The Life of Graham Greene, Volume 1: 1904-1939

The Life of Graham Greene #1

by Norman Sherry

Graham Greene was one of the most guarded and complex literary figures of our time. In the first volume of Norman Sherry’s celebrated biography, Greene’s early life is explored through letters, diaries, and hundreds of interviews, including a breakdown in his early teens, his years at Oxford, and, most particularly, his long and tortuous courtship of his future wife. Sherry uncovers the origins of Greene’s literary preoccupations, as well as reasons for his conversion to Roman Catholicism. Greene’s development as a novelist, from the early success of The Man Within to his masterpiece, The Power and the Glory , is also explored in full, as Sherry literally follows Greene’s footsteps to West Africa and Mexico, penetrating the strange and emotional territory that Greene made into his own.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Biography Memoir, British Literature

816 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1989

About the author

Norman Sherry was an English novelist, biographer, and educator who was best known for his three-volume biography of the British novelist Graham Greene. He was Professor of English Literature at Lancaster University.
Sherry was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, the younger twin (by eleven minutes) of Alan. Sherry studied at King's College, Newcastle, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1955.
He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He also wrote on Joseph Conrad, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, and Jane Austen. His Life of Graham Greene was praised by David Lodge for being "a remarkable and heroic achievement" that he predicted would prove "the definitive biography of record" of Greene.
From 1983, Sherry held the post of Mitchell Distinguished Professor of Literature at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.
He was married three times: first to the children's novelist Sylvia Sherry, then to Carmen Flores (with whom he had a son and a daughter), and finally to Pat Villalon.

Reviews

[Justin Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clearly, I'm missing something. This was one of the most tedious books I've ever trawled through; it is not a biography, it is a partially digested mash of quotation from letters, journals, and books, with almost no synthesis or analysis whatsoever. This is clearly a conscious decision on Sherry's part, but it makes the book almost unreadable. Every tiny factoid is backed up with in-text quotation; nothing ever happens, but we are told about literally everything that happens through someone else's words. It could have been one fifth the length without losing anything other than the embarrassing style of Greene's love letters.

Why did he convert? Let's quote Greene, instead of actually thinking about it. Why did he go to Liberia? No particular reason is given in the letters, so let's assume there isn't one. Why Mexico? And so on. Greene led a truly interesting life, and Sherry makes approximately nothing of it. His conversion is recounted in the same style, and at the same length, as negotiations for books that he never published.

The only possible reasons for this are i) that Greene was alive when Sherry was writing, and Sherry felt obliged not to speculate about anything; and ii) Sherry did so much work and read so many tedious, over-egged letters and journals that he just had to stick it all somewhere. I might get through the next volume, because I'm genuinely interested in the man, but dearie me, the last volume is even longer than this one!

[Book Riot Community]

This is not a small undertaking. It’s 3 massive volumes and I admit I still haven’t gotten to the third one. But Greene SO deserves it. You are only at the beginning of Volume I and already there is the kind of social conflict and bullying and depression in a British boys’ prep school that’s worthy of a novel of its own. He plays Russian Roulette a few times while still in his teens. Then he explores Africa! Like legitimately explores it and goes places people have never gone! And becomes a spy during wartime! And has religious struggles and moral quandaries and torrid affairs. Seriously, his life is possibly more exciting and intriguing than his books. And that’s saying a lot. It’s even making me want to finally pick up Volume 3 and go for it.- Jessica W.

From Our Favorite Biographies of Dead Writers: http://bookriot.com/2014/12/18/favori...

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesus Christ, the most incredible biography I've ever read.

I haven't read the other two (three?) volumes, but from what I understand Norman Sherry went slowly insane over the course of writing them and by the third volume he's like, "At 12:06 PM on January 3rd, Graham Greene had a bowel movement."

Ironically, that kind of obsessive attention to detail is what makes the first volume such a fascinating read.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

these three books are basically pretty good, but at times the biographer started to remind me of the malevolent narrator from Nabokov's Pale Fire, his asides and comments suggested that he would really like to be telling you about his own experiences and what happened to him, Norman Sherry while he wrote these 'bleedin books that cost him 26 odd years of his life....'.

With GG it seems that pretty much his fiction is draw very much from what he really did, but would never actually admit to, like all the prostitutes and the other random various things. The fact that GG played Russian roulette with himself a few times, and his compulsive need to write every day, would suggest he was a little bit off his rocker, and that we were fortunate that this ocd produced something readable for the rest of us.

After reading this magnum opus it did leave me wondering what if anything of GG i would like to read next / ever, as in some ways this book has perhaps slightly over deconstructed the plots and meanings of the various books... I hope i do still love his stuff, but reading these three volumes over the autumn has left me needing to take a moment to take stock. That said i have been rationing myself to one GG each summer holiday over the past few years so perhaps that way to go on with it - and it just leaves me curious to see if Norman Sherry ever got to write a book about his own adventures as it seemed thats what he would like to do, i also wondered if he was gay too because he really went on about his helpful doctor on his travels.

[Heather Mcgrail · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is dense and full of all the details and intricate psychology from his early years.
Awesome.
I'm reading it slowly, but I'm loving it.

[Ratko Radunović · Rating 4 out of 5]

In memoriam: Norman Sherry (1925-2016)

Neumorni biograf

Sredinom oktobra preminuo je Norman Šeri, poznat po trotomnoj biografiji Grejema Grina. Tako je, ako ubrojimo i kontroverznu knjigu Majkla Šeldena iz 1994, saga o tom autoru stavljena ad akta. Šeriju je pomenuta biografija doslovno spiskala više od tri decenije života. Iako mu knjige o Grinu nisu jedino djelo, Šeri je interesantniji kao primjer književnika koji – valjda se može reći – odista živi za svoju vokaciju. Ali to ujedno i pokazuje da se radi o nezahvalnoj raboti koja se ne sastoji od fotelje i radnog stola.

U to ime ne vrijedi zaboraviti da je Heršel Parker, tvorac dvotomne biografije o Melvilu i urednik većine njegovih izdanja, potom napisao ništa manje obimnu knjigu o pisanju Melvilove biografije, dok je istoričar Robert A. Karo (The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, 1974), tri decenije neumorno istražujući i pišući o Lindonu B. Džonsonu, naposljetku svoje impresije o sopstvenom radu objedinio u „polumemoaru“Working (2019).

U trenutku kada se pretjerano oprezni Grin, 1974, pročitavši Šerijeve dvije uvažene putopisne knjige o Konradu, odvažio i ponudio čovjeku da bude njegov biograf, autor/teoretičar/scenarista Dejvid Lodž tu priliku za profesora poput Šerija na nevažnom engleskom univerzitetu opisuje kao: „ekvivalent eminentnog glumca u teatru neke provincije koji naprasno dobija glasovitu ulogu u velikom holivudskom filmu.“ Ono što je isprva zvučalo kao pritajeni blagoslov, ispostavilo se da će u neku ruku postati noćna mora.

Šeri je prvo odlučio da obiđe svijet onako kao što je Grin neprekidno činio tokom čitavog života. Samo 1957. godine, Grin je procijenio da je proputovao oko 70 hiljada kilometara. Šeri je na isti način bio primoran da prođe kroz privremeno sljepilo, da dobije dizenteriju u istom meksičkom selu kao i Grejem Grin kad je boravio u njemu, i da umalo umre od izvjesne tropske bolesti zbog čega je dio njegovih crijeva morao da mu bude odstranjen.

Ne zaboravimo ni da je biograf tada predao jemstvo svojeg profesorskog mjesta na univerzitetu bez ikakve nadoknade, tako da je 1995. godine zapao u dug svojim izdavačima od 78.000 funti.

Naposljetku je Grin počeo da žali što je svoj burni život prepustio jednom zdušnom komarcu. Valjda se prisjetio Šerijevog putovanja duž Afrike kojim je ovaj slijedio plovidbu Konradovog Marloa iz Srca tameu ime svoje knjige Konradov zapadni svijet, objavljene 1971. Na isti način, zbog Grina, Šeri će otputovati u Liberiju, pa i na Haiti, ili će tragati za nekom od četrdeset sedam prostitutki s kojima je autor spavao, ili pak za ljudima s kojima je u Londonu i u Vijetnamu Grin pušio marihuanu, odnosno opijum.

Dvije Šerijeve knjige o Konradu nisu bile biografije u klasičnom smislu, koliko inovativne detektivske studije. Tu je istraživanje prevashodno počivalo na praćenju Konradovih putovanja i, posredstvom procesa koji uključuje intervjue na lokacijama, arhivsko pretraživanje i druge oblike istorijske arheologije, radilo se o pokušaju da se nanovo osmisli „vjerodostojni“ zbir događaja i opservacija što će budućim piscima služiti kao izvori, konteksti i opipljiva pozadina.

„O meni ne bi mogao da pišeš kao što si pisao o Konradu“, kazao mu je Grin 1974. „Nikada nećeš dobiti priliku da uđeš u Sajgon“ (gdje se odvija radnja romana Tihi Amerikanac). Šeri je prilikom njihovog prvog susreta priznao da, nakon deset godina rada na Konradu, on naveliko traži svoju narednu temu. „Oh“, odgovorio je Grin pomirljivo, „ja sigurno ne bih volio da ljudi prčkaju po mom životu... Ali ako bih poželio da neko napiše moju biografiju, to bi bez sumnje bio ti.“

Vremenom su razgovori između njih dvojice počeli da presušuju. Grin je s pravom svoj život, koliko je mogao, držao dalje od medija, čak i od bliskih ljudi, međutim, sad je kraj sebe imao tog upornog profesora koji je zaista planirao da napiše ekstenzivnu višetomnu biografiju o njegovom životu – nešto što je tog starog pesimistu, depresivca i bivšeg engleskog špijuna zbilja počinjalo da zabrinjava.

Tri Šerijeva toma su objavljena u periodu 1989-2004. i brojala su 2,250 strana (sa indeksima).

Katkada bi Grin zamolio Šerija da ne intervjuiše određenu osobu, a zatim je biografu čitava Grinova porodica sasvim otkazala poslušnost prilikom pisanja finalnog, trećeg, toma, tvrdeći da on zapravo piše knjige o sebi, a ne o Grejemu Grinu. U drugom tomu, biograf priznaje da je Grin pred smrt i dalje „imao zaboden iverak leda u srcu“, i da je veliki pisac u suštini ostao misterija – „zbog brojnih maski koje je nosio“.

Zato su ova tri toma zapravo vrlo dobra, jer se svojski trude da prikažu Grina u što odmjerenijem – objektivnom? – svjetlu, između dobrog i lošeg. Jer kako Šeri nije bio bozvelovski poltron, tako nijedna od ovih biografija nipošto nužno ne laska čuvenom autoru.

„Moraću da te zaštitim od svoje porodice“, kazao mu je Grin na samrti. Ubrzo mu je dao dokument gdje mu odobrava da citira iz svih njegovih objavljenih i neobjavljenih tekstova. Faksimil tog dokumenta imamo u apendiksu trećeg toma. Tri dana poslije autorove smrti, 1991, Šeriju je Grinov sin, Frensis, poslao pismo gdje je biografu doslovno naredio da mu šalje svako napisano poglavlje, kako bi mogao da kontroliše njegovo napredovanje. A samo 1994. godine, u Engleskoj su objavljene četiri neautorizovane Grinove biografije.

„Priroda ga je dala da bude savršeni špijun“, piše Šeri u drugom tomu koji obuhvata 16 godina piščevog života. Na drugoj strani, imamo Grina što je do kraja tvrdio da se samo jedanput bavio špijunskim zanatom, i to za vrijeme Drugog svjetskog rata.

Kao antitezu Šerijevim knjigama o Grinu, imamo Šeldenovu kritički veoma nastrojenu, ali i vrlo korisnu biografiju, Sâm svoj neprijatelj (The Enemy Within). Tu je Grin najvećma opisan kao posvećen i radoznao, ali u suštini nesmotren i nekompetentan obavještajac, koji „glavni posao ostavlja pravim profesionalcima.“

„Ako fantastična operacija agenta ‘Garbo’ zvuči poznato“, piše Šelden, „to je zato jer je Grin adaptirao većinu toga za zaplet romana Naš čovjek u Havani. On nikada nije priznao da mu je ‘Garbo’ bio inspiracija, međutim postoje očigledne sličnosti između prave priče i Vormoldovog imaginarnog špijunskog kruga na Kubi... Kao čovjek na odsjeku za Portugal, Grin je imao priliku da izbliza prati Garbove doživljaje, dok su njegove šanse za komičnim eksploatacijama bile vrlo ograničene. Većina Grinovog posla (za vrijeme Drugog svjetskog rata) bila je čista rutina. Uredno je održavao svoja dokumenta, slao je šifrovane instrukcije u Lisabon, diskutovao je strategiju sa svojim pretpostavljenima...“

Šelden u svojoj knjizi tvrdi još štošta toga; pominje incest, homoseksualizam, antisemitizam, itd, a što je za Šerija bilo odveć neprihvatljivo kad je Grejem Grin u pitanju. Šelden je nedavno za Gardijan svakako sročio lijepo kratko sjećanje na Šerija i na njegov rad, gdje svoje čitaoce još podsjeća na nezaboravni trenutak kada ga je Šeri, na nekoliko javnih debata o Grinu, nazvao i „književnim teroristom“.

Najžalosnije što ćemo od Šeldena u Gardijanu saznati u pogledu nezaboravnog opusa pokojnog Šerija, jeste da je izvjesni neimenovani akademik – može biti u dobrim odnosima sa Grinovom porodicom – najavio da privodi kraju „novu autorizovanu biografiju“ koja treba da zamijeni Šerijeve tri. Razumljivo je da, iz materijalne perspektive, još jedna autorizovana biografija nipošto neće odmoći Grinovoj porodici – ljudi moraju od nečega da žive.

Norman Šeri je nedvosmisleno bio primjer na koga se treba ugledati kad je u pitanju biografska studija o nekom značajnom autoru.
2016

[Apendiks 2021: Po svoj prilici nezadovoljna Šerijevim radom, Grinova rodbina nije časila ni časa nego je bržebolje naručila novu biografiju svoga pretka (sa različitim naslovima na dva kontinenta), za tu rabotu najmivši profesora Roberta Grina. Iz Nemirnog Engleza, odnosno Ruskog ruleta (The Unquiet Englishman u S.A.D., a Russian Rulette: Life and Times of Graham Greeneu Britaniji), kao što se pretpostavljalo, ništa novo nije izbilo u prvi plan o životu famoznog autora, već se čini kao da se radi o pukom sažetku Šerijevog obimnog rada u jednom tomu od 600 strana.

Slično se dogodilo sa zbrzanom Bardžisovom biografijom Endrua Bizvela, koja je htjela da anulira onu prvu (negativnu, ali divnu!) Rodžera Luisa, međutim čak je i Bizvelova ispala interesantnija od knjige Roberta Grina valjda zato jer njemu piščeva porodica nije visila nad glavom dok ju je pisao. Ne kažem da nova biografija starog pisca nije poželjna svake dvije-tri decenije (ona je uvijek potencijalna mogućnost za bolju prodaju autora u pitanju), ali u ovom slučaju zbilja je morbidno čitati o njoj u recenzijama kao da se o Grinovom životu prije toga nikada nije pisalo. Vrijedi učiti na primjerima teškaša kao što su Džozef Frenk (Dostojevski) i Lion Edel (Henri Džejms), čije su višetomne knjige vremenom dobile jednotomne sažetke, i kad su manje-više stavljene tačke na živote tih pisaca. Sve ono što je slijedilo poslije njih, tehnički se nije moglo nazvati punopravnom biografijom, jer za time skoro da više nije bilo potrebe.]

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have really enjoyed reading the 1st volume of Graham Greene's life - up to and including his work "The Power & the Glory". I've been reading some of the novels along the way, and have found this to add a whole different perspective to the novels. With this first biography I read "The Man Within", "Stamboul Train (Orient Express)", "England Made Me", "A Gun for Sale", "Brighton Rock", and "The Power and the Glory". Other books are discussed, but these were the ones that interested me.

Norman Sherry does a great job of bringing in all kinds of sources into the bio - and I have especially liked reading the perspective on the novel after I've read the novel.

I think I'll take a short break from Greene before I pick up Vol 2!

[Conor Madigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biography, in this circumstance, tilts a little sideways after reading the LeCarre bio by Sisman. We're to understand the two had friendship and some reasons for it being commiserative of the difficulties with certain people, types, rather than true friendship-- spy/authors of different eras and ages. The two shared a view into the worlds of Philbys and like timepieces of bygone eras spying and being spied upon in friendships, affairs, the like. Espionage and its authors. The real oddity in Greene's life, his self-penetrating glare, folds him into that very difficult sort of writer to read about when you're writing. He had psychotherapy as a young man, which did help him accept his swings, anxieties and depression; but here Sherry focuses on his roulette revisitations, rather than any of his epiphanies, which would later become parts of his novels in the spiritual sense of his characters, their own epiphanies and odd traits. This topic of self-harm was covered as heavily as any details of the first marriage; also a kind of hugging in close to Greene as the people seemed to dance around him. He gives us a little of Greene's true intent, having not loaded the weapon at all, but having played roulette so often as to not know if this was indeed the time he'd unloaded it, or if that was an imagined event; then knowing really all the while it wasn't loaded, but hearing the snap and taking it as real anyway, as if he'd won the next few months, finally cleansed of his torment. This pushing the boundaries would seem to follow him throughout his life.

It's with Troyat we see a truly remarkable incorporation of the people in writers' lives, where the voice of Sonya is just as important as Leo; where Chekhov's voice in his young adulthood is mixed among his friends' rather than above. Whereas, what we may be getting from Sherry is the true documentation of how Greene would have placed himself among the people in his life. It is painful to read his early years, then; and to come farther down the path to Africa and find him still so lonely, but always some woman nearby to mother, to care--but not too close. Some of the cringe may come from that willingness we should all have to empathize with our subjects, and for this Sherry has outdone himself with detail. Troyat too, but not to the point of Sherry's kind. The text is alive with scenes, and brings us closer in to Greene's struggle through an evolution of calamity and caricature nearing the dark comic you can't turn away from. Unlike some biographers, Sherry refrains from repeating himself, even after great lengths--he's very good at the 'you may recall' part of the reading of someone's life without hammering it or saying 'you may recall' at all.

What strikes me about Sherry's tonality is a kind of empathy and wringing of the hands when it comes to Greene's moods and temperament. We never see Troyat employ the kind of shading, of work and home, to pictoralize the drear in which Greene lived--a heavy and thick vine of charcoal to prove the author's illness, or the author's right to seek out prostitutes in war-time London, where the street corners seemed only to occupy that profession. The blunt object isn't what I mean, but the thicker or coarser piece of charcoal. What can we take away from this war? From the spy and traveler? From his drunken priest in Mexico? From the welts he suffered months after traveling that country on a mule? Things then were about patience, about playing a long game as little games won and lost flitted by. And it was about keeping track of characters, living and imaginary, more often than not, in his life, one in the same.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have finally finished the first of three volumes of Greene’s life – all 783 pages. My lord, has any other literary figure ever been covered so completely by a biographer as Greene has been by Sherry? When I finish, it will total some 2,000+ pages. For all its length, it has been an interesting experience to be reading the biography as I have been reading the novels and the short stories – although they are not actually in sync.
Sherry had the enormous advantage of not only having Greene’s blessing as his biographer (he actually chose him), but also of having Greene be alive while much of the biography was being written, so he could consult with him about issues. He also has the advantage of having access to Greene’s journals (which apparently are extensive – where are they?)
Here are the chapter headings in this Volume One:
1. Childhood
2. Oxford
3. Collector of Souls
4. Conversion
5. London
6. Battlefield
7. Liberia to the North Side
8. Mexico
Now on to Volume Two – YIKES!
I should add that the biography was first published simultaneously in 1989 by both Jonathan Cape in the U. K. and Lester & Orpen Dennis in Canada, and subsequently in the same year in the U. S. by Viking. I have first editions of most of all three versions (they are identical). but only one volume SIGNED by Sherry.

[Lee Battersby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dense and exhausting tome covering the first 35 years of Greene's life, from birth to the dawn of WWII. Sherry delves deeply into not only Greene's own memories, but interviews with those who knew him at the time and a mass of collected documentation-- sometimes too deeply, as after fascinating accounts of his schooling and University day, a long and tedious picking apart of love letters with his first wife Vivien when courting threaten to derail the reading experience. Thankfully, the narrative regains its momentum when the minutiae of a very ordinary courtship are over and the book returns to detailing the extraordinary course of Greene's life, closing with his solitary journey through a savagely Anti-Catholic Mexico and returning to England to find war preparations very much afoot.

Although Sherry can't resist the occasional moment of hero-worship and self-aggrandisement, he generally lets Greene's life speak for itself, and the result is an impressively collated and thoroughly enjoyable examination of the insipirations and influences on one of the most important literary figures of the 20th Century.

[James Fountain · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic first volume, taking the reader up to 1939 when Greene was still only 35 years of age. Masterfully researched and narrated - Greene’s life is a constant wonder, so that Sherry’s relating of it will have the reader as gripped as one of Greene’s novels. A must-read for anyone who loves this novelist’s work - his life story informs it and is even more fascinating.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very thorough, though maybe more than necessary. I enjoyed learning how Greene’s real life experiences contributed to and were reflected or distorted in his novels. While these biographies are long, I’m not completely put off from reading the next two parts.

[Gregg Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

As thorough as any biography can be and definitely one for Greene aficionados. Looking forward to reading vol. 2 which covers, for many, the most interesting period of his life.

[Suyin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exhaustive and sometimes exhausting. I may need a book club just for this trilogy, the first part of which is consuming the second half of 2008 for me. Still, it's everything, everything, everything you ever wanted to know about the man. The slow pace is at times difficult but the revelations about Greene are well worth the investment.

January 11, 2009: I finished Volume I on the last day of 2008, aided by the Panamanian sun and the slightly alarmed encouragement of friends on holiday. NB: I don't think Sherry intended his books to be beach vacation reading. The historical context of Greene's early years, particularly his travels to Liberia and to Mexico, makes the first volume well worth the exercise. Onto Volume II, which clocks in at the comparably light 508 pages and promises much prurient provocation.

[Indy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I can't believe that I signed on to read this trilogy. It is taking me forever to wade through the minutia of Graham's first 35 years. It isn't that the book is boring, just filled with so much detail that I find myself flipping to the photographs, the book's notes, and Greene's books themselves with each new reference made by Sherry. ARGH! I may still be reading this first volume when my kids go to college at this rate. Maybe, I should have just read Greene's AUTOBIOGRAPHY and taken his word for everything.

**FINALLY DONE!** The book is a wealth of information for any Greene fan as long as such fan has the time to devote to the details that call for further research. It will be quite awhile before I delve into Volumes II & III of Greene's life.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must-read for anyone who is into Graham Greene. Very well written. Contains copious correspondence from Graham to his future wife, Vivienne, w/r/t his initial years working as a journalist, his pursuit of her, and his conversion to Catholocism (I'm an atheist, and I found it interesting).

[Phil Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long, 700 pages, and only covers up to the start of the war, so there is a lot of detail. Some of it interesting, helping to understand what made Greene tick, but some of it less so, especially the chapters that on his travels in Africa and Mexico which mostly just recount what is in the books he wrote about them.

[micah · Rating 4 out of 5]

"'I found a cable waiting for me in Mexico City asking me to apologize to that bitch Shirley Temple'"
The Life of Graham Green p. 621

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first volume of an extremely comprehensive biography of the complex British author Graham Greene. A fascinating read, if you're a fan, providing great insights into his novels.

[Velvetink]

1 0f 23 books all for $10

[Louis Frillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Volume I biography of one of the 20th century's greatest writers. And certainly one of the 20th century’s great biographies. Now on to Vol II!

[Yooperprof · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long.