Böcker av Richard Greene

The definitive one-volume biography of a literary legend.

One of the most celebrated British writers 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 journalist and MI6 officer, Greene sought out the inner narratives of war and politics across the world; he witnessed the Second World War, the Vietnam War, the Mau Mau Rebellion, the rise of Fidel Castro, and the guerrilla wars of Central America. His classic novels, including The Heart of the Matter and The Quiet American, are only pieces of a career that reads like a primer on the twentieth century itself.The Unquiet Englishman braids the narratives of Greene's extraordinary life. It portrays a man who was traumatized as an adolescent and later suffered a mental illness that brought him to the point of suicide on several occasions; it tells the story of a restless traveler and unfailing advocate for human rights exploring troubled places around the world, a man who struggled to believe in God and yet found himself described as a great Catholic writer; it reveals a private life in which love almost always ended in ruin, alongside a larger story of politicians, battlefields, and spies. Above all, The Unquiet Englishman shows us a brilliant novelist mastering his craft.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 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, and sheds new light on one of the foremost modern writers.

The Broken Guitar by Richard Greene is a collection of poems about war:MemorialReading the nameof a young man who died in warsaddens us.Yet more the names of thousandsengraved in granite, or marble,their parents' hopes and dreamsinterred in stone.All that remains are a few keepsakes,and memoriesof newborns, toddlers, vulnerable boys,youths becoming men,those now sad memories,and names carved in cold stone.Who wanted those wars?Their leaders of course,but all too often those same young men,and all too oftenthose who mourn for them.

A collection of autobiographical poems by Richard Greene.Richard Greene has been writing poetry intensively since he retired from a 38-year career in international development in the mid-1990s. A lawyer by training, he fell into his development career by accident when, after law school, though planning not to practice law but interested in international affairs, he accepted an unsolicited job offer from the U.S. Agency for International Development. After a few years in Washington (or Foggy Bottom, as the location of the U.S. foreign policy establishment is known), he was assigned as legal advisor to the USAID mission in Laos and there discovered that the development business suited his interests and inclinations very well.Greene wrote poetry beginning in the 8th grade and continued through college where he studied with a Professor, Henry Rago, who later became editor of Poetry magazine, the leading U.S. poetry journal. However, he wrote few poems after law school as he became absorbed in international development, but turned back to poetry as he neared retirement.

Now revised and updated with new aphorisms!Reader beware: This book contains material that disparages cherished beliefs, opinions and institutions including political and religious ones. While some readers may find that material refreshingly irreverent, others may find it offensive. The aphorism quoted on the cover, Patriotism, piety and chastity are all much overrated virtues, offers a relatively mild example. Some of the aphorisms offer potentially even more offensive material, so proceed with caution.Here are a few examples of Mr. Greene's aphorisms:Sex wouldn't be nearly so interesting if it weren't so widely forbidden.The truly strong are those who aren't driven by the need to prove their strength.Lawyers, actors and politicians must fool others. In the process they often fool themselves.We tend to forget that not all mothers are saints, nor all soldiers heroes.The most important measure of civilization is compassion, not technology, culture, sophisticated institutions, power or the gross national product.

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.

This book contains spoilers-as well as entertaining and thoughtful analysis of them.

For the better part of forty years, Edith Sitwell's poetry has been neglected by critics. But born into a family of privileged eccentrics, Edith Sitwell was highly regarded by her contemporaries: the great writers and artists of the day who attended her unlikely London literary salon. Her quips and anecdotes were legendary and her works like English Eccentrics confirmed her comic genius, while later she established herself as the quintessential poet of the Blitz.This masterly biography, meticulously researched and drawing on many previously unseen letters, firmly places Edith Sitwell in the literary tradition to which she belongs.

Contains selections of Irish prose and poetry which represent this nation's literary heritage.

* The first book of Graham Greene's letters - the most intimate record we have of a life lived at the heart of modern history

Now in paperback. A magnificent collection of letters by one of Britain's most famous literary figures

Covering everything from Aristotle to ziti, this title explores such topics as: is Tony Soprano a good man?; is Carmella a feminist?; morally speaking who is the worst person on "The Sopranos"; and is watching "The Sopranos" harmful to your mental or moral health?