1253:
427:, when Smiley tells a group of probationary intelligence officers that he was the one who debriefed Karla in captivity. Speaking in general about the nature of interrogations, Smiley says that sometimes they are "communions between damaged souls." The date of Smiley's first encounter with Karla, in the jail in New Delhi, is unclear. In
412:
disguised as a laborer and is taken into custody by Circus officers. As he leaves, he drops Ann's cigarette lighter on the ground, but Smiley feels no urge to pick it up. Watching Karla be taken away, Smiley contemplates that he has won at last, but by a cruel irony, he and Karla have switched roles:
404:
Because these agents are amateurs, they make several mistakes that allow Smiley to pick up on Karla's scheme. In desperation, Karla orders several assassinations, which only galvanises Smiley's investigation. Finally, Smiley gathers damning proof of Karla's activities that will ensure his destruction
400:
Unable to get her proper treatment, Karla uses a set of amateur agents to find or create a false identity that would allow him to send her to
Western Europe to an adequate mental health clinic. As new Circus Chief Saul Enderby comments, Karla had to use amateurs because he had trained his own agents
306:
as the spymaster who recruited and controls "Gerald", a mole inside the Circus. By the time of the novel, the mole—Bill Haydon—has become The Circus' number-two man; Karla uses his handler, Alexei
Polyakov, to deliver fabricated intelligence that appears highly valuable. This allows the Circus (and,
315:
Smiley recounts what little he knows of Karla's history to his protege, Peter
Guillam, including his interview with Karla in Delhi, and opines that Karla is a "fanatic", which he hopes will one day cause his downfall. After Jim Prideaux is freed from capture by the Soviets, Smiley interrogates him,
266:
were clearly looking to make him the scapegoat for the failure in
California, and he was facing certain execution. Rather than giving in, Karla instead studied Smiley's words for signs of a hidden weakness, correctly deducing Smiley's insecurity regarding his unfaithful wife, Ann. Ultimately, Karla
342:
that Haydon betrayed. Smiley, appointed temporary chief of the Circus, scrambles to contain the disaster and save who can be saved, but with only minimal success. Karla's aggressive targeting of operatives all over the world necessitates the Circus to shut down safe houses and recall spies even in
323:
As Smiley drives to break the news to his cheating spouse, he reflects that Haydon's self-justifying "confession" was an inadequate explanation for becoming a traitor in the first place, and only Karla discerned the quality in Haydon that allowed him to be turned. In Smiley's words, only Karla saw
370:
During his tenure as Chief, Smiley keeps a photograph of Karla on his wall, seemingly as an object of obsession. It is an uncharacteristically symbolic and personal gesture for Smiley that unsettles his subordinates. Over the course of the novel, Ann takes to calling Karla "Smiley's Black Grail,"
350:
However, Smiley quickly takes the offensive. On the theory that Haydon's activities for the Circus were entirely directed by Karla, Smiley reasons that Haydon's record can lead them to other possible moles of Karla in other countries, who can yield valuable intelligence to restore the Circus's
311:
and also creates a perfect cover for Gerald's activities: Polyakov must pretend to his superiors that he is running a mole inside the Circus to meet with the Circus officials, so the Circus itself ignores and suppresses any indications that there is a mole, not realising that there really is.
319:
After Smiley reveals that Haydon is the mole, Haydon reveals that Karla has directed all of his activities, including encouraging Haydon to cuckold Smiley. He tells him that Karla regarded Smiley as the person most likely to uncover Haydon and that the affair was calculated to cloud Smiley's
179:
journalist (i.e., an anti-Communist
Russian), and recruited a large number of German agents. The network was code-named "Karla", and the agent was later known only by that name. It was an outstanding achievement for such a young man and would become characteristic of Karla in the series.
191:
behind German lines. He discovered that his radio operator was a double agent for the
Germans and so fed him false information that confused the Germans. According to one legend, at "Yelnya", Karla caused the Germans to shell their own forward line (presumably a reference to either the
270:
After being promoted away from active fieldwork, Karla sought to create his own independent apparatus inside Moscow Centre, believing that his personal agents were too important to leave to others. After several years, he finally became senior enough to create this apparatus (named in
363:. Karla does not appear to have a direct hand in protecting his mole. Instead, the Circus's main opponent is Nelson's brother Drake, a powerful Hong Kong crime lord. Although the Circus fails to capture Nelson themselves, their joint cooperation with the
267:
agreed to return to the Soviet Union, stealing Smiley's lighter (a gift from Ann) prior to departure. He returned to Moscow and somehow contrived to have his superiors dismissed and executed, with himself appointed in their place.
207:
During his years as a field agent, Karla traveled in several countries, recruiting agents who would later become highly placed in their respective national regimes. He traveled to
England in 1936 and 1941 and recruited
160:
of 1904–1905 (putting his birth somewhere in the late 19th century); and that he was trained in espionage by "Berg" (a possible reference to the alias "Igor
Konstantinovich Berg" used by
449:. Roughly a year later, Karla committed suicide; according to Prideaux, Smiley became grief stricken at his death, a response he doesn't understand given the nature of their relationship.
64:. Although other characters recount their past meetings with him, he only appears once during the events of the books. His real name is never revealed; instead, he takes his
1287:
262:
on his way back to Moscow. Smiley attempted to use reason to get Karla to defect to the United
Kingdom. Smiley felt that his case was ironclad: Karla's superiors at
413:
Smiley has become the ruthless exploiter of Karla's vulnerability, while Karla has been defeated not through his fanaticism, but his love for his daughter.
247:, killed herself. However, Karla served his time and returned to intelligence work; the experience did nothing to dull his devotion to the Communist cause.
389:. His mistress was Estonian, and in his daughter's incoherent memory, Karla had her mother killed after he overheard her praying (contrary to communism's
405:
by his rivals at Moscow Centre, and offers Karla a choice: defect or be destroyed. Knowing that his fall will also be
Tatiana's, Karla agrees to defect.
1292:
445:, in which Jim Prideaux recounts to Guillam that, following his debriefing, Smiley arranged for Karla to teach Russian at a university in
777:
1024:
172:
1147:
1115:
681:
656:
626:
588:
465:, Mediterranean in look and that he resembled a priest or schoolmaster. His most identifiable characteristic is his habit of
1155:
845:
821:
161:
1080:
518:
338:
In the aftermath of Haydon's exposure, Karla moves ruthlessly to arrest and execute those Circus agents behind the
263:
254:
under the name "Gerstmann," Karla was unexpectedly caught when his radio codes were broken. Though he escaped the
1297:
1123:
1048:
770:
1277:
1173:
281:) and trained a selection of handpicked men (usually ex-military officers) to act as handlers of his various
786:
439:, Smiley recalls the meeting as having occurred in the sixties. Karla's ultimate fate is revealed in 2017's
1072:
1040:
1064:
973:
364:
308:
316:
learning that Karla came to visit Prideaux in prison and showed him that he still had Smiley's lighter.
1139:
1096:
997:
480:
Several real-life intelligence figures have been postulated as models for Karla, including KGB General
17:
401:
to be both too smart and too fanatically devoted to his ideals to be trusted with his private scheme.
1131:
853:
429:
302:
197:
73:
1282:
1256:
763:
1088:
861:
79:
1056:
877:
837:
385:, it is revealed that Karla had a young daughter, Tatiana, by a mistress whom he met during the
134:. Among the rumours are that his father was a professional intelligence officer, first for the
149:
367:
leads to the Americans seizing him as he attempts to escape to Hong Kong from mainland China.
941:
829:
239:'s random purges of the Soviet military and intelligence organisations and sent to prison in
212:, code-named "Gerald", who eventually became the number-two man in the "Circus" (the British
698:
925:
457:
Karla is described as a small, spare man in middle age with an extraordinary composure and
184:
8:
1237:
1230:
813:
733:
386:
188:
95:
38:
30:
351:
prestige. He is proven right, as evidence of Haydon's refusal to investigate a possible
933:
901:
869:
703:
435:
423:
273:
201:
157:
85:
320:
judgement and cast any accusations he may make as the vengeance of a wronged husband.
1032:
989:
965:
909:
805:
708:
677:
652:
622:
584:
538:
469:
441:
229:
168:
981:
957:
949:
893:
529:, as well as in a partial shot in a Budapest coffee shop holding Smiley's lighter.
481:
352:
282:
193:
57:
790:
277:
as the Thirteenth Directorate). He founded a special camp outside Moscow (towards
60:
who operates either through functionaries, hitmen, or by turning his enemies into
34:
1213:
511:
325:
122:. Karla is only seen briefly in one scene in each production and does not speak.
119:
1178:
486:
176:
130:
Much of Karla's history is unconfirmed rumour, passed by Smiley to his protégé
1271:
1208:
1183:
885:
712:
466:
446:
394:
307:
thus Karla) to gain access to highly valuable intelligence from the American
255:
236:
131:
53:
42:
421:
Karla does not appear again in le Carré's novels, except a brief mention in
1203:
1198:
339:
225:
61:
1188:
755:
409:
209:
50:
1005:
526:
462:
458:
433:, we are told that the interrogation took place in the fifties. But in
251:
217:
164:), which Smiley compares to "being taught music by a great composer."
259:
244:
142:
90:
65:
917:
138:
408:
In his only personal appearance in the novels, Karla crosses into
390:
344:
240:
153:
490:
stated that his CIA opponents viewed him as a real-life Karla.
393:
views). Eventually, Tatiana began to demonstrate symptoms of
360:
221:
145:
356:
278:
135:
216:). At another time he recruited Nelson Ko, a high-ranking
499:
213:
107:
46:
41:
officer, he is the head of the Thirteenth Directorate of
359:
leads them to unmask Nelson Ko, Karla's mole inside the
537:
Karla inspired the name of the Moldovian music project
510:, though he does not speak in either. He is played by
89:, three novels which were later published as a single
68:
from that of the first spy network that he recruited.
167:
The first recorded Karla activities came during the
699:"Rem Krassilnikov, Russian Bane of CIA, Dies at 76"
493:
228:, Karla was one of the few Soviets to predict the
1288:Characters in British novels of the 20th century
1269:
771:
461:habits. Smiley describes him as modest and
293:
331:
785:
778:
764:
452:
671:
646:
616:
578:
49:, and the nemesis of le Carré's frequent
574:
475:
343:non-Soviet countries, including one in
250:In 1951, while setting up a network in
1293:Literary characters introduced in 1974
1270:
572:
570:
568:
566:
564:
562:
560:
558:
556:
554:
125:
45:, le Carré's fictional version of the
759:
696:
642:
640:
638:
288:
235:In 1948, Karla was snagged in one of
612:
610:
608:
606:
604:
602:
600:
16:For other fictional characters, see
551:
118:, Karla is played by British actor
71:Karla is the central antagonist in
13:
665:
635:
374:
371:which becomes a recurring phrase.
148:; that as a boy Karla worked as a
110:'s television adaptations of both
14:
1309:
1025:The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
822:The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
597:
1252:
1251:
230:souring of Sino-Soviet relations
846:The NaĂŻve and Sentimental Lover
494:Film and television adaptations
187:of Russia, running networks of
726:
697:Risen, James (24 March 2003).
690:
1:
544:
517:Karla appears briefly in the
498:Karla appears briefly in the
581:Tinker, Tailor, soldier, Spy
300:Karla is first mentioned in
183:He next appeared during the
7:
243:. His wife, a student from
214:Secret Intelligence Service
10:
1314:
998:Agent Running in the Field
734:": Smiley's People (1982)"
583:. Hodder & Stoughton.
361:People's Republic of China
222:People's Republic of China
23:Character by John le Carré
15:
1247:
1222:
1166:
1116:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
1107:
1081:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
1016:
854:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
797:
532:
523:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
504:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
430:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
303:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
295:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
202:second Battle of Smolensk
112:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
74:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
862:The Honourable Schoolboy
672:le Carré., John (2011).
649:The Honourable Schoolboy
647:le Carré., John (2009).
617:le Carré., John (2009).
579:le Carré., John (2001).
525:as a voice, provided by
484:, whose obituary in the
416:
333:The Honourable Schoolboy
198:first Battle of Smolensk
80:The Honourable Schoolboy
56:. Karla is nominally an
1156:The Little Drummer Girl
1049:The Little Drummer Girl
878:The Little Drummer Girl
838:A Small Town in Germany
453:Appearance and identity
152:on a train in occupied
1298:Male literary villains
18:Karla (disambiguation)
1073:The Constant Gardener
1041:The Looking Glass War
942:The Constant Gardener
830:The Looking Glass War
328:inside Bill Haydon."
258:, he was arrested in
175:in Spain posing as a
173:Nationalist territory
1278:Fictional KGB agents
1065:The Tailor of Panama
926:The Tailor of Panama
676:. Penguin Classics.
519:2011 film adaptation
476:Real-life influences
326:the last little doll
1238:Smiley Versus Karla
1231:The Incongruous Spy
1140:A Murder of Quality
1097:Our Kind of Traitor
974:Our Kind of Traitor
934:Single & Single
814:A Murder of Quality
387:Great Patriotic War
126:Fictional biography
101:The Quest for Karla
96:Smiley Versus Karla
39:Soviet Intelligence
31:recurring character
902:The Secret Pilgrim
704:The New York Times
674:The Secret Pilgrim
424:The Secret Pilgrim
289:Role in the novels
171:, when he entered
158:Russo-Japanese War
141:and later for the
1265:
1264:
1148:The Night Manager
1089:A Most Wanted Man
1033:The Deadly Affair
990:A Legacy of Spies
966:A Most Wanted Man
910:The Night Manager
806:Call for the Dead
683:978-0-14-119636-7
658:978-0-340-99377-4
628:978-0-340-99378-1
590:978-0-340-73374-5
442:A Legacy of Spies
169:Spanish Civil War
93:edition entitled
1305:
1255:
1254:
1057:The Russia House
982:A Delicate Truth
958:The Mission Song
950:Absolute Friends
894:The Russia House
780:
773:
766:
757:
756:
750:
749:
747:
745:
738:BFI Screenonline
730:
724:
723:
721:
719:
694:
688:
687:
669:
663:
662:
644:
633:
632:
614:
595:
594:
576:
482:Rem Krassilnikov
353:money laundering
194:Yelnya Offensive
58:unseen character
33:in the works of
1313:
1312:
1308:
1307:
1306:
1304:
1303:
1302:
1268:
1267:
1266:
1261:
1243:
1218:
1214:Gerald Westerby
1162:
1124:Smiley's People
1103:
1012:
870:Smiley's People
793:
784:
754:
753:
743:
741:
732:
731:
727:
717:
715:
695:
691:
684:
670:
666:
659:
645:
636:
629:
619:Smiley's People
615:
598:
591:
577:
552:
547:
535:
512:Patrick Stewart
508:Smiley's People
502:adaptations of
496:
478:
455:
436:Smiley's People
419:
383:Smiley's People
379:
376:Smiley's People
336:
298:
291:
274:Smiley's People
185:German invasion
162:Alexander Orlov
128:
120:Patrick Stewart
116:Smiley's People
86:Smiley's People
24:
21:
12:
11:
5:
1311:
1301:
1300:
1295:
1290:
1285:
1280:
1263:
1262:
1260:
1259:
1248:
1245:
1244:
1242:
1241:
1234:
1226:
1224:
1220:
1219:
1217:
1216:
1211:
1206:
1201:
1196:
1191:
1186:
1181:
1179:Toby Esterhase
1176:
1170:
1168:
1164:
1163:
1161:
1160:
1152:
1144:
1136:
1128:
1120:
1111:
1109:
1105:
1104:
1102:
1101:
1093:
1085:
1077:
1069:
1061:
1053:
1045:
1037:
1029:
1020:
1018:
1014:
1013:
1011:
1010:
1002:
994:
986:
978:
970:
962:
954:
946:
938:
930:
922:
914:
906:
898:
890:
882:
874:
866:
858:
850:
842:
834:
826:
818:
810:
801:
799:
795:
794:
783:
782:
775:
768:
760:
752:
751:
725:
689:
682:
664:
657:
634:
627:
596:
589:
549:
548:
546:
543:
539:Carla's Dreams
534:
531:
495:
492:
487:New York Times
477:
474:
454:
451:
418:
415:
378:
373:
335:
330:
297:
292:
290:
287:
224:(according to
127:
124:
22:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1310:
1299:
1296:
1294:
1291:
1289:
1286:
1284:
1283:John le Carré
1281:
1279:
1276:
1275:
1273:
1258:
1250:
1249:
1246:
1240:
1239:
1235:
1233:
1232:
1228:
1227:
1225:
1223:Miscellaneous
1221:
1215:
1212:
1210:
1209:George Smiley
1207:
1205:
1202:
1200:
1197:
1195:
1192:
1190:
1187:
1185:
1184:Peter Guillam
1182:
1180:
1177:
1175:
1172:
1171:
1169:
1165:
1158:
1157:
1153:
1150:
1149:
1145:
1142:
1141:
1137:
1134:
1133:
1132:A Perfect Spy
1129:
1126:
1125:
1121:
1118:
1117:
1113:
1112:
1110:
1106:
1099:
1098:
1094:
1091:
1090:
1086:
1083:
1082:
1078:
1075:
1074:
1070:
1067:
1066:
1062:
1059:
1058:
1054:
1051:
1050:
1046:
1043:
1042:
1038:
1035:
1034:
1030:
1027:
1026:
1022:
1021:
1019:
1015:
1008:
1007:
1003:
1000:
999:
995:
992:
991:
987:
984:
983:
979:
976:
975:
971:
968:
967:
963:
960:
959:
955:
952:
951:
947:
944:
943:
939:
936:
935:
931:
928:
927:
923:
920:
919:
915:
912:
911:
907:
904:
903:
899:
896:
895:
891:
888:
887:
886:A Perfect Spy
883:
880:
879:
875:
872:
871:
867:
864:
863:
859:
856:
855:
851:
848:
847:
843:
840:
839:
835:
832:
831:
827:
824:
823:
819:
816:
815:
811:
808:
807:
803:
802:
800:
796:
792:
791:John le Carré
788:
781:
776:
774:
769:
767:
762:
761:
758:
739:
735:
729:
714:
710:
706:
705:
700:
693:
685:
679:
675:
668:
660:
654:
650:
643:
641:
639:
630:
624:
620:
613:
611:
609:
607:
605:
603:
601:
592:
586:
582:
575:
573:
571:
569:
567:
565:
563:
561:
559:
557:
555:
550:
542:
540:
530:
528:
527:Michael Sarne
524:
520:
515:
513:
509:
505:
501:
491:
489:
488:
483:
473:
471:
468:
467:chain smoking
464:
460:
450:
448:
447:Latin America
444:
443:
438:
437:
432:
431:
426:
425:
414:
411:
406:
402:
398:
396:
395:schizophrenia
392:
388:
384:
377:
372:
368:
366:
362:
358:
355:operation in
354:
348:
346:
341:
334:
329:
327:
321:
317:
313:
310:
305:
304:
296:
286:
284:
280:
276:
275:
268:
265:
264:Moscow Centre
261:
257:
256:United States
253:
248:
246:
242:
238:
233:
231:
227:
223:
219:
215:
211:
205:
203:
199:
195:
190:
186:
181:
178:
177:White Russian
174:
170:
165:
163:
159:
155:
151:
147:
144:
140:
137:
133:
132:Peter Guillam
123:
121:
117:
113:
109:
104:
102:
98:
97:
92:
88:
87:
82:
81:
76:
75:
69:
67:
63:
62:double agents
59:
55:
54:George Smiley
52:
48:
44:
43:Moscow Centre
40:
36:
35:John le Carré
32:
28:
19:
1236:
1229:
1204:Connie Sachs
1199:Jim Prideaux
1193:
1154:
1146:
1138:
1130:
1122:
1114:
1095:
1087:
1079:
1071:
1063:
1055:
1047:
1039:
1031:
1023:
1004:
996:
988:
980:
972:
964:
956:
948:
940:
932:
924:
916:
908:
900:
892:
884:
876:
868:
860:
852:
844:
836:
828:
820:
812:
804:
744:25 September
742:. Retrieved
737:
728:
718:26 September
716:. Retrieved
702:
692:
673:
667:
648:
618:
580:
536:
522:
516:
507:
503:
497:
485:
479:
456:
440:
434:
428:
422:
420:
407:
403:
399:
382:
380:
375:
369:
349:
340:Iron Curtain
337:
332:
322:
318:
314:
301:
299:
294:
272:
269:
249:
234:
226:Connie Sachs
206:
182:
166:
129:
115:
111:
105:
100:
94:
84:
78:
72:
70:
26:
25:
1189:Bill Haydon
651:. Sceptre.
621:. Sceptre.
410:West Berlin
210:Bill Haydon
196:during the
156:during the
150:kitchen boy
103:in the US.
51:protagonist
1272:Categories
1167:Characters
1108:Television
1006:Silverview
545:References
252:California
218:technocrat
143:Bolshevist
713:0362-4331
463:avuncular
260:New Delhi
245:Leningrad
200:, or the
189:partisans
66:code name
1257:Category
918:Our Game
139:Okhranka
1174:Control
459:ascetic
391:atheist
345:Vietnam
241:Siberia
220:in the
154:Siberia
136:Czarist
106:In the
91:omnibus
1159:(2018)
1151:(2016)
1143:(1991)
1135:(1987)
1127:(1982)
1119:(1979)
1100:(2016)
1092:(2014)
1084:(2011)
1076:(2005)
1068:(2001)
1060:(1990)
1052:(1984)
1044:(1970)
1036:(1967)
1028:(1965)
1009:(2021)
1001:(2019)
993:(2017)
985:(2013)
977:(2010)
969:(2008)
961:(2006)
953:(2003)
945:(2001)
937:(1999)
929:(1996)
921:(1995)
913:(1993)
905:(1990)
897:(1989)
889:(1986)
881:(1983)
873:(1979)
865:(1977)
857:(1974)
849:(1971)
841:(1968)
833:(1965)
825:(1963)
817:(1962)
809:(1961)
798:Novels
740:. 2011
711:
680:
655:
625:
587:
533:Legacy
470:Camels
237:Stalin
83:, and
1194:Karla
1017:Films
787:Works
417:Other
283:moles
146:Cheka
29:is a
27:Karla
746:2011
720:2011
709:ISSN
678:ISBN
653:ISBN
623:ISBN
585:ISBN
506:and
357:Laos
279:Kyiv
114:and
37:. A
789:by
521:of
500:BBC
381:In
365:CIA
309:CIA
232:).
204:).
108:BBC
99:or
47:KGB
1274::
736:.
707:.
701:.
637:^
599:^
553:^
541:.
514:.
472:.
397:.
347:.
285:.
77:,
779:e
772:t
765:v
748:.
722:.
686:.
661:.
631:.
593:.
324:"
20:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.