Character · The Circus · 9 books
George Smiley
George Smiley is a quiet, brilliant intelligence officer of the Circus.
Spoiler-free profile written for The Recurring Cast.
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Character facts
- First appearance
- Call for the Dead (1961)
- Latest appearance
- A Legacy of Spies (2017)
- Books
- 9 (4 as lead, 4 major, 1 minor)
- Series
- George Smiley, Karla trilogy
- Author
- John le Carré
- Circle
- The Circus
Where to meet George Smiley
George Smiley first appears in Call for the Dead (1961), as the lead, book 1 of the George Smiley series.
Every book with George Smiley
In publication order, with the size of their role in each.
- 1961LCall for the Deadlead · George SmileyBuy
- 1962LA Murder of Qualitylead · George SmileyBuy
- 1963MThe Spy Who Came in from the Coldmajor role · George SmileyBuy
- 1965·The Looking Glass Warminor role · George SmileyBuy
- 1974LTinker Tailor Soldier Spylead · Karla trilogyHunts the mole at the top of the CircusBuy
- 1977MThe Honourable Schoolboymajor role · Karla trilogyBuy
- 1979LSmiley’s Peoplelead · Karla trilogyHis last move against KarlaBuy
- 1990MThe Secret Pilgrimmajor role · George SmileyBuy
- 2017MA Legacy of Spiesmajor role · George SmileyBuy
Appears most often with
| Character | Books together |
|---|---|
| Peter GuillamSmiley’s loyal lieutenant | 6 |
| Ann SmileySmiley’s unfaithful wife | 3 |
| Connie SachsThe Circus’s memory on Soviet matters | 3 |
| KarlaHead of Moscow Centre’s secret department | 3 |
| Toby EsterhaseHungarian-born Circus officer | 3 |
| Alec LeamasCircus field agent | 2 |