The Seeds of Fiction
Graham Greene's Adventures in Haiti and Central America 1954-1983
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A major new biography of Graham Greene with extensive new material; exclusive, never-before-seen photographs of Greene on his travels; and full family cooperation
An essential read for fans of literary biography, this book finally and fully illuminates a pivotal episode in Graham Greene's life and career in the kind of detail that will sate any fans of his work, but which also provides a fascinating glimpse into a writer's life. In 1965, Greene joined journalist Bernard Diederich in the Dominican Republic to embark on a tour of its border with Haiti, then ruled by "Papa Doc" Duvalier. They were accompanied by activist priest Jean-Claude Bajeux. Diederich had known Greene since the mid-1950s and had lived in Haiti for 14 years. He was a seasoned correspondent for the British and North American press and had reported many stories from the region, including Castro's triumph in Cuba and the death of the Dominican dictator, Trujillo. In 1963, he had been thrown out of Haiti and when Greene arrived was working from the Dominican Republic. The famous novelist was 61 and depressed, having struggled to finish A Burnt-Out Case, and was being plagued by religious doubt; Bajeux, meanwhile, had been informed that his family had been "disappeared" by Duvalier's henchmen. As this trio traveled along the border they met a number of rebels and other characters later fictionalized in Greene's most politically charged novel, The Comedians, published the following year. This book tells the story of how a series of extraordinary and often hair-raising journeys gave one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century new inspiration in his writing.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this engaging account of a longstanding literary friendship, former Time correspondent Diederich (The Murderers Among Us) delivers a finely crafted reflection on his years traveling with famed novelist Graham Greene. Split into two sections (Haiti and Central America), the book dissects the origins and effects of Greene's relationship with two of the region's most fascinating dictators: Fran ois "Papa Doc" Duvalier and Omar Torrijos of Panama. In part one, Diederich, exiled from his beloved Haiti, recounts the trip he and Greene took in the Dominican Republic to the border, as close as they could get to Duvalier's country. Graham's exuberance is captured thrillingly, from his desire to get under Papa Doc's skin ("perhaps we'll provoke him a little") to his joy at writing his own obituary following a brush with death. These experiences directly inspired the novel The Comedians, which led to Greene becoming "Haiti's Public Enemy Number One." In the second half, Diederich recalls Greene's visits to Central America, primarily Panama, whose dictator, Torrijos, inspired Greene's nonfictional account, Getting to Know the General. Graham's role in negotiating ransoms for rebel hostages and his time serving in Torrijos's Panamanian delegation to Washington, D.C., reveal how his influence with the pen rivaled the might of the strongmen he rubbed shoulders with, disclosing the nascent promise of the region as well as the cruelty forced upon it.