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The Lost Childhood and Other Essays
From Dickens to Wilde--literary criticism and personal reflections by a master "unmatched . . . in his uncanny psychological insights" (The New York Times).
Graham Greene shares his love affair with reading in this collection of essays, memories, and critical considerations, both affectionate and tart, "[that] could have come from no other source than the author of Brighton Rock and The Power and the Glory" (The Scotsman).
Whether following the obsessions of Henry James, marveling at the "indispensible" Beatrix Potter, or exploring the Manichean world of Oliver Twist, Graham Greene revisits the books and authors of his lifetime. Here is Greene on Fielding, Doyle, Kipling, and Conrad; on The Prisoner of Zenda and the "revolutionary . . . colossal egoism" of Laurence Stern's epic comic novel, Tristram Shandy; on the adventures of both Allan Quatermain and Moll Flanders; and more. Greene strolls among the musty oddities and folios sold on the cheap at an outdoor book mart, tells of a bizarre literary hoax perpetrated on a hapless printseller in eighteenth-century Pall Mall, and in the titular essay, reveals the book that unlocked his imagination so thoroughly that he decided to write forever. For Greene, "all the other possible futures slid away."
In this prismatic gallery of profound influences and guiltless pleasures, Greene proves himself "so intensely alive that the reader cannot but respond to the dazzling combination of intelligence and strong feeling" (Edward Sackville West).
Graham Greene shares his love affair with reading in this collection of essays, memories, and critical considerations, both affectionate and tart, "[that] could have come from no other source than the author of Brighton Rock and The Power and the Glory" (The Scotsman).
Whether following the obsessions of Henry James, marveling at the "indispensible" Beatrix Potter, or exploring the Manichean world of Oliver Twist, Graham Greene revisits the books and authors of his lifetime. Here is Greene on Fielding, Doyle, Kipling, and Conrad; on The Prisoner of Zenda and the "revolutionary . . . colossal egoism" of Laurence Stern's epic comic novel, Tristram Shandy; on the adventures of both Allan Quatermain and Moll Flanders; and more. Greene strolls among the musty oddities and folios sold on the cheap at an outdoor book mart, tells of a bizarre literary hoax perpetrated on a hapless printseller in eighteenth-century Pall Mall, and in the titular essay, reveals the book that unlocked his imagination so thoroughly that he decided to write forever. For Greene, "all the other possible futures slid away."
In this prismatic gallery of profound influences and guiltless pleasures, Greene proves himself "so intensely alive that the reader cannot but respond to the dazzling combination of intelligence and strong feeling" (Edward Sackville West).
- GenresEssaysNonfiction
224 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1951
44 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
Graham Greene
809 books6,172 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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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 9, 2019
I love reading Graham Green. His touches of humour reflection can be witnessed in any of his works. His writing style was a bit clumsy to understand. Though he tries to keep the things quite easy and simple ultimately it ends up with scholarly writing.
His book 'The Lost Childhood and Other Essays' depicts the sketches of some novelist and some characters. He has discussed them in a detailed manner. He has also done some post-script thing that is a reallly wonderful thing to read for the critical perspective.
Undoubtedly, Graham Greene's books are full wit and wisdom that reflects some genuinely in a nutshell.
His book 'The Lost Childhood and Other Essays' depicts the sketches of some novelist and some characters. He has discussed them in a detailed manner. He has also done some post-script thing that is a reallly wonderful thing to read for the critical perspective.
Undoubtedly, Graham Greene's books are full wit and wisdom that reflects some genuinely in a nutshell.
October 21, 2022
I had already read and enjoyed Greene's writings on politics, war, revolution, travel and cinema and so, it was just a matter of time till I would finally peruse his collection of literary essays and articles as well. Those who have even read only a fragment of his work would surely have realised that literature was always a crucial ingredient of his fiction and non-fiction writer - this is, after all, the man whose fictional man in Havana, who was inventing his own fictions, was using a book code from Lambs' tales of Shakespeare and this is also the intrepid traveler holed up in a bad hotel room in one of the interior states of Mexico reading Trollope's "Doctor Thorne" and finding much enjoyment and excitement in its brilliantly orchestrated fictional suspense. From his deft choice of epigrams from everyone, be it Thomas Hardy or any of the great English poets or even "The Little Duke", to his love for second-hand bookshops (further inspiring me to continue with my book-hunting adventures on a much more relentless scale), Greene was as interested in savouring literature as he was in savouring vice and danger and this slim collection of essays, that I picked up in a yellowing old edition from my favourite pavement bookshops in Bombay, takes us on a whirlwind tour of his literary fascination and his thoughts and opinions on the past and changing scene of English literature.
And if that sounds like a mouthful, trust Greene to make even something normally didactic as a literary essay as entertaining, candid and informative as a personal story or even a piece of excellent prose as much as his novels and short stories. "The Lost Childhood and Other Essays" is never wholly concerned about deconstructing technique or style of the books and authors that Greene holds up for scrutiny; instead, these essays bring to life the excitement, apprehension and even the moments of miraculous discovery that a reader feels on reading a book by a said author for the first time and even rereading a book in a whole new light.They lead us to the bookshelves from where we can find new books and authors and they also compel us to rediscover and revisit the books and authors that we have discovered in our own childhood and youth.
As to be expected, the ensemble features pieces on his favourite storytellers namely Henry James, Robert Louis Stevenson, Charles Dickens and Beatrix Potter, all brilliantly written, touched with lively wit and even rich psychological insights into these writers and also comprehensive and lucid in their summary. He explores the many dimensions of James and while praising his storytelling qualities, is critical of his failed plays; he insists on giving Stevenson more credit for the darkness and maturity to be found in his later works; he judges "Oliver Twist" as a superior work than "The Pickwick Papers" and praises Dickens' skill at portraying darkness and he even is full of admiration for the clipped style of Beatrix Potter and her skill at creating villainous characters. He further goes on to praise Mauriac's quality of realistic characterisation and even Conrad's philosophical query into men driven by uncontrollable destinies.
These beautifully judged and balanced essays are a joy to read, full of the warm affection that the writer had for these well-known names. But what even amazes one are his equally profound and precise essays on many writers and authors about whom we would not have known much. He casts a brilliant spotlight on the stories of Walter De La Mare whom he thinks as the same as Stevenson and M.R.James, he distinguishes Fielding from Sterne, criticizes Leon Bloy and Anthony Hope and he further goes ahead in expressing his full admiration and support for Ford Madox Ford and even controversial writers such as Herbert Read and Frederick Rolfe. His interest even goes beyond these authors to even other lesser-known figures such as Eric Gill, Francis Parkman and even George Darley and to each of the fascinating topics, Greene gives the same kind of penetrating insight and judicious objectivity that he was always known for as a writer.
The titular essay, "The Lost Childhood" is what opens this collection and it also sets the implicit tone of the collection in a sense. The essay is typical of Greene's personal essays and recollections and the autobiographical tone is what makes it even more special. Greene recollects how, in an early age, the books he read paved the future ahead for him, not only by leading him to the places that he would travel to someday, as in the case of Henry Rider Haggard's adventure novels but also in establishing his unique point of view in his writing - the stance of the fallen, the misunderstood, the guilty and the sinful. But throughout the collection, many of his pieces are directly concerned with childhood; several attempt at charting the childhood experiences of writers as diverse as James and Darley and how these were formative for them. But two essays, in particular, follow the pattern of the eponymous piece in portraying the full effect of childhood on literature. One, "The Burden Of Childhood" compares Hector Munro's vindictive wit as a form of expressing his vengeance on the stifled atmosphere of his boyhood with the cruel humour to be found in the stories of Kipling, yet another writer tormented in his boyhood. The second, much more charming and nostalgic, is about the popular pulp stories, rich with imagination, devoured by a generation of children growing up with the Second World War raging in the skies and how these helped these children escape the horrors of the day with never-ending tales of heroism and victory.
Greene ends the collection with a PERSONAL POSTSCRIPT - six essays picked out seemingly at random from his other collections and yet what a wise, perceptive means they are to bring a collection of essays on reading, understanding and coming to terms with the pathos in every writer's heart and soul to an end. These six essays take one to new places and testify that Greene's knack for understanding and recording experiences, be it inside a Wellington bomber performing maneuvers or into the grime and grit of an old bookshop yielding such unexpected finds, is peerless as ever. That was never in doubt as this collection of essays, hugely entertaining, extremely informative and eye-opening in their insight and revelation, proves so glowingly.
And if that sounds like a mouthful, trust Greene to make even something normally didactic as a literary essay as entertaining, candid and informative as a personal story or even a piece of excellent prose as much as his novels and short stories. "The Lost Childhood and Other Essays" is never wholly concerned about deconstructing technique or style of the books and authors that Greene holds up for scrutiny; instead, these essays bring to life the excitement, apprehension and even the moments of miraculous discovery that a reader feels on reading a book by a said author for the first time and even rereading a book in a whole new light.They lead us to the bookshelves from where we can find new books and authors and they also compel us to rediscover and revisit the books and authors that we have discovered in our own childhood and youth.
As to be expected, the ensemble features pieces on his favourite storytellers namely Henry James, Robert Louis Stevenson, Charles Dickens and Beatrix Potter, all brilliantly written, touched with lively wit and even rich psychological insights into these writers and also comprehensive and lucid in their summary. He explores the many dimensions of James and while praising his storytelling qualities, is critical of his failed plays; he insists on giving Stevenson more credit for the darkness and maturity to be found in his later works; he judges "Oliver Twist" as a superior work than "The Pickwick Papers" and praises Dickens' skill at portraying darkness and he even is full of admiration for the clipped style of Beatrix Potter and her skill at creating villainous characters. He further goes on to praise Mauriac's quality of realistic characterisation and even Conrad's philosophical query into men driven by uncontrollable destinies.
These beautifully judged and balanced essays are a joy to read, full of the warm affection that the writer had for these well-known names. But what even amazes one are his equally profound and precise essays on many writers and authors about whom we would not have known much. He casts a brilliant spotlight on the stories of Walter De La Mare whom he thinks as the same as Stevenson and M.R.James, he distinguishes Fielding from Sterne, criticizes Leon Bloy and Anthony Hope and he further goes ahead in expressing his full admiration and support for Ford Madox Ford and even controversial writers such as Herbert Read and Frederick Rolfe. His interest even goes beyond these authors to even other lesser-known figures such as Eric Gill, Francis Parkman and even George Darley and to each of the fascinating topics, Greene gives the same kind of penetrating insight and judicious objectivity that he was always known for as a writer.
The titular essay, "The Lost Childhood" is what opens this collection and it also sets the implicit tone of the collection in a sense. The essay is typical of Greene's personal essays and recollections and the autobiographical tone is what makes it even more special. Greene recollects how, in an early age, the books he read paved the future ahead for him, not only by leading him to the places that he would travel to someday, as in the case of Henry Rider Haggard's adventure novels but also in establishing his unique point of view in his writing - the stance of the fallen, the misunderstood, the guilty and the sinful. But throughout the collection, many of his pieces are directly concerned with childhood; several attempt at charting the childhood experiences of writers as diverse as James and Darley and how these were formative for them. But two essays, in particular, follow the pattern of the eponymous piece in portraying the full effect of childhood on literature. One, "The Burden Of Childhood" compares Hector Munro's vindictive wit as a form of expressing his vengeance on the stifled atmosphere of his boyhood with the cruel humour to be found in the stories of Kipling, yet another writer tormented in his boyhood. The second, much more charming and nostalgic, is about the popular pulp stories, rich with imagination, devoured by a generation of children growing up with the Second World War raging in the skies and how these helped these children escape the horrors of the day with never-ending tales of heroism and victory.
Greene ends the collection with a PERSONAL POSTSCRIPT - six essays picked out seemingly at random from his other collections and yet what a wise, perceptive means they are to bring a collection of essays on reading, understanding and coming to terms with the pathos in every writer's heart and soul to an end. These six essays take one to new places and testify that Greene's knack for understanding and recording experiences, be it inside a Wellington bomber performing maneuvers or into the grime and grit of an old bookshop yielding such unexpected finds, is peerless as ever. That was never in doubt as this collection of essays, hugely entertaining, extremely informative and eye-opening in their insight and revelation, proves so glowingly.
September 10, 2021
Having read Greene's novels, short stories, memoirs, travel writing, and plays - it's on to this collection of his literary criticism, which has been staring at me balefully from my shelf for several years. This book was published in 1950 ("for copyright reasons, not for sale in the U.S.A." warns the back cover), and it was an absolute delight to read. Greene is a sensitive and perceptive reader, and his essays on Henry James and Dickens and Stevenson are insightful and beautifully written. There are also a lot of essays, no less entertaining, on once-popular writers I had never heard of - if you want a savage take-down of the writer Leon Bloy, then this is the book for you! But his appreciation of Dorothy Richardson made me want to learn more about her - she wrote a popular 12-volume roman a clef from 1915 to 1938 that was hugely influential on Virginia Woolf and other modernists. To the library!
For me, though, the biggest surprise in this collection were the personal essays. I've often felt that Greene was able to write interestingly about absolutely everything, with one exception - himself. His memoirs are notoriously flat and uninformative. What a delight, then to read these frank and funny essays. The title essay, about his reading habits as a child, is wonderful, and the last essay, about surviving the Blitz, is astonishingly moving. This collection really shows Greene at his best.
Next up will be his volume of film criticism, which has been staring at me even more balefully for even longer....
For me, though, the biggest surprise in this collection were the personal essays. I've often felt that Greene was able to write interestingly about absolutely everything, with one exception - himself. His memoirs are notoriously flat and uninformative. What a delight, then to read these frank and funny essays. The title essay, about his reading habits as a child, is wonderful, and the last essay, about surviving the Blitz, is astonishingly moving. This collection really shows Greene at his best.
Next up will be his volume of film criticism, which has been staring at me even more balefully for even longer....
May 13, 2020
A very mixed collection. There are one or two excellent autobiographical essays included here. Much of the rest consists of reviews of long forgotten books or accounts of the lives of now obscure authors. It's a book that is very much of its time and not that much of it translates to the 21st century.
October 2, 2020
Reading essays by anyone has never been my favorite pastime. But, since I am now reading everything written by Graham Greene in chronological order in one year (you have to do SOMEthing in a pandemic!), the time had come to read “The Lost Childhood and Other Essays” by Greene – the first collection of his essays to be printed (1951). It was a little laborious to get through some of them, but, overall, I enjoyed it and the highlights were worth it.
Part One consisted only of the essay “The Lost Childhood” and is a fun memory of his childhood reading and its effects on his own future writing.
Part Two on “Novels and Novelists” can be tedious and dry (the ones on Henry James particularly so), but then you get Frederick Rolf (Baron Corvo) and Beatrix Potter and its fun again.
It is the final section, “Personal Postscript,” that is not to be missed. The much-ballyhooed “The Revolver in the Corner Cupboard” we have seen and discussed before, but try out “Film Lunch” for a snarky kick. “Book Market” is a joy for any book collector.
I would not recommend starting reading Greene with this book – but I don’t want to put it down either.
Part One consisted only of the essay “The Lost Childhood” and is a fun memory of his childhood reading and its effects on his own future writing.
Part Two on “Novels and Novelists” can be tedious and dry (the ones on Henry James particularly so), but then you get Frederick Rolf (Baron Corvo) and Beatrix Potter and its fun again.
It is the final section, “Personal Postscript,” that is not to be missed. The much-ballyhooed “The Revolver in the Corner Cupboard” we have seen and discussed before, but try out “Film Lunch” for a snarky kick. “Book Market” is a joy for any book collector.
I would not recommend starting reading Greene with this book – but I don’t want to put it down either.
November 24, 2025
Records indicate I read The Lost Childhood and Other Essays by Graham Greene in 1966. Today (2025) I wonder. There are 35 pages on Henry James. In 1966 I had not read any books by Henry James. Now, I have read most of them yet I still had trouble understanding some of what Greene has to say about him and his writing – even with recourse to Wikipedia. I know what attracted me to this paperback in 1966: on page two of the Lost Childhood essay Greene lists favourite books of his childhood and “above all other books at that time of my life (was) King Solomon’s Mines.” At that time of my life, i.e. my childhood, I felt the same way about King Solomon’s Mines. On reading the essay I realised that Greene was making the point that, while King Solomon’s Mines contains evil (Gagool, Twala) and that good triumphs in the end, this is not always the case. Greene claims he became aware of this after reading The Viper of Milan by Marjorie Bowen. After reading Greene’s essay, in 1966, I sought out and read The Viper of Milan. But in 1966 I was 25 I had already read and experienced enough to be aware that good does not always triumph over evil. But I cannot recall a single book or event that “brought this home to me.”
Throughout the following essays in this volume the question of good and evil is a recurring topic. Another recurring topic is Catholicism. Most of the essays are about writers. I enjoyed reading about the writers I had read – e.g. James, Dickens, Conrad, Stevenson, William Butler, John Buchan, Saki. I confess to “speed reading” the essays on writers I had not read – e.g. Francois Mauriac, Jack Harkaway, Herbert Reid, George Darley. (Some I had not heard of). I suspect reading this book in 1966 led me to read Henry James. I read my first James novel, The Ambassadors, in 1967. Now, after this reading of the book I’m thinking I should read Hadrian VII by Frederick Rolfe and I’ve only read one book by Ford Maddox Ford.
Throughout the following essays in this volume the question of good and evil is a recurring topic. Another recurring topic is Catholicism. Most of the essays are about writers. I enjoyed reading about the writers I had read – e.g. James, Dickens, Conrad, Stevenson, William Butler, John Buchan, Saki. I confess to “speed reading” the essays on writers I had not read – e.g. Francois Mauriac, Jack Harkaway, Herbert Reid, George Darley. (Some I had not heard of). I suspect reading this book in 1966 led me to read Henry James. I read my first James novel, The Ambassadors, in 1967. Now, after this reading of the book I’m thinking I should read Hadrian VII by Frederick Rolfe and I’ve only read one book by Ford Maddox Ford.
November 13, 2017
My reading challenge this year included a 'book of essays'. I didn't have to look too far. I acquired Penguin editions of dozens of Grahame Green books in the 1970s & had read all the novels & short stories but had never gotten around to this. These essays are largely reviews of books or short studies of authors. Few do not contain a reference to religion &, in particular, Catholicism - something that was dear to Greene's own heart. Although I knew only a few of his subjects I still found these essays intriguing, particularly the one dealing with Beatrix Potter. Greene loved her books & his essay about her work is complimentary, if not laudatory. His only criticism is reserved for her final novel (which he did not know had been written first). When this almost entirely positive review of her life's work was published Potter was so stung by Greene's opinion of her 'last' work that she fired off an acidic response. Clearly, this won't cater to all tastes, but definitely of interest.
February 19, 2024
Favourite quotes:
Perhaps it is only in childhood that books have any deep influence on our lives. In later life we admire, we are entertained, we may modify some views we already hold, but we are more likely to find in books merely a confirmation of what is in our minds already: as in a love affair it is our own features that we see reflected flatteringly back.
But in childhood all books are books of divination, telling us about the future, and like the fortune teller who sees a long journey in the cards or death by water they influence the future. - p 13
Each was a crystal in which the child dreamed that he saw life moving. - p 14
NB: Only read this first essay. Skimmed rest.
Perhaps it is only in childhood that books have any deep influence on our lives. In later life we admire, we are entertained, we may modify some views we already hold, but we are more likely to find in books merely a confirmation of what is in our minds already: as in a love affair it is our own features that we see reflected flatteringly back.
But in childhood all books are books of divination, telling us about the future, and like the fortune teller who sees a long journey in the cards or death by water they influence the future. - p 13
Each was a crystal in which the child dreamed that he saw life moving. - p 14
NB: Only read this first essay. Skimmed rest.
January 24, 2020
Had I read these literary reviews when they were first published I am sure they would have had more meaning for me. However, some of the books reviewed by Greene in this volume are no longer read, and several of his references are also dated, making some of the essays a bit of an unsatisfying slog. Greene assumes (reasonably) that the reader of his reviews is as familiar with the subject of the review as he is. I confess it has been years since I read The Portrait of a Lady, and I have not read much else by Henry James, so I had to take it on trust Greene's analysis of the progression of James's writing.
July 17, 2023
Only read the essays on childhood and children's authors. Green's literary analysis is more descriptive than reflective, but there are a lot of great quotes in this book... "In childhood, all books are books of divination" is the tentpole of Greene's essays; ie. the books we read in childhood (as well as our life circumstances) largely dictate the course that our lives and deaths will take. They illuminate the shadowy adult world as we take our first steps towards who we will be.
February 21, 2021
A magnificent first text, worth the price of admission alone.
Some penetrating, and some amusing, portraits of writers, and artists.
some reflective pieces, usually pretty good.
And this: 'Human nature is not black and white but black and grey'
Some penetrating, and some amusing, portraits of writers, and artists.
some reflective pieces, usually pretty good.
And this: 'Human nature is not black and white but black and grey'
April 17, 2016
These shocking experience no doubt left their impression on Greene , as we discover from his novels , but he was also influenced by the book he read .in one of his autobiographical essays , he tells us that it is perhaps "Only in childhood that books have any deep influence on our lives . The Lost childhood that books have any deep influence on our lives .
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews