 Mystery: December 04, 2024 Issue [#12872] |
This week: The Writer MI6 spy Graham Greene Edited by: Sleigh Bells Adore ♥  
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Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas is on it's way. Wow! Well, here we are at the threshhold of the end of the year 2024 and what a year! To keep the focus, let's talk about this December newsletter's mystery author, Graham Greene. He was an illustrious writer of spy games and espionage so realistic, this writer actually immersed for the storyline. If I have you attention, let's move on for more introduction to this man of mystery, Graham Greene.{{/b} |
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For this December mystery newsletter, we will discuss and gain some knowledge about a man of inspiration and great capacity for far reaching ideas, Graham Greene.
Greene was born in 1904 in St John's House, a boarding house of Berkhamsted School, Hertfordshire, where his father was the house master. He was the 4th child of six siblings and his family lived in a boarding house where his father was the housemaster.
Greene's parents, Charles Henry Greene and Marion Raymond Greene, were first cousins, and they married one another in a time when cousins married due to a desire to keep the family bonds tight. His parents were both members of a large, influential family that approved of the union and encouraged it. Greene must've believed differently as we'll see later when we learn of his exploits.
Greene was bullied and profoundly depressed, he made several suicide attempts, including, as he wrote in his autobiography, by Russian roulette and by taking aspirin before going swimming in the school pool.
In 1920, aged 16, in what was a radical step for the time, he was sent for psychoanalysis for six months in London, afterwards returning to school as a day student. Greene's upbringing was steeped in both his
father's artistic world and his mother's strong religious faith. When Greene began life on his own, he identified as an Agnostic.
Early in his life, Greene displayed a passion for writing, penning short stories and poems in his youth. He attended Oxford University, where he studied English literature and became involved in the literary circles of the time. During his university days, he encountered writers such as Evelyn Waugh and W. H. Auden, who influenced his literary style and worldview.
Greene had periodic bouts of depression while at Oxford, and largely kept to himself. Of Greene's time at Oxford, his contemporary Evelyn Waugh noted that: "Graham Greene looked down on us (and perhaps all undergraduates) as childish and ostentatious. He certainly shared in none of our revelry." He graduated in 1925 with a second-class degree in history.
Greene's early works often reflected his Catholic faith and his exploration of the human condition. His experiences as a journalist and his travels to various countries, particularly in Latin America, further informed his writing, exposing him to diverse cultures and shaping his understanding of human nature.
While he was still at Oxford, he had started corresponding with Vivien Dayrell-Browning, who had written to him to correct him on a point of Catholic doctrine. Greene decided during their discourse that he wanted to make her his wife but he knew she was a staunch Catholic.
Greene was an agnostic, but when he later began to think about marrying Vivien, it occurred to him that, as he puts it in his autobiography A Sort of Life, he "ought at least to learn the nature and limits of the beliefs she held". Greene was baptised in February of 1926 and married the fall of '27.
After leaving Oxford, Greene worked as a private tutor and then turned to journalism; first on the Nottingham Journal, and then as a sub-editor on The Times.
Greene's literary career began in the 1920s with his first novel, "The Man Within", published in 1929, under the
pseudonym "James Francis." It was a crime novel that explored the darker aspects of human nature, foreshadowing
the themes that would become central to his later works.
Greene's breakthrough came with his third novel, "Stamboul Train" published in 1932, a thriller set in the Orient Express that showcased his ability to craft suspenseful and intricately plotted narratives.
The novel received critical acclaim, establishing him as a rising talent in the genre of mystery fiction.
Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Greene continued to publish successful novels, such as "The Power and the Glory"
in 1940, which won the Hawthornden Prize and became a critically acclaimed masterpiece. His writing style evolved
during this period, incorporating more complex themes of faith, moral ambiguity, and the struggle between good and
evil.
He supplemented his novelist's income with freelance journalism, book and film reviews for The Spectator, and co-editing the magazine Night and Day.
Greene's 1937 film review of Wee Willie Winkie, for Night and Day—which said that the nine-year-old star, Shirley Temple, displayed "a dubious coquetry" which appealed to "middle-aged men and clergymen"—provoked Twentieth Century Fox successfully to sue for £3,500 plus costs, and Greene left the UK to live in Mexico until after the trial was over.
While in Mexico, Greene developed the ideas for the novel often considered his masterpiece, "The Power and the Glory".
By the 1950s, Greene had become known as one of the finest writers of his generation. It is said that many of the films from a certain period in Hollywood history were made from short stories or novels from Graham Greene.
Greene's works are characterized by a recurring exploration of complex themes and motifs that touch on the human
condition, religious belief, and the complexities of morality.
One of the most prominent themes in Greene's writings is the struggle between faith and doubt, often reflected in
his characters who grapple with their religious beliefs and grapple with the challenges of faith in a secular world.
He explores the human capacity for both good and evil, delving into the complexities of human nature.
Another recurring motif in Greene's works is the concept of "Catholic guilt," which refers to the Catholic doctrine of original sin and the feeling of shame and remorse associated with one's actions.
This theme is particularly prevalent in his novels set in Catholic countries, where he portrays characters grappling with their past sins and seeking redemption.
Throughout his novels, Greene explores the dark side of human nature, often portraying characters driven by greed, ambition, and lust. He also explores the power of love, redemption, and the search for meaning in a complex world.
Throughout his life, Greene travelled to what he called the world's wild and remote places. In 1941, the travels led to his being recruited into MI6 by his sister, Elisabeth, who worked for the agency.
Accordingly, he was posted to Sierra Leone during the Second World War. Kim Philby, who would later be revealed as a Soviet agent, was Greene's supervisor and friend at MI6. Greene resigned from MI6 in 1944.
Part of Greene's reputation as a novelist is for weaving the characters he met and the places where he lived into the fabric of his novels.
Greene first left Europe at 30 years of age in 1935 on a trip to Liberia that produced the travel book "Journey Without Maps". That's gotta be a must read novel!
In 1954, Greene travelled to Haiti, where "The Comedians" published in 1966 is set, and which was then under the rule of dictator François Duvalier, known as "Papa Doc", frequently staying at the Hotel Oloffson in Port-au-Prince.
As inspiration for his novel A Burnt-Out Case, pubhlished in 1960, Greene spent time travelling around Africa visiting a number of leper colonies in the Congo Basin and in what were then the British Cameroons.
When his writing career began to take off, Greene had an affair with Catherine Walston, the wife of Harry Walston, a wealthy farmer and future life peer. That relationship is generally thought to have informed the writing of The "End of the Affair", published in 1951, when the relationship came to an end.
Greene left his family, but Vivien, his wife, refused to grant him a divorce, in accordance with Catholic teaching, and they remained married until Greene's death in 1991.
Greene lived with manic depression (bipolar disorder). He had a history of depression, which had a noticeable effect on his writing and personal life. In a letter to his wife, Vivien, he told her that he had "a character profoundly antagonistic to ordinary domestic life," and that "unfortunately, the disease is also one's material".
Throughout his career, Greene was not without his critics, who questioned his political views, his exploration of
morally ambiguous characters, and his engagement with religious themes.
Despite these controversies, Greene's writing continued to be widely praised. His works were celebrated for their
literary merit, psychological depth, and exploration of complex themes.
He received numerous awards and accolades, including the Hawthornden Prize, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and the Order of the British Empire.
He lived the last years of his life in Vevey, on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, the same town Charlie Chaplin was living in at this time. He visited Chaplin often, and the two became good friends. His book "Doctor Fischer of Geneva" or the "Bomb Party", published in 1980 is based on themes of combined philosophical and geographical influences.
He ceased going to mass and confession in the 1950s, but in his final years began to receive the sacraments again from Father Leopoldo Durán, a Spanish priest, who became a friend.
In 1986, Greene was awarded Britain's Order of Merit. He died five years later of leukaemia in 1991 at the age of 86.
Greene's legacy as a literary giant remains secure, his works continue to be read and studied by generations of
readers and scholars.
He has influenced countless other writers and filmmakers, and his themes of faith, guilt, redemption, and the dark
side of human nature remain relevant to contemporary audiences.
His works have been adapted for stage, film, and television, with many of his novels being translated into numerous
languages.
Greene's enduring impact on the literary world is a testament to his masterful storytelling, his exploration of profound themes, and his unique narrative style.
His ability to capture the complexities of the human condition, to explore the struggle between good and evil, and to weave together elements of mystery, suspense, and thriller continues to make his works timeless and captivating
Wow, what a whole of lot of content to digest from an author with this level of depth in writing. We've had our second snow today and it was more than the weather person's forecasted but it sure looks like Christmas will be filled with snow for the reindeer and Santa this year. Hope your holidays will be bright, and I wish you all the best till next time.
Till next month, Merry Christmas and happy New Year...2025 is on the way and keep on reading, dear readers! ♥ |
Here is this month's list of some new and interesting stories for your reading pleasure:
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Shiver!!! Teeth Chatter!!! Here we are in the boundfully cold month of December, Christmas month, and we have some readers who responded to the question in November's mystery newsletter. First, let's see who responded and post their responses below:
Quick-Quill  Oh my, have you taken me back sixty years? I read Victoria Holt, Phyllis Whitney, and Ellis Peters. Over the years, I have read a variety of genres and authors, but I never forget my favorite early gothic authors. Thank you for taking me down memory lane.
FÐ Spread the Christmas Joys  also submitted the following: Lady Mary Stewart became a Lady because her husband, Frederick Stewart, was knighted.
Bonus Answer: Mary Stewart receive her title in 1974. Frederick Stewart was the reason why she was knighted.
Thank you so much.
FÐ Spread the Christmas Joys
Thank you both wonderful readers of this newsletter! You have MBs coming. Please send me an email pls so I can get them out to you both.
Now, on to this month's newsletter question. What did Greene battle with his entire life? Bonus question: What kind of roulette did Greene play in boarding school?
The first five readers to answer the first question will receive a MB and as always, those who answer the bonus question (What kind of roulette did Greene play in boarding school?) will receive another MB for their involvement.
Thanks so much for reading this month's newsletter. I'm so happy to see that we are nearing the close of the year and onto Christmas...whooohooo!!! I LOVE Christmas decorations so MUCH!!!, had a beautiful Thanksgiving with my family, Zoom called our son to see them and the grandkids, and our GRANDSON is an up and coming trumpeter!!!
Here's to cozy winter nights, egg nog drinks galore, Christmas wishes becoming a reality and more wonderful mystery reading (and writing) for you. Till January and New Year kats...write on! |
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