The Ballad of Greene

Henry Graham Greene was born on October 2, 1904 in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. The fourth of six children, Greene was a shy and sensitive youth. He disliked sports and was often truant from school in order to read adventure stories by authors such as Rider Haggard and R. M. Ballantyne. These novels had a deep influence on him and helped shape his writing style.

The recurring themes of treachery and betrayal in Greene's writing stem from his troubled school years where he was often tormented for being the headmaster's son. After several suicide attempts, Greene left school one day and wrote to his parents that he did not wish to return. This culminated in his being sent to a therapist in London at age fifteen (Greene). His analyst, Kenneth Richmond, encouraged him to write and introduced him to his circle of literary friends which included the poet Walter de la Mare. In 1978 Greene gave Professor Norman Sherry a map that marked the spots he traveled to (Greene). Sherry spent 20 years retracing Greene's journeys, not without suffering. He contracted diseases from diabetes in Liberia, gangrene of the intestine, to temporary blindness. He won the Edgar Allan Poe award for Best Critical/Biographical Study in for Volume I of The World of Graham Greene.(Graham Greene)

After graduating with a B.A. in 1925, Greene was employed as a subeditor at the Nottingham Journal after two abortive positions at other companies. His dislike of Nottingham's seediness manifested in his later novel Brighton Rock. Here he met his future wife Vivien Dayrell-Browning when she wrote to point out some errors regarding Catholicism in his writings. Upon her urging, Greene took instructions in the faith and was received by the Church in 1926 (Greene).

Although Greene always declared himself to be apolitical as a writer, he nonetheless enjoyed being politically connected and appearing to be a supporter for the oppressed. The extent of his involvement in the British Secret Service has become a matter of intense speculation. He has publicly declared himself a lifelong friend of Kim Philby, after working under him in the MI6 (Graham Greene). After the publication of The Quiet American, Greene was accused of being anti-American and consequently developed a strong dislike of Americans, particularly Ronald Reagan. He began to delve into Central American politics, associating with people such as Fidel Castro and Manuel Noriega. His friendship with Panamanian dictator General Omar Torrijos led him to write Getting to Know the General.

Aside from his exotic trips, Greene also achieved notoriety in his personal life. Greene's financial success as an author enabled him to live very comfortably in London, Antibes, and Capri. He associated with many famous figures of his time: T.S. Eliot, Herbert Read, Evelyn Waugh, Alexander Korda, Ian Fleming, Noel Coward, among others (Greene). He had many extramarital affairs, and confessed he was "a bad husband and a fickle lover", although he never revealed his affairs in his two autobiographies. He separated from his wife in 1948 but they never divorced.

As a remembrance of the great author the “Graham Greene Festival.” Many people from all over the world enter short stories, and the winner is awarded a prestigious trophy which displays Greene’s most famous work and a buff of his head (Graham Greene). Graham himself was presented many awards.His earliest award was received in 1968 and was the Shakespeare prize. He did not receive another award until he received the Edgar Grand master award in 1976, followed by the Dos Passos Prize in 1980 (Greene). The last award received by Mr. Greene Was in 1981 and it happened the Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society (Graham Greene). Towards the end of his life, Greene lived in Vevey, Switzerland with his companion Yvonne Cloetta. He died there peacefully on April 3, 1991 (Graham Greene).