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438:, 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
423:
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:
415:
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
411:
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
317:
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,
326:
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,
277:
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
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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
334:
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
381:
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,"
361:
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
322:
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.
330:
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
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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.
202:
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
281:
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
374:. 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
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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.
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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
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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
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460:. 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.
75:. 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
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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
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424:
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.
258:, killed herself. However, Karla served his time and returned to intelligence work; the experience did nothing to dull his devotion to the Communist cause.
400:. 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
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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.
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In the aftermath of Haydon's exposure, Karla moves ruthlessly to arrest and execute those Circus agents behind the
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under the name "Gerstmann," Karla was unexpectedly caught when his radio codes were broken. Though he escaped the
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learning that Karla came to visit Prideaux in prison and showed him that he still had Smiley's lighter.
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Several real-life intelligence figures have been postulated as models for Karla, including KGB General
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to be both too smart and too fanatically devoted to his ideals to be trusted with his private scheme.
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145:. Among the rumours are that his father was a professional intelligence officer, first for the
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leads to the Americans seizing him as he attempts to escape to Hong Kong from mainland China.
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250:'s random purges of the Soviet military and intelligence organisations and sent to prison in
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Karla is described as a small, spare man in middle age with an extraordinary composure and
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prestige. He is proven right, as evidence of Haydon's refusal to investigate a possible
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judgement and cast any accusations he may make as the vengeance of a wronged husband.
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as the Thirteenth Directorate). He founded a special camp outside Moscow (towards
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who operates either through functionaries, hitmen, or by turning his enemies into
133:. Karla is only seen briefly in one scene in each production and does not speak.
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Much of Karla's history is unconfirmed rumour, passed by Smiley to his protégé
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thus Karla) to gain access to highly valuable intelligence from the American
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Karla does not appear again in le Carré's novels, except a brief mention in
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175:), which Smiley compares to "being taught music by a great composer."
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In his only personal appearance in the novels, Karla crosses into
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stated that his CIA opponents viewed him as a real-life Karla.
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views). Eventually, Tatiana began to demonstrate symptoms of
227:). At another time he recruited Nelson Ko, a high-ranking
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officer, he is the head of the Thirteenth Directorate of
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leads them to unmask Nelson Ko, Karla's mole inside the
548:
Karla inspired the name of the Moldovian music project
521:, though he does not speak in either. He is played by
100:, three novels which were later published as a single
79:
from that of the first spy network that he recruited.
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The first recorded Karla activities came during the
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710:"Rem Krassilnikov, Russian Bane of CIA, Dies at 76"
239:, Karla was one of the few Soviets to predict the
1299:Characters in British novels of the 20th century
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8:
472:habits. Smiley describes him as modest and
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60:, and the nemesis of le Carré's frequent
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354:non-Soviet countries, including one in
261:In 1951, while setting up a network in
1304:Literary characters introduced in 1974
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56:, le Carré's fictional version of the
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246:In 1948, Karla was snagged in one of
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27:For other fictional characters, see
129:, Karla is played by British actor
82:Karla is the central antagonist in
382:which becomes a recurring phrase.
159:; that as a boy Karla worked as a
121:'s television adaptations of both
25:
1036:The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
833:The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
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1262:
241:souring of Sino-Soviet relations
857:The NaĂŻve and Sentimental Lover
505:Film and television adaptations
198:of Russia, running networks of
708:Risen, James (24 March 2003).
1:
528:Karla appears briefly in the
509:Karla appears briefly in the
592:Tinker, Tailor, soldier, Spy
311:Karla is first mentioned in
194:He next appeared during the
254:. His wife, a student from
225:Secret Intelligence Service
18:Karla (fictional character)
1325:
1009:Agent Running in the Field
745:": Smiley's People (1982)"
594:. Hodder & Stoughton.
372:People's Republic of China
233:People's Republic of China
34:Character by John le Carré
26:
1258:
1127:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
1092:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
865:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
534:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
515:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
441:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
314:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
306:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
213:second Battle of Smolensk
123:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
85:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
873:The Honourable Schoolboy
683:le Carré., John (2011).
660:The Honourable Schoolboy
658:le Carré., John (2009).
628:le Carré., John (2009).
590:le Carré., John (2001).
536:as a voice, provided by
495:, whose obituary in the
344:The Honourable Schoolboy
209:first Battle of Smolensk
91:The Honourable Schoolboy
67:. Karla is nominally an
1167:The Little Drummer Girl
1060:The Little Drummer Girl
889:The Little Drummer Girl
849:A Small Town in Germany
464:Appearance and identity
163:on a train in occupied
1309:Male literary villains
385:
29:Karla (disambiguation)
1084:The Constant Gardener
1052:The Looking Glass War
953:The Constant Gardener
841:The Looking Glass War
339:inside Bill Haydon."
269:, he was arrested in
186:in Spain posing as a
184:Nationalist territory
1289:Fictional KGB agents
1076:The Tailor of Panama
937:The Tailor of Panama
687:. Penguin Classics.
530:2011 film adaptation
487:Real-life influences
337:the last little doll
1249:Smiley Versus Karla
1242:The Incongruous Spy
1151:A Murder of Quality
1108:Our Kind of Traitor
985:Our Kind of Traitor
945:Single & Single
825:A Murder of Quality
398:Great Patriotic War
137:Fictional biography
112:The Quest for Karla
107:Smiley Versus Karla
50:Soviet Intelligence
42:recurring character
913:The Secret Pilgrim
715:The New York Times
685:The Secret Pilgrim
435:The Secret Pilgrim
300:Role in the novels
182:, when he entered
169:Russo-Japanese War
152:and later for the
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1275:
1159:The Night Manager
1100:A Most Wanted Man
1044:The Deadly Affair
1001:A Legacy of Spies
977:A Most Wanted Man
921:The Night Manager
817:Call for the Dead
694:978-0-14-119636-7
669:978-0-340-99377-4
639:978-0-340-99378-1
601:978-0-340-73374-5
453:A Legacy of Spies
180:Spanish Civil War
104:edition entitled
16:(Redirected from
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993:A Delicate Truth
969:The Mission Song
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753:. Retrieved
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727:. Retrieved
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237:Connie Sachs
217:
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126:
122:
116:
111:
105:
95:
89:
83:
81:
37:
36:
1200:Bill Haydon
662:. Sceptre.
632:. Sceptre.
421:West Berlin
221:Bill Haydon
207:during the
167:during the
161:kitchen boy
114:in the US.
62:protagonist
1283:Categories
1178:Characters
1119:Television
1017:Silverview
556:References
263:California
229:technocrat
154:Bolshevist
724:0362-4331
474:avuncular
271:New Delhi
256:Leningrad
211:, or the
200:partisans
77:code name
1268:Category
929:Our Game
150:Okhranka
1185:Control
470:ascetic
402:atheist
356:Vietnam
252:Siberia
231:in the
165:Siberia
147:Czarist
117:In the
102:omnibus
1170:(2018)
1162:(2016)
1154:(1991)
1146:(1987)
1138:(1982)
1130:(1979)
1111:(2016)
1103:(2014)
1095:(2011)
1087:(2005)
1079:(2001)
1071:(1990)
1063:(1984)
1055:(1970)
1047:(1967)
1039:(1965)
1020:(2021)
1012:(2019)
1004:(2017)
996:(2013)
988:(2010)
980:(2008)
972:(2006)
964:(2003)
956:(2001)
948:(1999)
940:(1996)
932:(1995)
924:(1993)
916:(1990)
908:(1989)
900:(1986)
892:(1983)
884:(1979)
876:(1977)
868:(1974)
860:(1971)
852:(1968)
844:(1965)
836:(1963)
828:(1962)
820:(1961)
809:Novels
751:. 2011
722:
691:
666:
636:
598:
544:Legacy
481:Camels
248:Stalin
94:, and
1205:Karla
1028:Films
798:Works
428:Other
294:moles
157:Cheka
40:is a
38:Karla
757:2011
731:2011
720:ISSN
689:ISBN
664:ISBN
634:ISBN
596:ISBN
517:and
368:Laos
290:Kyiv
125:and
48:. A
800:by
532:of
511:BBC
392:In
376:CIA
320:CIA
243:).
215:).
119:BBC
110:or
58:KGB
1285::
747:.
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648:^
610:^
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88:,
790:e
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