1955 - 1991

The Life of Graham Greene Volume Three

The final volume in the hugely acclaimed biographical trilogy.

'Sherry can be proud of his stupendous achievement, and Greene himself could want no better or more accurate a monument than this.'

Representing literary biography at its finest, Sherry's book surpasses others in the field...whereas other biographies are as entertaining as their subject's real-life experiences, but rarely their imagination, Sherry enhances Green's intellectual achievement.

Norman Sherry, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Mitchell Distinguished Professor of Literature at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, is also the author of Conrad's Eastern World, Conrad's Western World, Charlotte and Emily Bront- and Jane Austen.

The much-anticipated third and final volume of Norman Sherry's biography follows the tireless wanderings of Graham Greene, the writer's final forays into the fulminating trouble spots of the world which beckoned as sirens all his days. From the perils of Batista's Cuba, the privations of the Belgian Congo and the tumult of Haiti, Nicaragua and Panama, to his confrontation with the French mafia, his travels in Spain and, finally, his quiet death in Switzerland at the age of eighty-six. The rigour and attention to detail that gained praise for the first two volumes remains undiminished as Sherry retraces Greene's footsteps, criss-crossing the globe to visit the places that inspired Greene's novels and meeting the people who provided the models for some of literature's most memorable characters: the whiskey priest; the honorary consul; the zany aunt. Never losing sight of the very real religious, emotional and political struggles that made up Greene's complicated personality - his constantly questioned but never abandoned Catholicism, his two long-term affairs with married women, his determination to stand up for the victims of injustice - Sherry illuminates Greene's mind, methods and motivation with an unswervingly critical, yet always compassionate eye. With exclusive access to Greene's letters, journals and dream-diaries, Norman Sherry has written a monumental tribute to one of the greatest of English writers. The three volumes of The Life of Graham Greene will remain the standard work on Greene for decades to come.

1904-1939

The Life of Graham Greene Volume 1

'Probably the best biography ever written of a living author.'  Philip French, Listener

Norman Sherry, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Mitchell Distinguished Professor of Literature at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, is also the author of Conrad's Eastern World, Conrad's Western World, Charlotte and Emily Bront- and Jane Austen. The Life of Graham Greene, Volume II: 1939-1955 appeared as one of the Books of the Century: A Hundred Years of Authors, Ideas, and Literature, New York: Random House, 1998, and was chosen by the editors of the New York Times Book Review as 'one of the best eleven books of 1995.'

Unquestionably one of the greatest novelists of his time, Graham Greene had always guarded his privacy, remaining aloof, mysterious and unpredictable.  Nonetheless, he took the surprising step of allowing Norman Sherry complete access to letter and diaries, and gave his consent to this full and frank biography in three volumes - the first of which takes Greene's life up to the beginning of the Second World War when he published some of his most remarkable work, including Journey Without Maps (1935), England Made Me (1935), A Gun for Sale (1936), Brighton Rock (1938) and The Confidential Agent (1939). At the heart of the story lies a remarkable series of letters Greene wrote to his wife, Vivien, for whose sake he became a Catholic.  They show us an unknown, younger Greene, impassioned and romantic.  Sherry also recounts in fascinating detail how Greene struggled to turn himself into a novelist and learn his craft, and follows his subject's pre-war footsteps to West Africa and Mexico, where he was able to penetrate far into the strange and alarming territory that Greene has made his own.  The book that emerges is without doubt one of the most revealing literary biographies of the decade.

Norman Sherry

1939-1955

The years from 1939 to 1955 proved to be the most prolific of Graham Greene's life.  In The Life of Graham Greene, Volume II, Norman Sherry continues his engrossing account, delving deeply and emerging with a portrait of the author at the height of both his spying and literary careers. Greene produced some of his best novels during this time - The Heart of the Matter, The End of the Affair, The Quiet American - and saw the filming of The Fallen Idol and The Third Man.  The same period encompasses his passionate affair with the beautiful American Catherine Watson, who was married to a British peer, the disintegration of his marriage, his long relationship with Dorothy Glover, his activities as a secret agent and his forays into the conflicts in Kenya, Malaya, and French Indo-China.  As with The Life of Graham Greene Volume I:  1904-1939, Norman Sherry succeeds in unlocking the mystery of Greene's character and the alchemic nature of his creative genius.

Norman Sherry

Books by Norman Sherry

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