John le Carré to gift his entire literary archive to the Bodleian Library

"John le Carré, one of the world's most celebrated authors, has offered his literary archive to Oxford's Bodleian Library with the intention that it should become its permanent home. Le Carré said, 'I am delighted to be able to do this. Oxford was Smiley's spiritual home, as it is mine. And while I have the greatest respect for American universities, the Bodleian is where I shall most happily rest.' Richard Ovenden, Keeper of Special Collections and Associate Director of the Bodleian Libraries said 'We are enormously grateful that John le Carré has made his archive available to the Bodleian. It is compelling primary evidence of a major cultural contribution to a literary genre and will offer scholars important insights into his work. We hope the collection will also be appreciated more widely, through exhibitions, seminars and conferences as well as through digitization initiatives.'"