The Other Man: Conversations with Graham Greene

by Graham Greene, Marie-Françoise Allain

In conversation with Marie-Francoise Allain - the daughter of a late friend of Greene's - Graham Greene reveals part of the hidden Greene, a side of himself usually only glimpsed in his novels. [From the blurb on back wrapper]

Genres: Biography

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1983

About the author

Henry 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".

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I were not reading everything written by Graham Greene in chronological order in one year, I would never have read this book – and I would have missed a delightful and in-depth conversation between Greene and the book’s author. It is both intimate and testy – vintage Greene. The author is a journalist and the quite beautiful daughter of one of Greene’s good friends, Yves Allain (leader of the French Resistance). For both reasons, I suspect that is why he granted her these extended interviews.
Each of the chapters gives Allain’s summary views about Greene and a certain subject. Then she poses the questions and he answers. Sometimes he goes into depth, i.e. “Why did you go to Cuba?” Greene goes on for two pages. For other questions, he answers with a word or two. Sometimes, he argues.
For a quick look into the mind of Graham Greene, this is a good place to start. For me, it was actually more intimate and revealing that the 2,200-page official biography by Norman Sherry which leaves one stupefied by boring detail.

[Davis Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book rules, a great and fascinating conversation with one of my favorite authors. Dips into discussion over religion, politics, travel, geopolitical issues of his time. Really wonderful and fun to read.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

برای شناخت شخصیت و آثار گراهام گرین، "مردی دیگر" اثر "ماری فرانسواز آلن"، توصیفی ست چند بعدی و گویا؛ مصاحبه ای روان شناختی در شناساندن نویسنده ای پیچیده و افسونگر. گویا این کتاب را خانم فرزانه ی طاهری به فارسی برگردانده. این برگردان را ندیده ام اما خواندن توام با دقت کتاب را به علاقمندان توصیه می کنم.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was both enjoyable and frustrating at the same time. Sometimes a hero is best left not revealing too much, and discovering his Russian Roulette game was almost what finished me on Greene. However the myth grew and his novels stand the test of time.