted on How I Write that the novel successfully moved the spy genre forward. Gilbert Cruz discussed on The Book Review that he reread the novel before exploring Carla's Choice. Joseph Kanon also appeared on The Book Review to discuss the book as a landmark of 1963 and mentioned that its first British publisher, Victor Gollancz, came up with the famous title. On Conversations with Tyler, Malcolm Gladwell praised the unrelenting bleakness of the world depicted in the novel, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shared on the same podcast that he first read the book in high school during the 1970s and subsequently read almost everything else the author wrote. Listeners and hosts consistently highlighted the enduring impact of le Carré's storytelling, its atmospheric portrayal of espionage, and its foundational status in twentieth-century literature.
Every mention
John Williams but now I'm kind of into the the classic Smiley books which I finished the Spy Who Came in from the cold re… 1
“but now I'm kind of into the the classic Smiley books which I finished the Spy Who Came in from the cold recently which is absolutely brilliant”
Joseph Kanon there were two novels that preceded Spy Who Came in from the cold but spy was a landmark in its day in 1963 2
“there were two novels that preceded Spy Who Came in from the cold but spy was a landmark in its day in 1963”
“Victor goolan again the first British publisher is the one who invented this who came up with the title The Spy Who Came in from the cold”
Malcolm Gladwell oh wow uh so many right well the very small town in Germany uh the pre um uh spy came in from the cold ones… 2
“oh wow uh so many right well the very small town in Germany uh the pre um uh spy came in from the cold ones I really like and I also really like um”
“and John lari particularly well spy from the cold is just about to me it's just about that the kind of unrelenting bleakness of that world”
Gilbert Cruz so Nick I'm glad I reread the Spy Who Came in from the cold before picking up Carla choice you you chose to… 1
“so Nick I'm glad I reread the Spy Who Came in from the cold before picking up Carla choice you you chose to set Carla choice between that book and Tinker Taylor”
Jack Carr The Spy Who Came in from the Cold moves the genre forward. 1
“The Spy Who Came in from the Cold moves the genre forward.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar I’ve read most of these in the ’70s and ’80s, starting with—well, when I was in high school, we read The Sp… 1
“I’ve read most of these in the ’70s and ’80s, starting with—well, when I was in high school, we read The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, and then as an adult, I read everything that he’s written just about.”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“for some books like Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy a perfect spy The Spy Who Came in from the cold or or a lot of spies here are simply among their favorite works of literature”