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Twenty-one Stories
In 'The Basement Room' a small boy witnesses an event that blights his whole life. Like the other stories in this book (written between 1929 and 1954), it hinges on the themes that dominate Graham Greene's novels - fear, pity and violence, pursuit, betrayal and man's restless search for salvation.
Some of the stories are comic - poor Mr. Maling's stomach mysteriously broadcasts all sorts of sounds; others are wryly sad - a youthful indiscretion catches up with Mr. Carter in 'The Blue Film.' They can be deeply shocking: in 'The Destructors' a gang of children systematically destroys a man's house. Yet others are hauntingly tragic - a strange relationship between twins that reaches its climax at a children's party. Whatever the mood, each one is a compelling entertainment and unmistakably the work of one of the finest storytellers of the century.
Contents
- The Destructors
- Special Duties
- The Blue Film
- The Hint of an Explanation
- When Greek Meets Greek
- Men at Work
- Alas, Poor Maling
- The Case for the Defence
- A Little Place off the Edgware Road
- Across the Bridge
- A Drive in the Country
- The Innocent
- The Basement Room
- A Chance for Mr Lever
- Brother
- Jubilee
- A Day Saved
- I Spy
- Proof Positive
- The Second Death
- The End of the Party
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1954
742 people are currently reading
1401 people want to read
About the author
Graham Greene
802 books6,130 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 - 30 of 180 reviews
March 14, 2022
I had not read most of the stories in this collection for decades, but it was delight to do so now. I had forgotten that the grim Greene that love for his brooding grimness also had a sense of humor, but some of these stories are also of a piece with the themes of his greatest novels. This is Graham Greene’s first short story collection (1954), including stories written between 1929 and 1954. A few are very slight, and a couple are among the greatest short stories in the English language. These are my favorites, beginning with stories of childhood/youth, stories of isolated children facing the dark world of adulthood:
*****-- "The Destructors,” which I reviewed separately, is about a middle school “gang’ in post-blitz London that systematically destroys the one remaining house--and beautiful, designed by the architect Christopher Wren!!--in a neighborhood while its owner is on holiday. Shocking, dystopian horror, sort of black comedy. My fave in the collection, as it just haunts me with shudders.
*****--”The Basement Room” is about a seven-year-old being watched by caretakers for a month when his parents are on holiday; during this time he encounters a conflict between his caretakers that changes his life forever. Powerful and dramatic view of the end of innocence.
***--”I Spy,” another story of an isolated child encountering something confusing in the night, his father being taken away during the blitz by two men, as the boy hides in his father’s downstairs smokeshop, where he had been intending to steal his first puff on a cigarette. Just a vignette, but it is a powerful image of the adult world intruding on childhood. It captures a certain bleak, lonely tone about childhood akin to The Basement Room.
****--”The End of the Party” is one of the three or four best, about two twins forced to go to a birthday party and play hide-n-seek in the dark, which terrifies one of them to death (yep)
****--A Drive in the Country is about a late teen girl who escapes in a stolen car with her boyfriend who she discovers wants to kill them both in a suicide pact (okay, I’ll tell you, she escapes, but
A funny short bit:
***--Alas, Poor Mailing is about a man whose stomach mimics sounds, such as an air raid siren. Yes, weird.
****-- When Greek Meets Greek is another even funnier one that feels very contemporary with a focus on mail-order college diplomas. Scammers during the war figure out how to get money from people for diplomas from Oxford, but not THAT Oxford, silly. That would be fraud! I also found on line a radio adaptation featuring Laurence Olivier that is stiff-upper-lip drolly funny:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_4Ae...
There are a few bleak stories, such as: “Across From the Bridge,” which has characters viewing a (bleak) American border town across the river from a (bleak) Mexican town, ending in this item of Greene philosophy, speaking of “. . . a human being’s capacity for self-deception, our baseless optimism that is so much more appalling than our despair.”
A (cynical) writer for our times? Back to comic books, Davey boy!
*****-- "The Destructors,” which I reviewed separately, is about a middle school “gang’ in post-blitz London that systematically destroys the one remaining house--and beautiful, designed by the architect Christopher Wren!!--in a neighborhood while its owner is on holiday. Shocking, dystopian horror, sort of black comedy. My fave in the collection, as it just haunts me with shudders.
*****--”The Basement Room” is about a seven-year-old being watched by caretakers for a month when his parents are on holiday; during this time he encounters a conflict between his caretakers that changes his life forever. Powerful and dramatic view of the end of innocence.
***--”I Spy,” another story of an isolated child encountering something confusing in the night, his father being taken away during the blitz by two men, as the boy hides in his father’s downstairs smokeshop, where he had been intending to steal his first puff on a cigarette. Just a vignette, but it is a powerful image of the adult world intruding on childhood. It captures a certain bleak, lonely tone about childhood akin to The Basement Room.
****--”The End of the Party” is one of the three or four best, about two twins forced to go to a birthday party and play hide-n-seek in the dark, which terrifies one of them to death (yep)
****--A Drive in the Country is about a late teen girl who escapes in a stolen car with her boyfriend who she discovers wants to kill them both in a suicide pact (okay, I’ll tell you, she escapes, but
A funny short bit:
***--Alas, Poor Mailing is about a man whose stomach mimics sounds, such as an air raid siren. Yes, weird.
****-- When Greek Meets Greek is another even funnier one that feels very contemporary with a focus on mail-order college diplomas. Scammers during the war figure out how to get money from people for diplomas from Oxford, but not THAT Oxford, silly. That would be fraud! I also found on line a radio adaptation featuring Laurence Olivier that is stiff-upper-lip drolly funny:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_4Ae...
There are a few bleak stories, such as: “Across From the Bridge,” which has characters viewing a (bleak) American border town across the river from a (bleak) Mexican town, ending in this item of Greene philosophy, speaking of “. . . a human being’s capacity for self-deception, our baseless optimism that is so much more appalling than our despair.”
A (cynical) writer for our times? Back to comic books, Davey boy!
November 2, 2022
Is alienation life?
I’ve certainly admired some of Greene’s work before and I don’t want to start my review by saying that these stories are bad. Not at all. But reviewers have to give an honest picture of what they felt as they read. I did not feel very good about these stories. I’m not aware of Greene’s life; I don’t know what he went through as he grew up, but it seemed to me as I read that he must have received a very dismal view of the world from nuns. Perhaps I’m wrong, but in any case the feeling I got from this bunch of trying, negative stories was not kind or upbeat. The characters never find peace, though there’s often some sad humor about them. What about “The Destructors”? It’s a story, not quite realistic, about a gang of kids that destroy a damaged house in post-WW II London while the owner is away on a short vacation. They do this for fun, not out of any enmity. In “Special Duties”, a rich man’s secretary, hired to acquire indulgences from the Church at Catholic places of worship around London, betrays him. Again, it’s a bit fantastic, but a dismal picture of human nature. In “The Blue Film” a married couple traveling in Bangkok go to see a blue film in a sleazy hut. It turns out the husband is the actor. The wife is shocked but turned on at the same time. The husband recalls his co-actor with love. “Everything is not what it seems, but more disappointing than you thought” seems to be the overarching motto here.
If you’re feeling upbeat because Covid is fading away or because the Russian army is not what it was thought to be, then these stories could put you back down on Gloomy Street. Dissatisfaction and a funereal view of the world run rampant. In “The Innocent”, a man returns to his childhood village in England with a prostitute in tow. He wanders about reminiscing, remembering his first, childish love, and finds a strange memento. In one a small boy sees a murder in his basement and never gets over it, in another, one of twins dies of fear during a game of hide and seek at a kids’ party. On and on. I’m not about to report on every single story of the twenty-one. Some are better than others because a few were written in his twenties and his talent grew as he aged. Alienation from other people, alienation from life, and the hopelessness of the human condition run through these stories. Even the humorous stories smack of Eeyore. I’d say that I’m hardly a cockeyed optimist, but these tales of unhappy existence could get anyone down. They’re well-written tales, though. If your take on life is more pessimistic than mine, you might want to award “Twenty-One Stories” more stars. I think three are enough.
I’ve certainly admired some of Greene’s work before and I don’t want to start my review by saying that these stories are bad. Not at all. But reviewers have to give an honest picture of what they felt as they read. I did not feel very good about these stories. I’m not aware of Greene’s life; I don’t know what he went through as he grew up, but it seemed to me as I read that he must have received a very dismal view of the world from nuns. Perhaps I’m wrong, but in any case the feeling I got from this bunch of trying, negative stories was not kind or upbeat. The characters never find peace, though there’s often some sad humor about them. What about “The Destructors”? It’s a story, not quite realistic, about a gang of kids that destroy a damaged house in post-WW II London while the owner is away on a short vacation. They do this for fun, not out of any enmity. In “Special Duties”, a rich man’s secretary, hired to acquire indulgences from the Church at Catholic places of worship around London, betrays him. Again, it’s a bit fantastic, but a dismal picture of human nature. In “The Blue Film” a married couple traveling in Bangkok go to see a blue film in a sleazy hut. It turns out the husband is the actor. The wife is shocked but turned on at the same time. The husband recalls his co-actor with love. “Everything is not what it seems, but more disappointing than you thought” seems to be the overarching motto here.
If you’re feeling upbeat because Covid is fading away or because the Russian army is not what it was thought to be, then these stories could put you back down on Gloomy Street. Dissatisfaction and a funereal view of the world run rampant. In “The Innocent”, a man returns to his childhood village in England with a prostitute in tow. He wanders about reminiscing, remembering his first, childish love, and finds a strange memento. In one a small boy sees a murder in his basement and never gets over it, in another, one of twins dies of fear during a game of hide and seek at a kids’ party. On and on. I’m not about to report on every single story of the twenty-one. Some are better than others because a few were written in his twenties and his talent grew as he aged. Alienation from other people, alienation from life, and the hopelessness of the human condition run through these stories. Even the humorous stories smack of Eeyore. I’d say that I’m hardly a cockeyed optimist, but these tales of unhappy existence could get anyone down. They’re well-written tales, though. If your take on life is more pessimistic than mine, you might want to award “Twenty-One Stories” more stars. I think three are enough.
December 30, 2012
Graham Greene is one author whose work I read mostly when I was younger. For some reason, I had read most of his novels, but bypassed his short stories. I see now that was a mistake. Twenty-One Stories is an excellent collection. Greene is no stranger to the feeling of dread which seems to suffuse so many of these tales, most especially his creepy 1936 story "The Basement Room," in which we see a child retreat into fear when dealing with the confidences of adults, which are beyond his ability to understand. In the most recent story, "The Destructors," written in 1954, a gang of children literally demolish a house that has somehow survived the German bombs.
Even the less successful stories take on interesting twists, at times with a macabre sense of humor, such as "A Chance for Mr. Lever," set in West Africa, or "Jubilee," in which an old ladies' man gets his come-uppance.
With the disappearance of so many magazines, I get the feeling that short stories are gradually vanishing from the literary landscape. That would be a pity. During their relatively short heyday, there have been so many great ones -- some of which can be found in this excellent collection.
Even the less successful stories take on interesting twists, at times with a macabre sense of humor, such as "A Chance for Mr. Lever," set in West Africa, or "Jubilee," in which an old ladies' man gets his come-uppance.
With the disappearance of so many magazines, I get the feeling that short stories are gradually vanishing from the literary landscape. That would be a pity. During their relatively short heyday, there have been so many great ones -- some of which can be found in this excellent collection.
March 1, 2023
My favourite story here is "Across the Bridge". It's a gringo on the run in Latin America story, which can get tiring, but Greene does it better than most. Greene's narrator meets the protagonist and then tells us his story in a detached, unreliable way. Greene learnt this technique from Conrad's "Lord Jim." The main problem the narrator has with the conman protagonist, is that he mistreats his dog. Life in the local plaza is well-captured, but Greene concerns himself more with plot than the Mexican setting.
"The Basement Room' filmed as the "The Fallen Idol" is also excellent. I'm happy that the movies "Across the Bridge and "The Fallen Idol" have good reviews. I thought I'd seen all the good Graham Greene film adaptions already.
"The Destructors" reminded me of Robert Westall's "The Machine Gunners". Beyond that, the stories, many of them about Catholic doubts and childhood fears, range from good to average.
Update: the movie "Across the Bridge" starts with Greene's idea and develops it. Could have been a great novel. Rod Steiger plays the conman. He must be one of the few American actors to star in movies as a German (Over the Bridge) and as an Italian (Last Days of Mussolini).
"The Basement Room' filmed as the "The Fallen Idol" is also excellent. I'm happy that the movies "Across the Bridge and "The Fallen Idol" have good reviews. I thought I'd seen all the good Graham Greene film adaptions already.
"The Destructors" reminded me of Robert Westall's "The Machine Gunners". Beyond that, the stories, many of them about Catholic doubts and childhood fears, range from good to average.
Update: the movie "Across the Bridge" starts with Greene's idea and develops it. Could have been a great novel. Rod Steiger plays the conman. He must be one of the few American actors to star in movies as a German (Over the Bridge) and as an Italian (Last Days of Mussolini).
December 3, 2024
Разказвачът Греъм Грийн
Тайни агенти в Хавана и Сайгон, предателства, любовни афери, католическо чувство за вина и страх от смъртта. Това са някои от героите, локациите и темите в книгите на Греъм Грийн, простиращи се в близо шест десетилетия, винаги на границата между развлечението и сериозната литература. Добре приет у нас с романите си, Грийн е автор на почти една дузина сборници с кратки разкази, които не са излизали досега. Един от най-значимите в кариерата му е „Двайсет и един разказа“, който издателство „Кръг“ представя за първи път на българските читатели в превод на Иглика Василева.
Сборникът (1954 г.) започва с три късни разказа, които не са публикувани дотогава: „Синият филм“, „Специални задължения“ и „Разрушителите“. По стечение на обстоятелствата те са едни от най-добрите в книгата. Така, обратно на хронологичната подредба, читателят се уверява в развитието на Грийн като писател, в неговата ефективна пестеливост и способност за внушаване на множество значения. Апотеоз на всичко това е първият разказ, „Разрушителите“ – безпощаден поглед към следвоенна Англия и отмъстителната ярост на младото поколение.
Банда хлапета с неохота приемат за нов член Тревър – син на архитект от по-висшата класа, който ги печели с плана си да унищожат 200-годишна къща, оцеляла по време на лондонския блицкриг. Къщата принадлежи на отсъстващия за няколко дни възрастен господин Томас и малките хулигани се захващат за работа. Влизат с чукове и триони и разглобяват сградата греда по греда. Откриват пари, но ги изгарят. На въпрос защо мрази собственика, Тревър отговаря: Изобщо не го мразя. Нямаше да е такъв кеф, ако го мразех. Цялата тая работа с любов и омраза, тя е дрън-дрън за лигльовци. Съществуват само неща, Блеки. Това сляпо отмъщение може да се разтълкува като бунт към бащата, като бунт към английския империализъм, но и като естествено последствие от войната. Благодарение на отстраненото писане на Грийн развитието изглежда едновременно безмилостно и неизбежно, а за допълнително объркване разказът завършва с репликата: Нищо лично, но трябва да признаете, че е смешно.
„Синият филм“ ни отвежда в Тайланд, където млада двойка отива на кино от скука, за да гледа „френски филми“. В единия жената разпознава съпруга си в еротична сцена, но като много млад. Отвратена от него, тя му задава въпроси, които причиняват разрив в отношенията им. Пропит от самота и съжаление, на фона на екзотична локация, този разказ ни подсказва, че е писан по времето на романа „Тихият американец“. В сборника е поместен и разказът „Стаята в сутерена“ – екранизиран през 1948 г. от Карол Рийд, който година по-късно снима и „Третият човек“, отново по Грийн, обвързвайки завинаги английския писател с канона на голямото кино,
„Уви, бедни Мейлинг“ е хумористичен по чеховски. В него въпросният Мейлинг (безобиден и безрезултатен) се оплаква от чувствителен стомах, който възпроизвежда някои звуци, достигнали до него: концертна музика, тракане на пишеща машина или сигнала за въздушна тревога. Грийн пише разказа с цел да повдигне духа на войниците по време на войната. С подобна цел е замислен и „Краят на партито“, който през метафората за детски рожден ден описва смразяващите последици от посттравматичния стрес.
Повлиян като млад от Хенри Райдър Хагард, а по-късно от Джоузеф Конрад и Хенри Джеймс, Грийн е по-близо като статус до първия. Според Антъни Бърджес не е от значимите писатели, макар да притежава усет към построяването на добър сюжет. Ивлин Уо, вероятно поради приятелството си с Грийн, е по-благосклонен и изтъква неговата чистота в прозата, която не разсейва читателя. Днес, тридесет години след смъртта му, Грийн изглежда все така неуловим.
Този очарователен и развлекателен автор, в чиито книги се прокрадват пророчески геополитически прогнози и теологични размишления, озадачава критиката с разнообразното си творчество. Историите, побрани в настоящия том, свидетелстват за широк спектър от теми и настроения и преди всичко за любовта му към интригата. Краткият формат му позволява да завърже умело възела на сюжета и да изненада с неочакван финал. Ако Греъм Грийн беше написал повече разкази, вероятно щеше да бъде запомнен като един от майсторите в жанра.
Тайни агенти в Хавана и Сайгон, предателства, любовни афери, католическо чувство за вина и страх от смъртта. Това са някои от героите, локациите и темите в книгите на Греъм Грийн, простиращи се в близо шест десетилетия, винаги на границата между развлечението и сериозната литература. Добре приет у нас с романите си, Грийн е автор на почти една дузина сборници с кратки разкази, които не са излизали досега. Един от най-значимите в кариерата му е „Двайсет и един разказа“, който издателство „Кръг“ представя за първи път на българските читатели в превод на Иглика Василева.
Сборникът (1954 г.) започва с три късни разказа, които не са публикувани дотогава: „Синият филм“, „Специални задължения“ и „Разрушителите“. По стечение на обстоятелствата те са едни от най-добрите в книгата. Така, обратно на хронологичната подредба, читателят се уверява в развитието на Грийн като писател, в неговата ефективна пестеливост и способност за внушаване на множество значения. Апотеоз на всичко това е първият разказ, „Разрушителите“ – безпощаден поглед към следвоенна Англия и отмъстителната ярост на младото поколение.
Банда хлапета с неохота приемат за нов член Тревър – син на архитект от по-висшата класа, който ги печели с плана си да унищожат 200-годишна къща, оцеляла по време на лондонския блицкриг. Къщата принадлежи на отсъстващия за няколко дни възрастен господин Томас и малките хулигани се захващат за работа. Влизат с чукове и триони и разглобяват сградата греда по греда. Откриват пари, но ги изгарят. На въпрос защо мрази собственика, Тревър отговаря: Изобщо не го мразя. Нямаше да е такъв кеф, ако го мразех. Цялата тая работа с любов и омраза, тя е дрън-дрън за лигльовци. Съществуват само неща, Блеки. Това сляпо отмъщение може да се разтълкува като бунт към бащата, като бунт към английския империализъм, но и като естествено последствие от войната. Благодарение на отстраненото писане на Грийн развитието изглежда едновременно безмилостно и неизбежно, а за допълнително объркване разказът завършва с репликата: Нищо лично, но трябва да признаете, че е смешно.
„Синият филм“ ни отвежда в Тайланд, където млада двойка отива на кино от скука, за да гледа „френски филми“. В единия жената разпознава съпруга си в еротична сцена, но като много млад. Отвратена от него, тя му задава въпроси, които причиняват разрив в отношенията им. Пропит от самота и съжаление, на фона на екзотична локация, този разказ ни подсказва, че е писан по времето на романа „Тихият американец“. В сборника е поместен и разказът „Стаята в сутерена“ – екранизиран през 1948 г. от Карол Рийд, който година по-късно снима и „Третият човек“, отново по Грийн, обвързвайки завинаги английския писател с канона на голямото кино,
„Уви, бедни Мейлинг“ е хумористичен по чеховски. В него въпросният Мейлинг (безобиден и безрезултатен) се оплаква от чувствителен стомах, който възпроизвежда някои звуци, достигнали до него: концертна музика, тракане на пишеща машина или сигнала за въздушна тревога. Грийн пише разказа с цел да повдигне духа на войниците по време на войната. С подобна цел е замислен и „Краят на партито“, който през метафората за детски рожден ден описва смразяващите последици от посттравматичния стрес.
Повлиян като млад от Хенри Райдър Хагард, а по-късно от Джоузеф Конрад и Хенри Джеймс, Грийн е по-близо като статус до първия. Според Антъни Бърджес не е от значимите писатели, макар да притежава усет към построяването на добър сюжет. Ивлин Уо, вероятно поради приятелството си с Грийн, е по-благосклонен и изтъква неговата чистота в прозата, която не разсейва читателя. Днес, тридесет години след смъртта му, Грийн изглежда все така неуловим.
Този очарователен и развлекателен автор, в чиито книги се прокрадват пророчески геополитически прогнози и теологични размишления, озадачава критиката с разнообразното си творчество. Историите, побрани в настоящия том, свидетелстват за широк спектър от теми и настроения и преди всичко за любовта му към интригата. Краткият формат му позволява да завърже умело възела на сюжета и да изненада с неочакван финал. Ако Греъм Грийн беше написал повече разкази, вероятно щеше да бъде запомнен като един от майсторите в жанра.
August 29, 2020
I tend to prefer Greene as a short story writer over novelist. In a small length of narrative, Greene is hue his proselytisations on the inter-weavings of morality and faith into more artistic directions. For example, The Destructors is one of the meanest stories I have ever read in literature, partly because of the degree to which Greene commits to the premise of it, and the objectivity of the narration that it is presented with. The length of the narrative is also smaller, so one cannot get lost in the banality or simplicity of his prose. As for the presentation, the idea of a gang of teenagers completely demolishing a man's house because he's a curmudgeon is a little farcical, but once again, because Green goes for it, and never doubts himself, the tension can keep the hair standing on your skin long after you have finished reading.
Don't read Greene for formal innovation, or for breathless energy. Remember that he is a literary writer with a background in crime literature, and that the impact of his stories come not from the heart, nor the mind, but from the belly.
Don't read Greene for formal innovation, or for breathless energy. Remember that he is a literary writer with a background in crime literature, and that the impact of his stories come not from the heart, nor the mind, but from the belly.
January 29, 2017
Apsolutno sam navučena na ovog čovjeka.
Ne čitam često kratke priče, ali ove nisam mogla preskočiti i drago mi je da nisam. Sjajan humor, neobične priče, neobični ljudi i njihove često tragične sudbine.
Ne čitam često kratke priče, ali ove nisam mogla preskočiti i drago mi je da nisam. Sjajan humor, neobične priče, neobični ljudi i njihove često tragične sudbine.
February 3, 2010
I don't know what it is, or has been, with me and short stories, but for some reason I have far less patience with them than I do novels, even long ones. I think I'm breaking down those barriers or biases, gradually, and I think this collection by Greene is helping me. Reading Alan Sillitoe's great collection last year, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner was a big step for me; the stories were grim, true, flavorful and deeply affecting. Greene, at first, seems a bit too matter-of-fact and middlebrow, but as I progress through this collection there's an incredible accumulation of profundity, and his writing is masterly. I love his novels, of course. Perhaps the shortest story in this, "The Innocent," is the one most affecting to me. It's simply a story about a man going back to the town of his childhood, and experiencing all the memories and emotions as he looks for places and landmarks he remembered. In his story, "A Drive in the Country" -- in which a woman steals off with her lover, unaware that he has planned their suicide pact -- I think he better encapsulates the contradictions that mark womanhood, at least as seen by men, better than I've ever stated in so short a space: "He had always wanted this: the dark field, the weapon in his pocket, the escape and the gamble; but she less honestly had wanted a little of both worlds: irresponsibility and a safe love, danger and a secure heart."
The tales are full of irony and sadness; the characters are often anonymous civil servants, people satisfied in small comforts and beliefs. There's even an elegant horror story, "A Little Place Off the Edgware Road." Also, there's the amusing and frivolous: "Alas, Poor Maling," about a guy whose stomach echoes sounds like a parrot. "Across the Bridge" is classic Greene, an observer remarking on the bizarre tale of a con man on the lam and in exile amid the ennui of a dusty Mexican border town. I haven't gotten to the longest story yet, "The Basement Room," the basis for a masterful 1949 Carol Reed film called The Fallen Idol I'm looking forward to it. Reading on.
FINAL:
Some of the strongest material saved for the latter half of the book (I especially enjoyed the poignant and ironic, "A Chance for Mr. Lever," about an older man who'd lost everything in the stock market crash trying to make a living by selling a rock crushing machine deep in the African jungle), but also some of the weakest ("The Second Death," for one). Several five-star stories in here. I had intended to elaborate further, but lost my train of thought. I think I'll be re-reading this collection again someday.
The tales are full of irony and sadness; the characters are often anonymous civil servants, people satisfied in small comforts and beliefs. There's even an elegant horror story, "A Little Place Off the Edgware Road." Also, there's the amusing and frivolous: "Alas, Poor Maling," about a guy whose stomach echoes sounds like a parrot. "Across the Bridge" is classic Greene, an observer remarking on the bizarre tale of a con man on the lam and in exile amid the ennui of a dusty Mexican border town. I haven't gotten to the longest story yet, "The Basement Room," the basis for a masterful 1949 Carol Reed film called The Fallen Idol I'm looking forward to it. Reading on.
FINAL:
Some of the strongest material saved for the latter half of the book (I especially enjoyed the poignant and ironic, "A Chance for Mr. Lever," about an older man who'd lost everything in the stock market crash trying to make a living by selling a rock crushing machine deep in the African jungle), but also some of the weakest ("The Second Death," for one). Several five-star stories in here. I had intended to elaborate further, but lost my train of thought. I think I'll be re-reading this collection again someday.
February 12, 2025
I’m teaching “The Destructors” with my Year 11 Lit class, so thought I’d explore some more Graham Greene stories. Most in this collection are great.
November 28, 2012
There are two heavyweights in 21 Stories, a collection gathered from 25 years of Greene's career. The first of these is The Destructors. I must have read it close to ten times before. Its remaining regard in pop culture was established by it being the philosophical vertebrae for the film Donnie Darko. The other tower is The Basement Room which was the basis for Greene's screenplay for the film The Fallen idol. The riveting story of innocence and misunderstanding was later masterfully realized by Carol Reed. This was around the time that Reed and Green were globetrotting and gathering items for the Circus (MI-6).
The surprise of 21 Stories had to be Greek Meets Greek which oddly didn't concern the EU bailout but instead was a wartime encounter of schemers, which anticipates the ascent of online universities, and culminates in a hilarious doubled-edged farce. The remainder of the collection comprise an uneven lot, largely surrounding familiar themes in Greene's work: guilt, betrayal, greed and grief.
The surprise of 21 Stories had to be Greek Meets Greek which oddly didn't concern the EU bailout but instead was a wartime encounter of schemers, which anticipates the ascent of online universities, and culminates in a hilarious doubled-edged farce. The remainder of the collection comprise an uneven lot, largely surrounding familiar themes in Greene's work: guilt, betrayal, greed and grief.
June 17, 2017
The dark reflectiveness of "A Drive in the Country" could have singlehandedly made this book worth reading; the gentle irony of "When Greek Meets Greek" and the bizarre horror of "A Little Place Off the Edgware Road" pushed it right over the edge into being a true pleasure to read. I'll definitely be picking up more Greene in the future.
April 5, 2017
Some of these stories have surfaced in other collections. Always fun to re-read.
April 12, 2012
I read this collection many years ago and recall enjoying it very much. I picked it up a second time and the stories still held me but I could see that they were not (yet) Greene’s best writing, given that many were written during his formative years.
The situations are bizarre and typical of “Greene-land”: a gigolo encountering role reversal with a prosperous whore, a man who wants to commit suicide with his reluctant girlfriend, a witness having the unenviable task of identifying a killer from among identical twins, a religious businessman whose assistant’s main job is to schedule his calendar with religious events that will earn him indulgences in the next life, a bum meeting a murderer in a darkened cinema – or is it the blood-soaked victim?
Many stories end up with a dead body, many have various possible endings, many are narration-heavy, and quite a number of the shorter pieces such as “The Second Death,” “Proof Positive” and “Alas Poor Maling” are underdeveloped. The earlier pieces cover children in which adults are portrayed as absent, uncaring and full of secrets – clues perhaps of Greene’s own upbringing. The much touted “Blue Film” is quaint by today’s standards given the amount of porn now available online. I would also argue that “When Greek Meets Greek” is too contrived in relation to the modern short story.
The best pieces are the ones where Greene steps out of England and begins his globetrotting in Africa and Mexico, and he comes into his “power and glory” in “The Hint of an Explanation” where the metaphor of the temptation of Christ plays out in the luring of the little boy to sin in exchange for a toy train set.
There is a certain amount of effort required to read these stories, for one enters them at different points and gets right into the convoluted worlds of these characters. Sometimes the conclusion is satisfactory and sometimes not. Sometimes it leaves the reader with more questions. I think Greene took a secret satisfaction in confronting his readers with the murkier and quirkier regions of human experience, rarely offering solutions but always holding the mirror to our faces like a true fiction writer.
The situations are bizarre and typical of “Greene-land”: a gigolo encountering role reversal with a prosperous whore, a man who wants to commit suicide with his reluctant girlfriend, a witness having the unenviable task of identifying a killer from among identical twins, a religious businessman whose assistant’s main job is to schedule his calendar with religious events that will earn him indulgences in the next life, a bum meeting a murderer in a darkened cinema – or is it the blood-soaked victim?
Many stories end up with a dead body, many have various possible endings, many are narration-heavy, and quite a number of the shorter pieces such as “The Second Death,” “Proof Positive” and “Alas Poor Maling” are underdeveloped. The earlier pieces cover children in which adults are portrayed as absent, uncaring and full of secrets – clues perhaps of Greene’s own upbringing. The much touted “Blue Film” is quaint by today’s standards given the amount of porn now available online. I would also argue that “When Greek Meets Greek” is too contrived in relation to the modern short story.
The best pieces are the ones where Greene steps out of England and begins his globetrotting in Africa and Mexico, and he comes into his “power and glory” in “The Hint of an Explanation” where the metaphor of the temptation of Christ plays out in the luring of the little boy to sin in exchange for a toy train set.
There is a certain amount of effort required to read these stories, for one enters them at different points and gets right into the convoluted worlds of these characters. Sometimes the conclusion is satisfactory and sometimes not. Sometimes it leaves the reader with more questions. I think Greene took a secret satisfaction in confronting his readers with the murkier and quirkier regions of human experience, rarely offering solutions but always holding the mirror to our faces like a true fiction writer.
January 8, 2016
Short stories show off the versatility of an author like no novel can. These twenty-one stories run the gamut from tragedy to mystery to horror to comedy and do it exceedingly well.
1. The Destructors: a gang of boys decide to tear down a 200-year-old house that survived the blitz.
2. Special Duties: a wealthy businessman has a secretary whose only job is to arrange 'religious indulgences' for him.
3. The Blue Film: a middle-aged couple traveling in Asia seek out some titillating entertainment with surprising results.
4. The Hint of an Explanation: Two men on a train strike up a conversation which eventually turns to God and whether He exists. One tells the story of the 'hint' he received that changed his life.
5. When Greek Meets Greek: a tale of swindlers, but who is swindling whom?
6. Men at Work: Written in 1940, a satirical look at the Ministry of Information during the war. "Propaganda was a means of passing the time: work was not done for its usefulness but for its own sake--simply as an occupation." Anyone who has worked in an office and attended useless committee meetings will relate to this one.
7. Alas, Poor Maling: a very short, very amusing story of a man with an unusual stomach problem.
8. The Case for the Defense: a 4-page story about a murder trial with an extraordinary ending!
9. A Little Place Off the Edgware Road: a little horror story about a man who hates his life and his body.
10. Across the Bridge: a tragi-comedy set at the Mexico about a wealthy but crooked English businessman trying to get home.
11. A Drive in the Country: a young girl finds that a drive in the country isn't quite what she'd bargained for.
12. The Innocent: a man returns to his home village where memories of his childhood days flood back and realizes 'there is something about innocence one is never quite resigned to lose.'
13. The Basement Room: Seven-year-old Phil is left in the care of the servants, Mr and Mrs Baines, and gets a taste of life he will never forget.
14. A Chance for Mr Lever: Mr Lever has traveled to Africa to search for the engineer of a mining company who might be his financial salvation.
15. Brother: Set in a bar in Paris, armed communists battle the Gardes Mobiles.
16. Jubilee: Mr Chalfont plays his 'old game' during the Jubilee.
17. A Day Saved: A man being followed decides to fly rather than go by rail 'to save a day' and unwittingly saves his life.
18. I Spy: a twelve-year-old boy spies on his father.
19. Proof Positive: A man asks for a special meeting of the Psychical Society to present 'proof positive' that the spirit outlives the body.
2o. The Second Death: A young man fears he is dying, claiming he had died once before.
21. The End of the Party: One of a pair of twins fears he will die at the annual children's party held on January 5th.
1. The Destructors: a gang of boys decide to tear down a 200-year-old house that survived the blitz.
2. Special Duties: a wealthy businessman has a secretary whose only job is to arrange 'religious indulgences' for him.
3. The Blue Film: a middle-aged couple traveling in Asia seek out some titillating entertainment with surprising results.
4. The Hint of an Explanation: Two men on a train strike up a conversation which eventually turns to God and whether He exists. One tells the story of the 'hint' he received that changed his life.
5. When Greek Meets Greek: a tale of swindlers, but who is swindling whom?
6. Men at Work: Written in 1940, a satirical look at the Ministry of Information during the war. "Propaganda was a means of passing the time: work was not done for its usefulness but for its own sake--simply as an occupation." Anyone who has worked in an office and attended useless committee meetings will relate to this one.
7. Alas, Poor Maling: a very short, very amusing story of a man with an unusual stomach problem.
8. The Case for the Defense: a 4-page story about a murder trial with an extraordinary ending!
9. A Little Place Off the Edgware Road: a little horror story about a man who hates his life and his body.
10. Across the Bridge: a tragi-comedy set at the Mexico about a wealthy but crooked English businessman trying to get home.
11. A Drive in the Country: a young girl finds that a drive in the country isn't quite what she'd bargained for.
12. The Innocent: a man returns to his home village where memories of his childhood days flood back and realizes 'there is something about innocence one is never quite resigned to lose.'
13. The Basement Room: Seven-year-old Phil is left in the care of the servants, Mr and Mrs Baines, and gets a taste of life he will never forget.
14. A Chance for Mr Lever: Mr Lever has traveled to Africa to search for the engineer of a mining company who might be his financial salvation.
15. Brother: Set in a bar in Paris, armed communists battle the Gardes Mobiles.
16. Jubilee: Mr Chalfont plays his 'old game' during the Jubilee.
17. A Day Saved: A man being followed decides to fly rather than go by rail 'to save a day' and unwittingly saves his life.
18. I Spy: a twelve-year-old boy spies on his father.
19. Proof Positive: A man asks for a special meeting of the Psychical Society to present 'proof positive' that the spirit outlives the body.
2o. The Second Death: A young man fears he is dying, claiming he had died once before.
21. The End of the Party: One of a pair of twins fears he will die at the annual children's party held on January 5th.
August 13, 2016
I decided to read the stories in this collection from back to front, as they have been printed in reverse chronological order. Doing this worked very well, since it gave a feeling of Greene's development as a writer, and I could see topics featured in his novels or non-fiction turning up in the stories too.
For instance, there is a story set in Mexico, written at the same period as 'The Lawless Roads' and 'The Power and the Glory'. There's also a short story about a young girl involved with a tearaway ('A Drive in the Country'), written in 1937, which looks forward to Pinkie and Rose in 'Brighton Rock' the following year and anticipates its climax - although in some ways the mood of this story is very different.
'A Drive in the Country' is among the stand-outs in the collection for me, along with three stories about children. The first is 'The End of the Party', one of Greene's earliest short stories, about a boy terrified of going to a party and being forced to play hide and seek.
Then there is the great story 'The Basement Room', longer than most of those in this collection, which was turned into a powerful film directed by Carol Reed, 'The Fallen Idol'. This is the tale of an ambassador's son forced to lose his innocence by finding out too much about the grown-up world. (I had read this story before, but only noticed this time around that it contains several jumps forward in time to show the boy as an old man whose whole life has been blighted by his experience - "the old dilettante".)
Lastly, 'The Destructors' is a chilling tale of a group of small boys living in an area bearing the scars of the Blitz, who decide to turn their energies to senseless destruction.
It's an uneven collection, and some of the other stories are much slighter, but even in the least memorable ones there are always strange thoughts and striking turns of phrase to bring the reader up short.
For instance, there is a story set in Mexico, written at the same period as 'The Lawless Roads' and 'The Power and the Glory'. There's also a short story about a young girl involved with a tearaway ('A Drive in the Country'), written in 1937, which looks forward to Pinkie and Rose in 'Brighton Rock' the following year and anticipates its climax - although in some ways the mood of this story is very different.
'A Drive in the Country' is among the stand-outs in the collection for me, along with three stories about children. The first is 'The End of the Party', one of Greene's earliest short stories, about a boy terrified of going to a party and being forced to play hide and seek.
Then there is the great story 'The Basement Room', longer than most of those in this collection, which was turned into a powerful film directed by Carol Reed, 'The Fallen Idol'. This is the tale of an ambassador's son forced to lose his innocence by finding out too much about the grown-up world. (I had read this story before, but only noticed this time around that it contains several jumps forward in time to show the boy as an old man whose whole life has been blighted by his experience - "the old dilettante".)
Lastly, 'The Destructors' is a chilling tale of a group of small boys living in an area bearing the scars of the Blitz, who decide to turn their energies to senseless destruction.
It's an uneven collection, and some of the other stories are much slighter, but even in the least memorable ones there are always strange thoughts and striking turns of phrase to bring the reader up short.
August 1, 2017
Believe it or not I read Graham Greene because of Drew Barrymore. In at least two movies she has played disenchanted high school English teachers. In one she assigned Virginia Woolf's "To the Lighthouse" and in the second, "Donnie Darko", Mr. Greene's "The Destructors" which is the lead story in "Twenty-one Stories". "Darko" deals with some youthful vandalism and the nature of Man's relationship with God and the perversion of the divine in 80s America. Graham's work often touches on these issues and the general decay of society with a dash of British Catholicism thrown in.
I am not a great fan of Modernist Realism but these stories are wonderful little gems. 'The Blue Film" is a cautionary tale even more relevant in the Digital Age than it was for the original mid-20th century audience. "Men at Work" is a brilliant example of the power of a finely crafted final paragraph. The book is filled with colorful characters ranging from con artists to prostitutes to innocent children to not so innocent ones. Seeing as I was driven to this master of 20th-century storytelling by a SF film about a boy in telepathic communications with the universal intelligence, it was fitting that the author ended this work with "The End of the Party", a tale about telepathically and empathically linked twins.
The quality of the stories and modernness of the prose allows the reader to simply enjoy the work without fear of literary analysis or British stiltedness. Greene is a straight shooter and freely mixes entertainment with serious considerations. This is an excellent introduction to a formidable English writer.
I am not a great fan of Modernist Realism but these stories are wonderful little gems. 'The Blue Film" is a cautionary tale even more relevant in the Digital Age than it was for the original mid-20th century audience. "Men at Work" is a brilliant example of the power of a finely crafted final paragraph. The book is filled with colorful characters ranging from con artists to prostitutes to innocent children to not so innocent ones. Seeing as I was driven to this master of 20th-century storytelling by a SF film about a boy in telepathic communications with the universal intelligence, it was fitting that the author ended this work with "The End of the Party", a tale about telepathically and empathically linked twins.
The quality of the stories and modernness of the prose allows the reader to simply enjoy the work without fear of literary analysis or British stiltedness. Greene is a straight shooter and freely mixes entertainment with serious considerations. This is an excellent introduction to a formidable English writer.
October 9, 2015
An assortment of short stories of different moods, a couple of head-scratchers, but overall a book worth reading.
I'm a big fan of Graham Greene since 'discovering' him late last year (that's 2014), and this was the first time I read any of his short stories. I still prefer his novels, but there were a few gems in this collection of short stories.
My favourites were:
- Special Duties
- When Greek Meets Greek
- Alas, Poor Maling
- Across The Bridge
- The Basement Room
- The End Of The Party
This last one's ending was especially powerful, unexpected, and sad.
This collection of stories is included in Penguin Classics' edition of Graham Greene's Complete Short Stories.
I'm a big fan of Graham Greene since 'discovering' him late last year (that's 2014), and this was the first time I read any of his short stories. I still prefer his novels, but there were a few gems in this collection of short stories.
My favourites were:
- Special Duties
- When Greek Meets Greek
- Alas, Poor Maling
- Across The Bridge
- The Basement Room
- The End Of The Party
This last one's ending was especially powerful, unexpected, and sad.
This collection of stories is included in Penguin Classics' edition of Graham Greene's Complete Short Stories.
October 15, 2018
These are stories Graham Greene wrote between 1929 and 1954. Most of them are quite short, some even classify as the work of a miniaturist ("The Case For The Defense," "I Spy," "A Day Saved") but at least one is a novella. (That one is "The Basement Room.")
Last year, from May to October, I read every novel Graham Greene ever published. While I was in the midst of doing that, a few people said to me that Greene was a better short story writer than a novelist. Having read his twenty-some novels and TWENTY-ONE STORIES I would say that the stories are tidy in a way the novels are not, but the novels are immersive in a way that the stories are not. A few of the stories are rehearsals for sections of his novels. "A Drive In The Country" is re-worked into a lengthy passage in the novel BRIGHTON ROCK. The results are very different. The stories are polished, but the novels have something none of the stories in this collection have: A geographical presence so particular as to be almost thematic.
Greene is a very personable novelist. His opinions intrude and I enjoy his opinions. This may be why many serious readers think his stories are better than his novels. He keeps extraneous material out of the stories. Greene was a very popular writer. Many of his books were adapted into films throughout his lengthy career. (His books were being filmed as early as 1932 and he was still alive in 1987, when his book MONSIGNOR QUIXOTE was filmed.) I point this out because it indicates to me that he strove to make a profit from his writing. Almost all of his novels were adapted for the screen. The short stories, then, show Greene making appearances in magazines. If you buy a novel, you are, in a sense, trusting the author to occupy several hours of your time. If you buy a magazine, however, you are flipping from one article to the next. Greene's stories are written for a wider audience than his novels were written for. He wanted to make a living. He wanted any given magazine's editors to welcome his next submission. So, what we have in Greene's stories is a more public product than the novels. Greene had a responsibility to the magazines which allowed his works within their covers. I have a feeling Greene felt this keenly.
The best stories here deal with childhood or teen years: "The Destructors," "The Basement Room" and "The End Of The Party" are very distinctive. I really like "The Hint Of An Explanation." I have to say that "The Basement Room" is the centerpiece of the book. It allows a lot of nuance and it not wrapped in a bow as several of the other stories are. Every story in this collection is worthwhile, but the masterpiece is "The Basement Room." It's a novella, of course, more like his novels than his other stories.
I have yet to read Greene's two later collections. I look forward to them, but I imagine my view will be the same: He was a novelist at heart.
Last year, from May to October, I read every novel Graham Greene ever published. While I was in the midst of doing that, a few people said to me that Greene was a better short story writer than a novelist. Having read his twenty-some novels and TWENTY-ONE STORIES I would say that the stories are tidy in a way the novels are not, but the novels are immersive in a way that the stories are not. A few of the stories are rehearsals for sections of his novels. "A Drive In The Country" is re-worked into a lengthy passage in the novel BRIGHTON ROCK. The results are very different. The stories are polished, but the novels have something none of the stories in this collection have: A geographical presence so particular as to be almost thematic.
Greene is a very personable novelist. His opinions intrude and I enjoy his opinions. This may be why many serious readers think his stories are better than his novels. He keeps extraneous material out of the stories. Greene was a very popular writer. Many of his books were adapted into films throughout his lengthy career. (His books were being filmed as early as 1932 and he was still alive in 1987, when his book MONSIGNOR QUIXOTE was filmed.) I point this out because it indicates to me that he strove to make a profit from his writing. Almost all of his novels were adapted for the screen. The short stories, then, show Greene making appearances in magazines. If you buy a novel, you are, in a sense, trusting the author to occupy several hours of your time. If you buy a magazine, however, you are flipping from one article to the next. Greene's stories are written for a wider audience than his novels were written for. He wanted to make a living. He wanted any given magazine's editors to welcome his next submission. So, what we have in Greene's stories is a more public product than the novels. Greene had a responsibility to the magazines which allowed his works within their covers. I have a feeling Greene felt this keenly.
The best stories here deal with childhood or teen years: "The Destructors," "The Basement Room" and "The End Of The Party" are very distinctive. I really like "The Hint Of An Explanation." I have to say that "The Basement Room" is the centerpiece of the book. It allows a lot of nuance and it not wrapped in a bow as several of the other stories are. Every story in this collection is worthwhile, but the masterpiece is "The Basement Room." It's a novella, of course, more like his novels than his other stories.
I have yet to read Greene's two later collections. I look forward to them, but I imagine my view will be the same: He was a novelist at heart.
Want to read
December 4, 2023Contains the stories:
The Destructors
Special Duties
The Blue Film
The Hint of an Explanation
When Greek Meets Greek
Men At Work
Alas, Poor Maling
The Case for the Defence
A Little Place Off the Edgware Road - 4/5 - be careful who you sit next to in the theater
Across the Bridge
A Drive in the Country
The Innocent
The Basement Room - 3/5 - basis for the film The Fallen Idol
A Chance for Mr Lever
Brother
Jubilee
A Day Saved
I Spy
Proof Positive
The Second Death
The End of the Party
The Destructors
Special Duties
The Blue Film
The Hint of an Explanation
When Greek Meets Greek
Men At Work
Alas, Poor Maling
The Case for the Defence
A Little Place Off the Edgware Road - 4/5 - be careful who you sit next to in the theater
Across the Bridge
A Drive in the Country
The Innocent
The Basement Room - 3/5 - basis for the film The Fallen Idol
A Chance for Mr Lever
Brother
Jubilee
A Day Saved
I Spy
Proof Positive
The Second Death
The End of the Party
August 13, 2021
One of my all-time favourite writers but have never warmed much to his short stories. Still, worth another try , I thought. Alas, I was disappointed once again. All the wonderful characters and plot development from his novels was mostly missing. One of the few I enjoyed was "When Greek meets Greek".
5.5/10
5.5/10
February 16, 2025
picked this up after seeing marianna simnett’s winner and learning it was inspired by the destructors, turned out a decently pleasant surprise. greene knows exactly when to finish a tale—it’s so abrupt that sometimes it even kind of left me hungry from more, but in retrospect i’m like actually yeah this didn’t need to go on any longer and the significance of the themes is all the more impactful when we’re given just a little taste and left to reflect on our own. this collection is also a masterclass in expert, flash characterization: 21 complete stories crammed between only 200 pages makes for inevitably very short tales, and yet in all of them, the acts all make perfect sense for who’s making them and there is always a logical sequence of events infused with incredible substance. i must also note how the repeated depictions of faith and madness somehow comes off casual despite the characters’ gripping and visceral individual relationships to those themes, as the tone remains, simply observant, passive even, and never moralizing. feels like it runs a little long, some of these stories could’ve definitely been cut in my opinion, but great nonetheless.
August 1, 2020
A smorgasbord of delights
July 31, 2019
Some stories are ok, some are post WW2 propaganda. I'd skip this as none of the stories are very climactic.
April 6, 2015
Perhaps not Mr Greene's best work but entertaining nevertheless. Deals with many of the themes of his novels, in miniature of course; some of the stories touch on the same spiritual elements of his other works.
The best of the stories here display Greene's natural but subtle humour. He seems to have it in for the English middle classes - from which I believe he came - and delights in poking fun at them and ridiculing their tastes and values. A couple that I enjoyed were "The Blue Film" , "Greek Meets Greek" , "Alas, Poor Maling".
The stories I liked least were wholly serious and dealt with his usually over-worked Catholic themes: "The Hint of an Explanation" is a case in point. Though admittedly it's probably very difficult to write a gripping tale based around the doctrine of Transubstantiation.
Stories like "Across the Bridge" takes us into the familiar territory of "Greeneland", a depressing, hot damp village in Mexico where the protagonist is doomed from the get-go. While "A Drive in the Country" reminded me a little of parts of The Confidential Agent.
You tend to get the feeling with these stories that the author is experimenting with styles, themes, ideas, and indeed little touches pop up everywhere that are reminiscent of his better known novels.
Certainly worth a read for any fan of Graham Greene; enough good bits to make it worth plodding through the dull bits.
The best of the stories here display Greene's natural but subtle humour. He seems to have it in for the English middle classes - from which I believe he came - and delights in poking fun at them and ridiculing their tastes and values. A couple that I enjoyed were "The Blue Film" , "Greek Meets Greek" , "Alas, Poor Maling".
The stories I liked least were wholly serious and dealt with his usually over-worked Catholic themes: "The Hint of an Explanation" is a case in point. Though admittedly it's probably very difficult to write a gripping tale based around the doctrine of Transubstantiation.
Stories like "Across the Bridge" takes us into the familiar territory of "Greeneland", a depressing, hot damp village in Mexico where the protagonist is doomed from the get-go. While "A Drive in the Country" reminded me a little of parts of The Confidential Agent.
You tend to get the feeling with these stories that the author is experimenting with styles, themes, ideas, and indeed little touches pop up everywhere that are reminiscent of his better known novels.
Certainly worth a read for any fan of Graham Greene; enough good bits to make it worth plodding through the dull bits.
August 3, 2019
This book was one fantastic collection of short stories - my introduction to Graham Greene. I don't know why I haven't read his works so far. Probably the same hesitation that kept me away from Wodehouse and Maugham for the longest time.
It starts with a bang! Literally and figuratively! The destructors is one hell of a strange story.
It starts with a bang! Literally and figuratively! The destructors is one hell of a strange story.
August 8, 2015
The Destructors – (1954) – 3 stars.
Special Duties – (1954) – 4 stars.
The Blue Film – (1954) – 3 stars.
The Hint of an Explanation – (1948) – 3 stars
Greek Meets Greek – (1941) – 2 stars.
Men At Work – (1940) – 2 stars
Alas, Poor Maling – (1940) – 1 star
The Case for the Defence – (1939) – 2 stars
A Little Place off of Edgware Road – (1939) – 3 stars.
Across the Bridge – (1938) – 3 stars.
A Drive in the Country – (1937) – 3 stars.
The Innocent – (1937) –1 star.
The Basement Room – (1936) – 2 stars.
A Chance for Mr Lever – (1936) – 2 stars.
Brother – (1936) – 3 stars.
Jubilee – (1936) – 1 star.
A Day Saved – (1935) – 1 star.
I Spy – (1930) – 3 stars.
Proof Positive – (1930) – 3 stars.
The Second Death – (1929) – 3 stars.
The End of the Party – (1929) – 2 stars.
March 18, 2017
Short story collections are invariably a mixed bag but this one is much less so. There is a consistency of quality here that is truly impressive. This isn't at the cost of variety. For example, the stories that bookend the collection deal with teenagers in very different ways. In the opener, The Destructors a feral power struggle is unleashed, while closing story, The End Of The Party is a tighter internal world. In between we travel the world with young and old, meet scam artists and ageing Romeos, see life in wartime civil service and much more.
I've read some Graham Greene novels and look forward to reading more, but this collection was of the same quality, if not higher than those.
I've read some Graham Greene novels and look forward to reading more, but this collection was of the same quality, if not higher than those.
February 7, 2018
Una colección irregular del talento del autor en el género breve. Algo de joyceano o ribeyreano en algunos de sus personajes que se ven enfrentados a decisiones para salir de la intrascendencia de sus vidas ("Una oportunidad", "El hermano") o simplemente tienen que encarar la frustración ("El jubileo", "Un lugar junto a Edgware Road") o la pérdida de la inocencia ("El espía", "La inocencia"). También cierta influencia de Poe en algunos de los cuentos fantásticos ("La segunda muerte", "Prueba decisiva", "El final de la fiesta"). Me gustaron más sus relatos cortos que los largos. 9 cuentos buenos de 21.
February 2, 2009
read this some years ago, and it has many fine stories in it. I particularly liked and remember the blue movie one. Oh and I should add 'The Destructors' - a very fine story about a gang of 'feral' kids who destroy a house from within while the owner is away (I read this in the 60s first of all in an anthology we had at school, and felt exhilerated and disturbed by it) and, of course, The Basement Room, which was made into a very good film.
October 30, 2017
That took me a looong time to read, but I loved it. The stories were all good (I'd forget the time period for most was early '30s). They were pretty dark - which I also kind of enjoyed. The last one totally creeped me out.
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