I bonded with the former
Registrar at LSE over our common love for literature – although, honestly, I
was mostly listening to his suggestions rather than offering much of my own
(with the exception of some tips on some Italian novels, at best). I remember
telling him that I wished I could teach the Vietnam War by starting with a
discussion of The Quiet American, and
him saying that his favourite Graham Greene book was actually The Comedians. I can see where he was
coming from (although this is not my favourite Greene novel – that’d probably
be Our Man in Havana, at least at the
time of writing).
In terms of white men trying
to find their place in Latin America, I liked The Comedians a lot better than The
Honorary Consul, and that’s probably because Haiti to me is much more
exotic than Argentina and Paraguay. Also, the Live and Let Die-vibe of the book is truly excellent, as is the
self-criticism of Mr Brown (who really reminded me of Rick in Casablanca). I just can’t understand how
they managed to make an awful movie out of this book…
Now I think I’ll have to stop
reading books by Greene, chiefly because I’ve read a few too many over the last
couple of years and I am afraid I might be overdoing (my relationship with Ian
McEwan serves as a serious warning here).
Oh, and whoever designed the
back-cover of my Penguin edition is an absolute ass committed to spoiling the
plot – bravo!
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