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Why the Epigraph?
56 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1989
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About the author
Graham Greene
809 books6,166 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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April 25, 2021
The title of this tiny volume is “Why the Epigraph?” – but it should be “Why Was This Written?” It came out in 1989, two years before Greene died and it must be the tiniest volume in his oeuvre. It is made up entirely of the epigraphs from his other works – with a few one or two-sentence memories of why it was chosen, such as this one for Rumour at Nightfall: “I am sure that this epigraph described my intention, but I have suppressed the novel. I have never reread it and I have quite forgotten what my intention was.”
There is also an innocuous two-page “author’s note” to the book, at the conclusion of which Greene gives “an epigraph which I think I can apply to all my books” (from Robert Browning):
“Our interest’s on the dangerous edge of things
The honest thief, the tender murderer,
The superstitious atheist, demi-rep….”
It’s a beautiful little book, done by Reinhardt under their Nonesuch imprint. Only 950 numbered copies were printed, all of which were signed by Greene.
There is also an innocuous two-page “author’s note” to the book, at the conclusion of which Greene gives “an epigraph which I think I can apply to all my books” (from Robert Browning):
“Our interest’s on the dangerous edge of things
The honest thief, the tender murderer,
The superstitious atheist, demi-rep….”
It’s a beautiful little book, done by Reinhardt under their Nonesuch imprint. Only 950 numbered copies were printed, all of which were signed by Greene.
Displaying 1 of 1 review