The Pigeon Tunnel - Stories from my Life is a memoir of sorts composed of
short chapter-length anecdotes from le Carré’s life that are amusing,
head-shaking, chilling, or thought-provoking.
Several explain the origin of particular characters that appear in his
books, and some describe hair-raising experiences during his trips to war zones
and other exotic locations to research different novels. For The
Night Manager, he visits Panama to see a camp where the CIA trained the
Special Forces from several countries, and to meet 54 year old President Endara,
atop a Spanish colonial staircase, with his 22 year old mistress, newly turned wife:
A young woman is crouched at his feet, her shapely rump pressed into designer jeans as she wrestles with a Lego palace she is building with the President’s children.
‘Darling,’ Endara cries down to her, in English for my benefit. ‘See who is here! You have heard of….’ Et cetera.
Still kneeling, the First Lady looks me cursorily up and down and resumes her building.
‘But darling, of course you have heard of him!’ the President implores her. ‘You have read his wonderful books! We both have!’
Belatedly, the former diplomat in me stirs.
‘Madame President. There is no reason on earth why you should have heard of me. But you have surely heard of Sean Connery, the actor, who was in my recent film?’
Long silence.
‘You are friend of Mr. Connery?’
‘Indeed I am,’ I reply, though I scarcely know him.
‘You are welcome in Panama,’ she says.
Sounds like he lived an exciting life!
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