It is difficult to enjoy anything by Graham Greene due to his unrelenting hatred of the United States and his understated but very clear preference for the Soviet Union versus the USA (the ending of ‘The Honorary Consul’ pretty much spells it out. I know he is hailed as a great Catholic writer but to me he was one of the many who diligently worked for our defeat during the Cold War. His wife was an even shriller and nastier anti-American but GG was profound in his loathing of this country. The number of Americans he quietly personally insulted were legion. I know of a case where he very publicly left a restaurant in Spain when two American couples were seated. He deliberately waited until these people were seated and made a quiet but obvious to do about ‘I can dine when those Americans are around’ as he and his shrew wife and some hangers on made a procession out of the dining room.
Yup, Graham Greene was probably a grade A jerk. It’s widely thought he suffered from bipolar disorder, which would explain his up-and-down irrational fanaticism. Still, what an incredible author. I will take him, warts and all.