John le Carre has earned worldwide acclaim with extraordinary spy novels, including "The Russia House," an unequivocal classic. Navigating readers through the shadow worlds of international espionage with critical knowledge culled from his years in British Intelligence, le Carre tracks the dark and devastating trail of a document that could profoundly alter the course of world events.In Moscow, a sheaf of military secrets changes hands. If it arrives at its destination, and if its import is understood, the consequences could be cataclysmic. Along the way it has an explosive impact on the lives of three people: a Soviet physicist burdened with secrets; a beautiful young Russian woman to whom the papers are entrusted; and Barley Blair, a bewildered English publisher pressed into service by British Intelligence to ferret out the document's source. A magnificent story of love, betrayal, and courage, "The Russia House" catches history in the act. For as the Iron Curtain begins to rust and crumble, Blair is left to sound a battle cry that may fall on deaf ears.

約翰•勒卡雷，原名大衛•康威爾（David Cornwell）。1931年生於英國。18歲便被英國軍方情報單位招募，擔任對東柏林的間諜工作；退役後在牛津大學攻讀現代語言，之後於伊頓公學教授法文與德文。1959年進入英國外交部，同時開始寫作。1963年以第三本著作《柏林諜影》一舉成名，知名小說傢格林如此盛贊：“這是我讀過的最好的間諜小說！”從此奠定文壇大師地位。迄今共著書22部，有3部入選美國推理作傢協會“十佳間諜小說”，4部入選“百佳犯罪推理小說”，獲奬無數，是這個領域當之無愧的王者。

勒卡雷是塑造人物的大師，筆下的特工主角喬治•史邁利已成為英國文學史上與福爾摩斯相媲美的經典形象。此外，因其作品具備深沉的道德關懷、生動的人性刻畫和高超的藝術手法，而被評論界稱為“在世最好的英語小說傢之一”。

勒卡雷既是“冷戰時代的小說傢”，也是當代一流的國際觀察傢，富有想像力的社會曆史學者。曾是阿拉法特的座上賓，小布什的批評者，至今仍以他清醒的洞見對當今世界發揮著影響力。