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Russian Roulette: The life and times of Graham Greene
Probably the greatest British novelist of his generation, Graham Greene's own story was as strange and compelling as those he told of Pinkie the Mobster, Harry Lime, or the Whisky Priest. A restless traveller, he was a witness to many of the key events of modern history - including the origins of the Vietnam War, the Mau Mau Rebellion, the betrayal of the double-agent Kim Philby, the rise of Fidel Castro, and the guerrilla wars of Central America.
Traumatized as a boy and thought a Judas among his schoolmates, Greene tried Russian Roulette and attempted suicide. He suffered from bipolar illness, which caused havoc in his private life as his marriage failed, and one great love after another suffered shipwreck, until in his later years he found constancy in a decidedly unconventional relationship.
Often called a Catholic novelist, his works came to explore the no man's land between belief and unbelief. A journalist, an MI6 officer, and an unfailing advocate for human rights, he sought out the inner narratives of war and politics in dozens of troubled places, and yet he distrusted nations and armies, believing that true loyalty was a matter between individuals.
A work of wit, insight, and compassion, this new biography of Graham Greene, the first undertaken in a generation, responds to the many thousands of pages of lost letters that have recently come to light and to new memoirs by those who knew him best. It deals sensitively with questions of private life, sex, and mental illness; it gives a thorough accounting for the politics of the places he wrote about; it investigates his involvement with MI6 and the Cambridge five; above all, it follows the growth of a writer whose works changed the lives of millions.
Traumatized as a boy and thought a Judas among his schoolmates, Greene tried Russian Roulette and attempted suicide. He suffered from bipolar illness, which caused havoc in his private life as his marriage failed, and one great love after another suffered shipwreck, until in his later years he found constancy in a decidedly unconventional relationship.
Often called a Catholic novelist, his works came to explore the no man's land between belief and unbelief. A journalist, an MI6 officer, and an unfailing advocate for human rights, he sought out the inner narratives of war and politics in dozens of troubled places, and yet he distrusted nations and armies, believing that true loyalty was a matter between individuals.
A work of wit, insight, and compassion, this new biography of Graham Greene, the first undertaken in a generation, responds to the many thousands of pages of lost letters that have recently come to light and to new memoirs by those who knew him best. It deals sensitively with questions of private life, sex, and mental illness; it gives a thorough accounting for the politics of the places he wrote about; it investigates his involvement with MI6 and the Cambridge five; above all, it follows the growth of a writer whose works changed the lives of millions.
592 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2020
21 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
Richard Greene
112 books14 followersRichard Thomas Greene is a Canadian poet and biographer whose book Boxing the Compass won the Governor General's Award for English language poetry at the 2010 Governor General's Awards. Greene received his BA in English at Memorial University in 1983, and took his doctorate as a Rothermere Fellow at Oxford University in 1991. He returned to Memorial University to teach English before joining the University Of Toronto at Mississauga in 1995, as a member of the English and Drama department. Married to pianist Marianne Marusic and father to four children, he resides in Cobourg, Ontario.
Greene first distinguished himself as a teacher and a critic with his book Mary Leapor: A Study in Eighteenth-Century Women's Poetry, published in 1993. In addition to 18th-century poetry, it was with scholarly works on Dame Edith Sitwell and Graham Greene that Greene broke through to greater renown and a wide general readership. He enjoyed international success in 2007 with Graham Greene: A Life in Letters - a biography constructed out of the novelist's own words. His recent biography, Edith Sitwell: Avant-garde Poet, English Genius is an attempt to revive the reputation of a neglected writer.
Greene is primarily known in Canada as a poet. His first collection, Republic of Solitude: Poems 1984-1994 drew little attention from reviewers when published in Newfoundland in 1994. However, it contains poems such as "Utopia" that have been often anthologized. His second collection, Crossing the Straits, was published by the St. Thomas Poetry Series of Toronto in 2004. Richard Greene's third collection of poems, Boxing the Compass, describes the journeys Greene made by Greyhound and Amtrak while visiting archives of Graham Greene's letters. It eventually won him the Governor General's Literary Award for Poetry.
Richard Greene currently teaches Creative Writing and British literature at the University of Toronto.
Greene first distinguished himself as a teacher and a critic with his book Mary Leapor: A Study in Eighteenth-Century Women's Poetry, published in 1993. In addition to 18th-century poetry, it was with scholarly works on Dame Edith Sitwell and Graham Greene that Greene broke through to greater renown and a wide general readership. He enjoyed international success in 2007 with Graham Greene: A Life in Letters - a biography constructed out of the novelist's own words. His recent biography, Edith Sitwell: Avant-garde Poet, English Genius is an attempt to revive the reputation of a neglected writer.
Greene is primarily known in Canada as a poet. His first collection, Republic of Solitude: Poems 1984-1994 drew little attention from reviewers when published in Newfoundland in 1994. However, it contains poems such as "Utopia" that have been often anthologized. His second collection, Crossing the Straits, was published by the St. Thomas Poetry Series of Toronto in 2004. Richard Greene's third collection of poems, Boxing the Compass, describes the journeys Greene made by Greyhound and Amtrak while visiting archives of Graham Greene's letters. It eventually won him the Governor General's Literary Award for Poetry.
Richard Greene currently teaches Creative Writing and British literature at the University of Toronto.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 7, 2020
This is a very, very good biography indeed of the author, Graham Greene, and it ranks in the first class of literary biographies alongside, for example Julian Evans's Norman Lewis biog or Andrew Lycett's Dylan Thomas biog.
Russian Roulette captures the complex personality of the man as well as dealing with the complicated biographical details of his life, his travels, his affairs in general, and in particular!
It's very good too on the writing process as well as the inspirations and influences that lie behind the novels and the crossover between fact and real people, on the one hand, and the fiction and characters, on the other.
He addresses throughout, the knotty issue of faith v. belief that was part of Graham Greene's lifelong struggle with his Catholicism.
What is particularly stunning is Richard Greene's pithy historical and political analyses of the country/international context of the places visited and used as the settings for particular novels – "Greeneland", as it is known, comes vividly to life. Highly recommended.
Russian Roulette captures the complex personality of the man as well as dealing with the complicated biographical details of his life, his travels, his affairs in general, and in particular!
It's very good too on the writing process as well as the inspirations and influences that lie behind the novels and the crossover between fact and real people, on the one hand, and the fiction and characters, on the other.
He addresses throughout, the knotty issue of faith v. belief that was part of Graham Greene's lifelong struggle with his Catholicism.
What is particularly stunning is Richard Greene's pithy historical and political analyses of the country/international context of the places visited and used as the settings for particular novels – "Greeneland", as it is known, comes vividly to life. Highly recommended.
June 18, 2021
Have always found Greene's work to be a slog-in-progress for me. To riff on Leonard Cohen's "I love the country, but I can't stand the scene" ... I love the ideas, but I can't stand the sheer boredom I experience when I read Greene's scene. OTOH, he did give us one of my favourite films, The Third Man. I learned stuff I hadn't known, like Greene's struggle with mental illness and his ugh sympathy for Kim Philby.
Greene's (no relation?) bio was a rollicking good read, much enjoyed his near-surgical, yet strangely sympathetic view of GG. Also, pacing, this kind of study can be ho-hum, but Greene made Greene's life more interesting than Greene's books.
Greene's (no relation?) bio was a rollicking good read, much enjoyed his near-surgical, yet strangely sympathetic view of GG. Also, pacing, this kind of study can be ho-hum, but Greene made Greene's life more interesting than Greene's books.
March 21, 2021
In an interview in 1982, Graham Greene admitted his life may have been happier with fewer and deeper experiences. "I seem to have been to too many places, travelled too much, and had too many experiences." Certainly Greene's restless life is testament to his easy capacity for boredom and his immense reach as a writer on a global stage, both literary and political.
Any biographer of Greene is immediately faced with the resulting challenge. How to encapsulate such a full life into a readable and accessible number of pages? Norman Sherry's three volume biography (1989-99), the first volume of which Greene lived to read and dislike, applied the kitchen sink approach and took so long to put together it's own author sadly deteriorated along with the quality of the analysis.
In just over 500 pages (excluding copious notes, references and indexing), Richard Greene strikes a healthy balance and conveys at a reasonable pace the key events, output, relationships and experiences of Graham Greene's long life. With access to key archives and some untapped sources, as well as many of the surviving main players in Greene's story, Richard Greene is particularly good on Greene's travels to Mexico, Vietnam, Cuba, Haiti and Panama. Greene's oscillating religious and political views lie at the heart of everything, as do his loyalties to his friends and lovers.
In between, the coverage of Greene's novels, plays and film scripts is solid and inciteful but doesn't hold up the narrative of the man's life. If you want an in depth analysis of the works this is the not the book for you. But anybody familiar with the books will find much to enjoy here, and if you know nothing of Greene this is the place to start.
I'd also recommend Graham Greene: A Life In Letters (edited by Richard Greene) as an ideal compliment to this book - maybe even the book to read first as it unfurls Greene's life in his own inimitable words.
All in all, Russian Roulette is a well written and balanced account of a fascinating man regarded by many as the greatest writer in English of the 20th century.
Any biographer of Greene is immediately faced with the resulting challenge. How to encapsulate such a full life into a readable and accessible number of pages? Norman Sherry's three volume biography (1989-99), the first volume of which Greene lived to read and dislike, applied the kitchen sink approach and took so long to put together it's own author sadly deteriorated along with the quality of the analysis.
In just over 500 pages (excluding copious notes, references and indexing), Richard Greene strikes a healthy balance and conveys at a reasonable pace the key events, output, relationships and experiences of Graham Greene's long life. With access to key archives and some untapped sources, as well as many of the surviving main players in Greene's story, Richard Greene is particularly good on Greene's travels to Mexico, Vietnam, Cuba, Haiti and Panama. Greene's oscillating religious and political views lie at the heart of everything, as do his loyalties to his friends and lovers.
In between, the coverage of Greene's novels, plays and film scripts is solid and inciteful but doesn't hold up the narrative of the man's life. If you want an in depth analysis of the works this is the not the book for you. But anybody familiar with the books will find much to enjoy here, and if you know nothing of Greene this is the place to start.
I'd also recommend Graham Greene: A Life In Letters (edited by Richard Greene) as an ideal compliment to this book - maybe even the book to read first as it unfurls Greene's life in his own inimitable words.
All in all, Russian Roulette is a well written and balanced account of a fascinating man regarded by many as the greatest writer in English of the 20th century.
February 28, 2021
A detailed and fascinating biography. One of the strengths of this book is the setting of context for Greene’s travels to and interest in twentieth century liberation movements and the people who led them. I think a summary/concluding chapter would be a useful addition.
October 11, 2020
A detailed and academic biography. Glossed over a lot of the tales of high society but enjoyed reading about Greene's exploits in Panama and Vietnam in particular
February 19, 2024
This book is subtitled The Life and Times of Graham Greene and I feel it does a much better job at covering the first aspect of that than the second.
As someone who has read a few Graham Greene books, I will admit this was a bit of an impulse purchase at the bookshop, but what's life without a little risk, eh? I feel I have a much better understanding of the man now, his faith and his struggles, and also his fame. I find it hard to imagine a literary figure in this era achieving his level of fame whilst maintaining critical success. The age of celebrity authors like Hemingway and Steinbeck seems long gone. Does anyone really care what Ian McEwan thinks about current affairs? Perhaps, but certainly not in the way they once may have.
I don't feel the book is as strong at placing the events that Greene witnessed (and in some cases participated in) in the necessary context. Events like the French occupation of Vietnam, or the politics of Haiti, political prosecutions in Mexico, I feel they were all covered with an expectation of a level of prior knowledge that I feel is unreasonable. The same could be said for a level of understanding of the works of Greene, which often were covered in a manner to suggest you should know them backwards. Maybe that's fair. Most people picking up a biography of an author are probably pretty familiar, so that is only a minor gripe.
Anyway, it was interesting throughout, and I learned a lot about one of the most influential literary figures in the twentieth century. 3/5
As someone who has read a few Graham Greene books, I will admit this was a bit of an impulse purchase at the bookshop, but what's life without a little risk, eh? I feel I have a much better understanding of the man now, his faith and his struggles, and also his fame. I find it hard to imagine a literary figure in this era achieving his level of fame whilst maintaining critical success. The age of celebrity authors like Hemingway and Steinbeck seems long gone. Does anyone really care what Ian McEwan thinks about current affairs? Perhaps, but certainly not in the way they once may have.
I don't feel the book is as strong at placing the events that Greene witnessed (and in some cases participated in) in the necessary context. Events like the French occupation of Vietnam, or the politics of Haiti, political prosecutions in Mexico, I feel they were all covered with an expectation of a level of prior knowledge that I feel is unreasonable. The same could be said for a level of understanding of the works of Greene, which often were covered in a manner to suggest you should know them backwards. Maybe that's fair. Most people picking up a biography of an author are probably pretty familiar, so that is only a minor gripe.
Anyway, it was interesting throughout, and I learned a lot about one of the most influential literary figures in the twentieth century. 3/5
May 24, 2022
If you love Graham Greene, then you’ll love the life and times of Graham Greene.
September 1, 2024
The title of Richard Green’s comprehensive biography of novelist Graham Greene refers to the writer’s efforts as a young man to combat the melancholia and ennui that frequently threatened to engulf him. On the first occasion, he had ventured onto Berkhamsted Common with a revolver he had chanced upon in a drawer in the family home (as one does), and loaded one chamber with a live round and set it spinning. The relief that this brush with death brought tided him over several months before succumbing to the need to take a second dose.
The struggle with boredom was to be a defining characteristic of Graham Greene. One of the leading British writers of his generation, Greene was never satisfied that he received the recognition to which he was due. I think it is fair to say that he did not make things easy for himself. Richard Greene’s account delivers several instances of his querulousness, and his infinite capacity to fall out with people who could have helped him … indeed, frequently already had helped him. He was also the victim of a capricious conscience, that did not stop him from behaving in ways that hurt people close to him, but did punish him severely for it afterwards.
Greene’s was a full life, encompassing work as a novelist, playwright, occasional spy, writer of films and political polemicist. It was also one that was frequently tinged with controversy. As his politics moved increasingly leftwards, he found himself ostracised in America as a consequence of his perceived support for Castro’s Cuba. His novels are set in countries all around the world. ‘The Quiet American’ is set against the early phase of the Vietnam War, at a stage when American involvement was still under guise of advisers to the French regime, while ‘The Comedians’ takes place in Haiti, against the backdrop of Papa Doc’s brutal regime. ‘Our Man in Havana’, perhaps my favourite of his novels, is self-evidently set in Cuba, while ‘The Power and The Glory’ takes the reader to a terror-stricken Mexico. I could go on. Greene’s capacity to capture these differing locales reflects his work as a journalist, and his acute observer’s eye.
Richard Greene documents all of this in pleasing, yet not obsessive detail (perhaps learning from the error’s of Norman Sherry whose two volume biography of Graham seemed to try to catalogue everything that the subject did, and every conversation that he had). He also refreshingly avoids becoming bogged down with some of the more scandalous aspects of Greene’s life.
I came to this novel already knowing a lot about Graham Greene, having read most of his novels, and his various volumes of memoirs, and as much of Norman Sherry’s biography as I could stomach. I still found this enjoyable, and fresh, which I think is a testament to the clarity of Richard Greene’s writing, and his clear empathy and understanding of his subject. This was one of the best biographies that I have read for a long time.
The struggle with boredom was to be a defining characteristic of Graham Greene. One of the leading British writers of his generation, Greene was never satisfied that he received the recognition to which he was due. I think it is fair to say that he did not make things easy for himself. Richard Greene’s account delivers several instances of his querulousness, and his infinite capacity to fall out with people who could have helped him … indeed, frequently already had helped him. He was also the victim of a capricious conscience, that did not stop him from behaving in ways that hurt people close to him, but did punish him severely for it afterwards.
Greene’s was a full life, encompassing work as a novelist, playwright, occasional spy, writer of films and political polemicist. It was also one that was frequently tinged with controversy. As his politics moved increasingly leftwards, he found himself ostracised in America as a consequence of his perceived support for Castro’s Cuba. His novels are set in countries all around the world. ‘The Quiet American’ is set against the early phase of the Vietnam War, at a stage when American involvement was still under guise of advisers to the French regime, while ‘The Comedians’ takes place in Haiti, against the backdrop of Papa Doc’s brutal regime. ‘Our Man in Havana’, perhaps my favourite of his novels, is self-evidently set in Cuba, while ‘The Power and The Glory’ takes the reader to a terror-stricken Mexico. I could go on. Greene’s capacity to capture these differing locales reflects his work as a journalist, and his acute observer’s eye.
Richard Greene documents all of this in pleasing, yet not obsessive detail (perhaps learning from the error’s of Norman Sherry whose two volume biography of Graham seemed to try to catalogue everything that the subject did, and every conversation that he had). He also refreshingly avoids becoming bogged down with some of the more scandalous aspects of Greene’s life.
I came to this novel already knowing a lot about Graham Greene, having read most of his novels, and his various volumes of memoirs, and as much of Norman Sherry’s biography as I could stomach. I still found this enjoyable, and fresh, which I think is a testament to the clarity of Richard Greene’s writing, and his clear empathy and understanding of his subject. This was one of the best biographies that I have read for a long time.
May 1, 2024
For as long as I can remember, I have loved the novels and stories of the 20th century English writer Graham Greene. Novels like "Brighton Rock", "The Quiet American", "Our Man in Havana", "The Power and the Glory", "The Comedians" and many others are among the finest fictions of their time, indeed of any time. But I have found most biographies of him to be unsatisfactory, and his own various memoirs are, like so many memoirs, unreliable.
He was a person of so many contradictions: a supporter of revolutionary causes in Latin America who was himself essentially conservative; someone who for a while worked for MI5 but remained a friend of people like Philby who sold secrets to the Soviets; a Catholic who regularly took Communion while breaking the rules of the church and being a critic of the Vatican; a campaigner for the rights of Jews and a critic of anti-Semitism who was himself criticised for his portrayal of the Jewish character Myatt in "Brighton Rock" (he later rewrote the passages that some had complained about).
He was easily bored and suffered depression for much of his life, which partly explains his restlessness and his continual travelling around the globe, particularly to trouble spots. His novels and stories take place in locations on most continents, yet critics have described all his work as taking place in a mythical place called "Greeneland". His work was highly philosophical while being eminently readable; often deeply political while having a widely diverse readership. Even his most serious work had flashes of humour, a humour that was often so dry as to be easily missed.
Now at last we have a biography worthy of the great writer: Richard Greene's (no relation) "Russian Roulette: The Life and Times of Graham Greene". In this well-researched biography, the author clearly admires Greene as a writer but is not afraid to be critical of him when necessary. He also dispels various myths about Greene, including Graham Greene's claim to have played Russian Roulette (which other biographers have taken at face value). This actually makes the title of the biography itself ironic and metaphoric in a way that the great novelist would have approved of. If Graham Greene never actually played in a literal sense Russian Roulette, the suggestion here is that the boredom that led him to visit war-torn regions, countries suffering from despotic regimes, places where he exposed himself to serious infectious diseases is perhaps a form of Russian Roulette.
This wonderful biography has made me want to re-read Graham Greene's novels, novellas and short stories, and surely there can be no greater praise for any biography.
He was a person of so many contradictions: a supporter of revolutionary causes in Latin America who was himself essentially conservative; someone who for a while worked for MI5 but remained a friend of people like Philby who sold secrets to the Soviets; a Catholic who regularly took Communion while breaking the rules of the church and being a critic of the Vatican; a campaigner for the rights of Jews and a critic of anti-Semitism who was himself criticised for his portrayal of the Jewish character Myatt in "Brighton Rock" (he later rewrote the passages that some had complained about).
He was easily bored and suffered depression for much of his life, which partly explains his restlessness and his continual travelling around the globe, particularly to trouble spots. His novels and stories take place in locations on most continents, yet critics have described all his work as taking place in a mythical place called "Greeneland". His work was highly philosophical while being eminently readable; often deeply political while having a widely diverse readership. Even his most serious work had flashes of humour, a humour that was often so dry as to be easily missed.
Now at last we have a biography worthy of the great writer: Richard Greene's (no relation) "Russian Roulette: The Life and Times of Graham Greene". In this well-researched biography, the author clearly admires Greene as a writer but is not afraid to be critical of him when necessary. He also dispels various myths about Greene, including Graham Greene's claim to have played Russian Roulette (which other biographers have taken at face value). This actually makes the title of the biography itself ironic and metaphoric in a way that the great novelist would have approved of. If Graham Greene never actually played in a literal sense Russian Roulette, the suggestion here is that the boredom that led him to visit war-torn regions, countries suffering from despotic regimes, places where he exposed himself to serious infectious diseases is perhaps a form of Russian Roulette.
This wonderful biography has made me want to re-read Graham Greene's novels, novellas and short stories, and surely there can be no greater praise for any biography.
January 19, 2021
Some of it is gossipy, and some of it is already well-known or accessible via Wikipedia (and possibly in Richard Greene's other books about Greene) but the insights into Green's thinking and beliefs were invaluable. The novels and other writings of significance are traced from inception to publication, and linked to Greene's experiences and the people he encountered.
Green explains the way in which this occurs in a letter to the Spanish Monsignor Durán—who influenced Monsignor Quixote (1982). Books, he says, take on a life of their own:
It was also interesting to read (on p. 397) what Greene, in a rare TV interview, said could be an epigram for all his works. Quoting from Browning's long poem 'Bishop Blougram's Apology' he said:
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2021/01/19/r...
Green explains the way in which this occurs in a letter to the Spanish Monsignor Durán—who influenced Monsignor Quixote (1982). Books, he says, take on a life of their own:
A novel is a work in which characters interrelate. It doesn't need a plot. The novelist's own intervention must be very limited. What happens to the author is rather like the pilot of a plane. The pilot needs to get the plane off the ground. It takes off with the aid of a pilot. Once it is in the air, the pilot does virtually nothing. Once everything has started working, the characters begin to impose themselves on the author, who no longer controls them. They have a life of their own. The author has to go on writing. Sometimes he writes things which appear to have no raison d'être. Only at the end is the reason apparent. The author intervenes to allow the plane to land. It is time for the novel to end. (p. 434)
It was also interesting to read (on p. 397) what Greene, in a rare TV interview, said could be an epigram for all his works. Quoting from Browning's long poem 'Bishop Blougram's Apology' he said:
Our interest's on the dangerous edge of things.
The honest thief, the tender murderer,
The superstitious atheist, demirep
That loves and saves her soul in new French books—
We watch while these in equilibrium keep
The giddy line midway...
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2021/01/19/r...
May 21, 2023
This is a meticulously researched and almost pathologically even-handed biography, so it is an invaluable contribution to the common understanding, especially given the question marks that apparently hang over other works about Greene.
It certainly paints a picture of a fascinating life, and the multiple short episodes evoke Greene's maniacal wanderlust. But it felt like, in striving to be more factual and less salacious than previous works, R.Greene fails to fully demonstrate the spirit of the man and the passions that drove him. Barring the odd quotation, the most we get is a simple statement about whether each decade was spent manic or depressed. I'd like to know a bit more about what these were like.
It also felt a bit skewed towards his later life. Perhaps there's a greater evidence base for later years, and his travels in Latin America are interesting. But it did feel like it dragged a bit.
I learned a lot about Graham Greene and about the post-colonial world reading this. But I didn't feel like I really enjoyed myself
It certainly paints a picture of a fascinating life, and the multiple short episodes evoke Greene's maniacal wanderlust. But it felt like, in striving to be more factual and less salacious than previous works, R.Greene fails to fully demonstrate the spirit of the man and the passions that drove him. Barring the odd quotation, the most we get is a simple statement about whether each decade was spent manic or depressed. I'd like to know a bit more about what these were like.
It also felt a bit skewed towards his later life. Perhaps there's a greater evidence base for later years, and his travels in Latin America are interesting. But it did feel like it dragged a bit.
I learned a lot about Graham Greene and about the post-colonial world reading this. But I didn't feel like I really enjoyed myself
October 15, 2021
I've enjoyed The Quiet American, Getting to know the General and Our Man in Havana, and what interested me most about this biography is the way it tells the story of Greene's travels in Latin America, where I now live. We go with him to Cuba, Haiti and Panama (of course), but also to Paraguay, Chile, Nicaragua and El Salvador. Greene's passion for left-wing causes, weighted with scepticism perhaps, comes through in this telling by Richard Greene.
What I hadn't realised was quite what a 'wordly' man he was, never content to stay in one place for very long, and prone to heading off to almost anywhere and managing to converse with a president or two (Castro, Allende, Ortega and, of course Trujillo) while evading dangers of various kinds. He was rarely content or settled, always searching, often bored, but always finding ways to stimulate his readers.
What I hadn't realised was quite what a 'wordly' man he was, never content to stay in one place for very long, and prone to heading off to almost anywhere and managing to converse with a president or two (Castro, Allende, Ortega and, of course Trujillo) while evading dangers of various kinds. He was rarely content or settled, always searching, often bored, but always finding ways to stimulate his readers.
January 1, 2021
I had read a few Graham Greene novels ànd seen a few of the films made from them. I didn't know a lot about Greene's life.
An amazingly full life - published and successful author by his twenties, worked for and with MI6, extensive travels, including several war and conflict zones, meeting with significant cultural and political figures. Greene continued to publish and travel until his final years.
The writing itself is easy to read (some reviews say 'academic' - I wouldn't say so). The chapters are quite short and sometimes, I was hoping to read more details but the book moved onto the next. A lot of ground to cover, I guess.
An amazingly full life - published and successful author by his twenties, worked for and with MI6, extensive travels, including several war and conflict zones, meeting with significant cultural and political figures. Greene continued to publish and travel until his final years.
The writing itself is easy to read (some reviews say 'academic' - I wouldn't say so). The chapters are quite short and sometimes, I was hoping to read more details but the book moved onto the next. A lot of ground to cover, I guess.
July 14, 2025
Då sätter vi stopp!
Efter att ha hittat ett par begagnade Graham Greene i bokhyllan på landet, samt kompletterat med resten (de viktigaste), blev denna bok den slutgiltiga belöningen: den senaste, o bästa (tror jag) berättelsen om författaren o personen.
Från 18 januari 2025 tills idag, juli, har jag haft glädjen att få följa med Graham, genom Nottingham, London, Brighton, Mexiko, Panama, Kuba, Vietnam, Liberia, Kongo.. o mycket mer.
I denna utmärkta biografi breddas bilden, o genom alla hans böcker, blir man faktiskt ganska fäst, vid den gamle gubben.
Vilket makalöst liv, vilka otroliga äventyr - o vilken TUR att ha ens genomlevt allt.
Tips! Läs! Allt av Graham o sen denna biografi.
Efter att ha hittat ett par begagnade Graham Greene i bokhyllan på landet, samt kompletterat med resten (de viktigaste), blev denna bok den slutgiltiga belöningen: den senaste, o bästa (tror jag) berättelsen om författaren o personen.
Från 18 januari 2025 tills idag, juli, har jag haft glädjen att få följa med Graham, genom Nottingham, London, Brighton, Mexiko, Panama, Kuba, Vietnam, Liberia, Kongo.. o mycket mer.
I denna utmärkta biografi breddas bilden, o genom alla hans böcker, blir man faktiskt ganska fäst, vid den gamle gubben.
Vilket makalöst liv, vilka otroliga äventyr - o vilken TUR att ha ens genomlevt allt.
Tips! Läs! Allt av Graham o sen denna biografi.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2022
A fascinating and detailed biography of the astonishing Greene, this reveals the details of much of the writer's life, including his sexual politics which were not exactly loyal. His catholicism takes centre stage and his espionage work is skirted over in that it is either truly rendered or the surface of a cover story - I suspect the latter. Interesting guy.
September 13, 2022
Solid account of Greene’s life, which gives particular attention to his travels around the globe. There is little in the way of literary criticism of his works, more of a chronological telling of his story.
June 8, 2021
Solid biography with reasonable mix between Greene’s writing, private life and political involvement
Comes across as a more likeable character than in Norman Sherry’s biography
Comes across as a more likeable character than in Norman Sherry’s biography
August 27, 2021
3.5 stars. A very thorough account of a fascinating life.
June 22, 2024
Really superb, insightful & well written biography of a fascinating subject
October 14, 2024
Fascinating, detailed and well researched telling of a remarkable life
December 26, 2024
What a writer.
What bravery and dedication.
What a life.
What bravery and dedication.
What a life.
December 19, 2020
Possibly four stars
But somehow it felt like such a grind. Graham Greene is one of my favourite writers and he had a long and packed life. He was a troubled and troubling man. The author describes him as living with bipolar disorder and Greene described himself probably more accurately as the milder cyclothermic. It seems possible at least that he attempted suicide or played with Russian Roulette. Certainly he was enlivened by great danger and repeatedly sought it out until his later years. As well as a novelist he was a playwright, film writer and essayist with fresh things to say about the trouble spots of the world. He was a passionate man, betraying many of the women in his life for fresh entanglements and barely had anything to do with his children until they were grown up. And he was a spy who said he had warm memories of working with Kim Philby.
All that and much more.
So I am not quite sure why this felt like a slog. Perhaps it is more zealous in covering every aspect of the life than I would have preferred. It is exhaustive and rather exhausting. The tone isn’t academic but a little flat with rare touches of humour.
But somehow it felt like such a grind. Graham Greene is one of my favourite writers and he had a long and packed life. He was a troubled and troubling man. The author describes him as living with bipolar disorder and Greene described himself probably more accurately as the milder cyclothermic. It seems possible at least that he attempted suicide or played with Russian Roulette. Certainly he was enlivened by great danger and repeatedly sought it out until his later years. As well as a novelist he was a playwright, film writer and essayist with fresh things to say about the trouble spots of the world. He was a passionate man, betraying many of the women in his life for fresh entanglements and barely had anything to do with his children until they were grown up. And he was a spy who said he had warm memories of working with Kim Philby.
All that and much more.
So I am not quite sure why this felt like a slog. Perhaps it is more zealous in covering every aspect of the life than I would have preferred. It is exhaustive and rather exhausting. The tone isn’t academic but a little flat with rare touches of humour.
January 28, 2024
La vita di Graham Greene è di per se un intreccio di avventure, amori, incontri ed esperienze dalle quali scaturisce inevitabilmente una corposa ed avvincente biografia. Attraverso tutto il ventesimo secolo, sempre in viaggio, sempre nel vivo di molte delle più importanti guerre locali, dal centroamerica all’Africa all’estremo oriente. La vita avventurosa di Greene connessa anche alla sua attività di spia per il governo britannico è connotata da una prorompente sessualità sempre in lotta con la depressione che non lo abbandonerà mai anche in ragione della sua religiosità problematica. Questa “Roulette Russa” popolata da mille personaggi e da mille episodi e’ un piacevole excursus sopra molti dei grandi eventi del secolo trascorso di cui spesso tendiamo già a dimenticare storie e protagonisti principali che la vita dello scrittore inglese in qualche modo ci restituisce interconnessi tra di loro. Se siete appassionati di biografie, anche quando particolarmente corpose, questo è un libro da leggere.
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