Nick Harkaway, son of renowned spy novelist John le Carré, is set to publish a new George Smiley novel, The Taper Man, continuing the legacy of his father’s iconic character. The announcement coincides with the historic West End debut of le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold this autumn, marking the first time one of the author’s works has been adapted for London’s premier theatre district.
Scheduled for release in 2026 by Viking, The Taper Man follows up on Harkaway’s previous Smiley installment, Karla’s Choice, published in October 2024. This latest novel transports Smiley to the United States for the first time, where he pursues an elusive Communist network along the West Coast.
Set in 1965, 18 months after the events of Karla’s Choice, the story fills a crucial gap in the Smiley timeline between The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, both acclaimed Penguin Classics editions. Against the turbulent backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, Smiley confronts a complex crisis involving his “cousins,” forcing him to navigate divided loyalties between a covert American investigation and broader geopolitical conflicts.
Harriet Bourton, Publishing Director at Viking, expressed enthusiasm about the continuation of the Smiley saga: “Karla’s Choice proved to be one of the great espionage novels of recent times, and it is incredibly exciting to see George Smiley’s story continue in The Taper Man. Nick Harkaway has taken on a remarkable legacy and made it his own, crafting a novel that promises to captivate a wide audience.”
Represented by Patrick Walsh at Pew Literary, Harkaway commented on his latest project: “It is an enormous pleasure to work with George Smiley again, this time tracing a tangled web from Helsinki to the US West Coast, uncovering the truth behind Karla’s 1950s network in California, and pursuing Roy Bland into the USSR. It’s time to meet our American cousins.”
The UK and Commonwealth publishing rights were acquired by Bourton and commissioning editor Edward Kirke from Jonny Geller of Curtis Brown, who manages the le Carré estate.
In a parallel announcement, le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold will make its West End stage debut this November at Soho Place, running through February 2026. The production follows a sold-out premiere at Chichester Festival Theatre in 2024 and is produced by The Ink Factory and Second Half Productions, in association with Nica Burns. The adaptation is by award-winning playwright David Eldridge and directed by Jeremy Herrin.
Clare Cornwell, director of the John le Carré estate, welcomed both projects: “We are delighted to celebrate the return of the Circus and George Smiley through Nick’s new novel and the first-ever West End stage production of one of John le Carré’s novels. It is a fitting tribute to an extraordinary literary legacy.”
