Not a single century in the history of mankind is not marked by so many different events as the XX century. From 1901 to 2000, many changes took place that significantly affected society: two world wars, the formation of a bipolar world, the Cold War, the creation of nuclear weapons, the beginning of space exploration, and others.
Many creative figures reflected these events in their works, trying to capture the world of that time. One of them is the British writer Graham Green.
Biography
Green was born on October 2, 1904. The full name of the writer is Henry Graham Green. His father, Charles Henry, was the principal of the school. It is noteworthy that the mother of Marion was a cousin of Robert Lewis Stevenson.
Henry Green was not the only child in the family: in addition to him, his parents had five more children, among whom the future writer was almost the youngest.
From childhood, the boy was interested in books. He adored adventure literature, was read by the novels of English writers Henry Haggard and Joseph Conrad.
Henry Green did not finish school, being forced to drop out of school due to bullying by classmates. Then he entered Oxford's Balliol College, where he discovered his literary talent and began to create his own works. Poems and short stories were published in the student magazine Oxford Outlook.
After graduating, Henry Green worked as a journalist. In 1929, his first novel, “The Man Inside,” was published, and he quit to seriously engage in literature.
Throughout his life, Henry Green traveled a lot: traveled to Liberia, Mexico, resulting in several books of travel notes. As a representative of British intelligence, the writer worked in Portugal. As a reporter, he was in Indochina and Vietnam.
The last years of Green passed in Switzerland, where he died on April 3, 1991, having lived a long and eventful life.
Creation
Henry Green owns about three dozen novels, several travel books, autobiographical works, and short stories. Even for children, he wrote.
One of the most popular books by Henry Graham Green is “Our Man in Havana,” which the writer himself described as a fantastic comedy. The action takes place in Cuba, and the main character is an English intelligence officer Warmold, because of the false reports of which a chain of funny events takes place.
Another famous novel by the writer is “Quiet American”. This time the plot unfolds in Vietnam. In the center of events are three: an elderly journalist, a young American and a Vietnamese girl. Against the background of their love triangle, the author simultaneously describes a military conflict between the United States and Vietnam.
Criticism and reader feedback
Many are called Green as a writer who will appeal to both "intellectuals" and ordinary literary lovers. His bibliography contains both entertaining novels and works that touch upon serious topics. However, in each of them there is a complex, dynamically developing plot, intrigue and lively characters with precisely worked out characters.
The life and work of the writer had a great influence on his work. Stories about British intelligence are written realistically. Green's books accurately reflect the political changes, shocks and explosions of history that took place in the 20th century.