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The Complaisant Lover
A husband adjusts to his wife's lover.
An urbane "entertainment."
An urbane "entertainment."
93 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 28, 1961
7 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Graham Greene
812 books6,193 followersHenry Graham Greene was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century.
Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a reputation early in his lifetime as a major writer, both of serious Catholic novels, and of thrillers (or "entertainments" as he termed them). He was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times. Through 67 years of writing, which included over 25 novels, he explored the conflicting moral and political issues of the modern world. The Power and the Glory won the 1941 Hawthornden Prize and The Heart of the Matter won the 1948 James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Best of the James Tait Black. Greene was awarded the 1968 Shakespeare Prize and the 1981 Jerusalem Prize. Several of his stories have been filmed, some more than once, and he collaborated with filmmaker Carol Reed on The Fallen Idol (1948) and The Third Man (1949).
He converted to Catholicism in 1926 after meeting his future wife, Vivienne Dayrell-Browning. Later in life he took to calling himself a "Catholic agnostic". He died in 1991, aged 86, of leukemia, and was buried in Corseaux cemetery in Switzerland. William Golding called Greene "the ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man's consciousness and anxiety".
Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a reputation early in his lifetime as a major writer, both of serious Catholic novels, and of thrillers (or "entertainments" as he termed them). He was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times. Through 67 years of writing, which included over 25 novels, he explored the conflicting moral and political issues of the modern world. The Power and the Glory won the 1941 Hawthornden Prize and The Heart of the Matter won the 1948 James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Best of the James Tait Black. Greene was awarded the 1968 Shakespeare Prize and the 1981 Jerusalem Prize. Several of his stories have been filmed, some more than once, and he collaborated with filmmaker Carol Reed on The Fallen Idol (1948) and The Third Man (1949).
He converted to Catholicism in 1926 after meeting his future wife, Vivienne Dayrell-Browning. Later in life he took to calling himself a "Catholic agnostic". He died in 1991, aged 86, of leukemia, and was buried in Corseaux cemetery in Switzerland. William Golding called Greene "the ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man's consciousness and anxiety".
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 6, 2018
Greene's funny and perceptive version of the menage a trois. A forgotten comedy that should be revived. A huge hit in London, it only had a modest Bwy run, though critic Walter Kerr cheered. A dentist-husband learns that his wife (mother of 2) has a book-dealer lover. However, "When you're in love, you don't have secrets." As one character says: "The trouble about marriage is, it's a damned boring condition, even with a lover." Noel Coward's "Design for Living" was about bisexuality. Greene's play is about marriage and the dulling business of children, paying bills, hosting, being supportive. After 5 years the "pleasure" is gone. (Nowadays, many ask why marry at all, unless there's a money pot there, or special trophy status).
The moral : we should all be good sports. Now let's uncork the champagne.
The moral : we should all be good sports. Now let's uncork the champagne.
November 20, 2020
THE COMPLAISANT LOVER (Wobbe A39, Wise A37)
I enjoyed this play far more than I thought I would. I suppose, for its time, this open discussion of an open marriage must have been quite remarkable. Then again, maybe the British were also learning that getting things out in the open was better than keeping them hidden. In any case, it was a fun and easy read.
The first British was published by Heinemann in London on June 2, 1959, and I have a fine copy (except for a previous owner’s neat signature on the front end paper) in a very good dust jacket (sunned on the cover and the spine – although it does not comply with Wobbe’s first ed. dj, because he says the first dj has reviews of Greene’s three plays on the black, and mine has a list of Heinemann’s plays on the black, including The Potting Shed and The Living Room. The play itself was first produced by Sir John Gielgud at the Globe Theatre, London, on June 18, 1859, starring Ralph Richardson (as Victor) and Paul Scofield (as Clive). I have a copy of the program too.
The first U.S. edition by Viking was published in 1961. My copy is fine in a fine dj. It was first produced in the U.S. on November 1, 1961, at the Ethel Barrymore Theater, starring Sir Michael Redgrave (as Victor Rhodes), Sandy Dennis (as Ann Howard), and Richard Johnson (as Clive Root).
I enjoyed this play far more than I thought I would. I suppose, for its time, this open discussion of an open marriage must have been quite remarkable. Then again, maybe the British were also learning that getting things out in the open was better than keeping them hidden. In any case, it was a fun and easy read.
The first British was published by Heinemann in London on June 2, 1959, and I have a fine copy (except for a previous owner’s neat signature on the front end paper) in a very good dust jacket (sunned on the cover and the spine – although it does not comply with Wobbe’s first ed. dj, because he says the first dj has reviews of Greene’s three plays on the black, and mine has a list of Heinemann’s plays on the black, including The Potting Shed and The Living Room. The play itself was first produced by Sir John Gielgud at the Globe Theatre, London, on June 18, 1859, starring Ralph Richardson (as Victor) and Paul Scofield (as Clive). I have a copy of the program too.
The first U.S. edition by Viking was published in 1961. My copy is fine in a fine dj. It was first produced in the U.S. on November 1, 1961, at the Ethel Barrymore Theater, starring Sir Michael Redgrave (as Victor Rhodes), Sandy Dennis (as Ann Howard), and Richard Johnson (as Clive Root).
December 10, 2023
Graham Greene’s plays may not be on a par with his best novels but I rather enjoy them. The Complaisant Lover is a product of the 1950s, in some ways very dated and het, the themes are as alive today as ever.
This is a play about the limitations of love, its ability to change us and change itself. A small cast of characters and modest settings are allGreene requires to reveal nis thoughts on the subject.
Ralph Richardson played the cuckolded male lead in the original stage production at the Globe Theatre, London on 18 June 1959. I would have loved to see what he made of the part.
This is a play about the limitations of love, its ability to change us and change itself. A small cast of characters and modest settings are allGreene requires to reveal nis thoughts on the subject.
Ralph Richardson played the cuckolded male lead in the original stage production at the Globe Theatre, London on 18 June 1959. I would have loved to see what he made of the part.
December 17, 2020
This is a fun little play by one of my favourite authors and so I was always going to enjoy it. Sure, it’s based around a love triangle and that’s one of my least favourite tropes, but I don’t think that really hampered my enjoyment just because Greene’s writing is fantastic and he’s been a firm favourite for many years.
Would I recommend it? Of course, Graham Greene is great. And besides, it’s a good play.
Would I recommend it? Of course, Graham Greene is great. And besides, it’s a good play.
June 2, 2025
An update of Noel Coward-type frankness about infidelity, with a subtle balance of comedy, satire, and poignant drama that reminded me of Terence Rattigan. Open marriage was pretty scandalous to broach on the stage in the 1950s, but more possible than film where it would’ve been map made so oblique if not nixed altogether. Greene is best known for his novels, as he should be—they’re amazing, some of my favorite standbys—but his few plays deserve a wider readership. Time for revivals!
December 18, 2022
A two act drama about a modern (1959) English love triangle. Victor and Mary have been married 16 years and have two children. They live in an upper middle class home in London. Clive owns an antiquarian book shop in London. Clive and Mary are having an affair. Clive wants to marry Mary but she can't leave her children. She is happy with the current situation.
March 17, 2023
It was too short, but I really enjoyed it. I've now read two stories by Graham Greene and they both hit me just right. Everyday people, 50 cent (pence?) words, basic human situations- perhaps it's the voyeur in me. Maybe the rest of his books are not like this, but it is enough to make me want to find out. Honestly, just as this one was coming to an end, I wanted to know what they were going to do next, and that is what a good writer does.
July 30, 2020
Fun fact: Gene Wilder player a small role in the original production of this play.
January 26, 2026
(Borrowed from the Lincoln Center Library) I've been on a kick to read obscure plays from the Lincoln Center library lately. I was curious how Greene, a master of the short story and novel, did with theater. This is a sad-funny drawing room comedy where everyone has cocktails and is a jolly good sport about affairs and such. The attitudes towards sex and marriage are pretty dated. A woman no longer has sex with her dentist husband but she still loves him. So she carries on an affair with a younger book-seller. The trouble starts when the affair is discovered after some funny stuff in an Amsterdam hotel room (Gene Wilder played the Dutch bellboy on Broadway and must have been a riot). The wife wants to have her cake and eat it too. (She even says so.) She craves carnal excitement with the lover, but clings to the domestic security of hubby though dentistry and his practical jokes bore her to tears. She claims marriage would kill the thrill if she left the dentist and married the book-seller. Eventually she'd get bored with his books. I could see where this play would garner some laughs, but it belongs in the 1950s, though it premiered on Broadway in 1961.
December 31, 2015
"Love? My dear, that's a thing one can sometimes say after bed, but never before."
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews