The view of an outsider at a revolution is an odd and slanting one, rather lie a pretentious camera angle; he may sometimes even be unaware that anythThe view of an outsider at a revolution is an odd and slanting one, rather lie a pretentious camera angle; he may sometimes even be unaware that anything is happening around him at all.
A most curious color of memoir, Ways of Escape plumbs and exposes Greene and his project. For myself I recall buying The Quiet American in New Orleans. It was a statement. Alongside viewing Man For All Seasons at party, this was a time when I finally decided how I wanted to live. I was not going to suffer fools, if that's what being normal promoted. Greene regards similar impulses here. His antidote was often travel and prostitutes. His coverage of events in Malaysia, Indochina and Haiti is simply astonishing, especially if one is wary of "the dangerous third martini." Plenty of spoilers concerning his work....more
What is cowardice in the young is wisdom in the old, but all the same one can be ashamed of wisdom.
4.5 stars. This was a necessary return. If I felt yWhat is cowardice in the young is wisdom in the old, but all the same one can be ashamed of wisdom.
4.5 stars. This was a necessary return. If I felt younger at present, this collection would've spared me its wrench. Who are my favorites anymore, aside from Dylan? As to authors, my grasp remains firm around Balzac and Grass. Greene speaks to the faded but civilized self that keeps buggering along. These are stories of nostalgia and regret. The hapless find destiny and mumble as it passes them by. Greene made happy if wistful here. I do regard him as a master. There are reckless steps and then a measured glimpse. There's a salty sniff of locale -- most of the stories occur in the south of France, a powerful one in Jamaica....more
This is Greene at his best, providing a gnashing noir, a tale of chase and deception. The Confidential Agent distills the fears of the late 1930s, peoThis is Greene at his best, providing a gnashing noir, a tale of chase and deception. The Confidential Agent distills the fears of the late 1930s, people are being driven to an almost post-human ignobility. Attempting to stay above the feral pragmatism, an agent known as D. makes his way to England. The timeframe and circumstances suggest The Spanish Civil War, but the details blur into a generic European nightmare. D. is a classics professor and the reader feels for his obsolescence in these dark times. The landscape, the weather and even radio advertisements conspire and haunt. Greene provides no relief and actually mocks the possibility of a sentimental response or conclusion. Highly recommended. ...more
It is no surprise that The Third Man as a novel remains inchoate. It is a signpost, a germinating seed carelessly pitched in frustrated haste. Where dIt is no surprise that The Third Man as a novel remains inchoate. It is a signpost, a germinating seed carelessly pitched in frustrated haste. Where does it lead, what will grow? The film’s images travel in any reader’s bloodstream. Cotten, Howard and Welles occupy the dialogue. Greene’s descriptions are wan and undeveloped. What then can possibly pierce a contemporary reader? The crux of The Third Man is the death of loyalty. Reason and Ideology may trade blows in a makeshift ring, governed in an incomprehensible language, what matters is friendship, right? Even loyalties forged over a lifetime become suspect in the murky reality of postwar Vienna. ...more
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 rThere 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. ...more
A weird if flawed meditation on morality and sanity in times of acute distress. I should consult my Norman Sherry but this one appears penned with a sA weird if flawed meditation on morality and sanity in times of acute distress. I should consult my Norman Sherry but this one appears penned with a screenplay in mind.
Personally this conjures a blitz of memories. My good friend Steve once lived with a plucky poet by the name of Jennifer Priest. This all ended in an explosion of jealousy. I went over to comfort both of them in the aftermath. Jennifer was reading Ministry of Fear at the time. I wasn't overly familiar with Greene at the time. Ignoring the emotional distress of the moment, not to mention the broken furniture, she nodded and said, "its all about a cake."...more
This twitching encounter establishes the compunction and the fear which color Greene's career. The meance is in the details; though I suspect Greene'sThis twitching encounter establishes the compunction and the fear which color Greene's career. The meance is in the details; though I suspect Greene's characters would find a surfeit of the sinister within their own natures....more
It was a premature beginning to the Greene marathon. I read this early novel, Greene's effort at a thriller which anticipates Brighton Rock in its icyIt was a premature beginning to the Greene marathon. I read this early novel, Greene's effort at a thriller which anticipates Brighton Rock in its icy approach. there is a section towards the end where a group of medical students are involved in hazing and the collective cruelty maintained is another variation on the The Destructors. All in all, I have to admit i was thinking of Jim Thompson as this nihilistic fable ends in bloodshed....more
This proved a lively tandem read with the Mrs. A priest is taking a sightseeing drive through Spain and winds up in the company of a communist politicThis proved a lively tandem read with the Mrs. A priest is taking a sightseeing drive through Spain and winds up in the company of a communist politician. Atrocity studies are compared, as if Torquemada and Stalin can be discussed over a quaint lunch. What, they can? My mistake. This is My Dinner With Andre on a more political bend. Given its fluidity, I'd recommend it to just about anyone, despite it being second-tier Greene....more
We may have learned, albeit gradually, that observation does little in establishing evidence, especially those sightings of an anecdotal nature. GrahaWe may have learned, albeit gradually, that observation does little in establishing evidence, especially those sightings of an anecdotal nature. Graham Greene cares little for the scientific method. Here's evidence to that effect. "If I'm a bitch and a fake, is there nobody who will love a bitch and a fake?”
Two women whom I care about read this novel, both were troubled by such. My wife also read this novel and found it powerful and a triumph. The first two women are quite religious, my wife is not. I don't know any men who've read The End of the Affair....more
Loading...
