- Produced by Intelligence Squared
- Price Standard tickets £30 or concessions at £15
- Get ready to see Anthony Horowitz and David Farr argue their cases for the spy literature of Fleming and Le Carré
- Bring along friends who have kept you up past last orders one too many times debating the finer points of The Night Manager vs All James Bond
- Surf to Tickets
- See you at Emmanuel Centre
Their tales of espionage, deceit and cunning have come to define a world we were never meant to know.
But which of these two giants of 20th century spy fiction really deserves the laurels for their novels?
In this true battle of titans, Anthony Horowitz will be making the case for James Bond creator Ian Fleming, while David Farr, screenwriter of the BBC’s The Night Manager, will be championing Le Carré.
‘Fleming is one of the very few writers – Charles Dickens and JK Rowling might be two others – who have transcended fiction, who have created stories that capture a particular time and place, that are universally recognisable and that are, it would seem, immortal,’ says Horowitz. ‘George Smiley is a fascinating character. James Bond is an icon. That’s the difference.’
By contrast, pointing to Le Carré’s own experiences in the secret service, Farr says: ‘John Le Carré turns espionage into existentialism. His canvas is betrayal — of the realm and of the heart. His greatness comes from the personal nature of that exploration.’
To illustrate their arguments, Horowitz and Farr have called on an acclaimed cast of actors to bring the novels to life, including Christopher Eccleston, Matthew Lewis and Alex Macqueen.
Join Intelligence Squared on 29th November to finally make up your mind.
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COMPETITION: Win 1x pair of tickets to attend Ian Fleming vs John Le Carré at Emmanuel Centre on Tuesday 29th November at 7pm. To enter the competition, send an email to ava@run-riot.com with the correct answer in the ‘subject’ line. The winner will be randomly selected.
Q: In Le Carré’s The Night Manager, which of these names isn’t used by Jonathan Pine to conceal his identity?
A: .1) Andrew Birch .2) Thomas Quince .3) Jack Lindon .4) Adrian Oakes
