Echi di guerra e di guerriglia nella narrativa di Graham Greene, ovvero parlare di guerra per sottendere pace

Abstract

Our Man in Havana, The Quiet American and The Comedians by G.Greene were labelled as ‘political’ novels because of their background: in the three novels, a political change (a revolution or an attempt of revolt) is behind the corner. Nevertheless, if The Quiet American suggests the end of the French colonial dominion in that area which very soon will become Vietnam and Our Man in Havana preludes to Fidel Castro’s substitution of Batista in the Government of Cuba, The Comedians is imbued with the ugly atmosphere which the guerriglias in the mountains cannot change notwithstanding their constant fights against Papa Doc, in the island of Haiti. Similarly to other novels by Greene, The Honorary Consul deals with the theme of wars and rebellions: in fact, the plot is developed thanks to the presence of guerriglias or freedom fighters: they force the main character, a reluctant Dr Plarr, to help them so to save his imprisoned father: they all will be killed at the end of the novel. London offers the background for those novels where the bombs, indirectly, contribute to building the plot: during the Second World War, London was terribly bombed and, as a consequence, people strongly suffered from those amnesias, or apparent deaths, which constitute the basic theme of a novel such as The End of the Affair. Although not in London, it is again during the Second World War that the two original Greene’s screenplays, The Tenth Man and The Third Man take place, respectively in Paris, a Paris invaded by the Nazi troops, and in Vienna, a Vienna which is still occupied by the Allies. It is worth adding that The Tenth Man, never filmed by Hollywood, was only recently produced by the British television, while The Third Man is considered, a masterpiece of the cinema even nowadays. Thus, subtly and indirectly, by dealing with war and fights Greene seems to suggest peace.

Bibliography

Bertinetti, Paolo e Volpi, G. (a cura di). 1990. Effetto Greene. Roma: Bulzoni.

Bertinetti, Paolo. 1992. “Introduzione” a Graham Greene Il tranquillo americano. Cle (Tn): Oscar Mondadori: 5-17.

Comellini, Carla (a cura di) 2003. G. Greene The Tenth Man, with an “Introduction”. Napoli: Loffredo: xi-xxxix.

Comellini, Carla. 1990. Graham Greene: le forme del narrare. Abano Terme: Piovan Editore.

Comellini, Carla. 1996. Invito alla lettura di Greene. Milano: Mursia.

Greene, Graham. 1932. Stamboul Train. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.

Greene, Graham. 1935. The Basement Room. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.

Greene, Graham. 1943. The Ministry of Fear. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.

Greene, Graham. 1950. The Third Man and The Fallen Idol. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.

Greene, Graham. 1954. The End of the Affair. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.

Greene, Graham. 1955. The Quiet American. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.

Greene, Graham. 1958. Our Man in Havana. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. Greene, Graham. 1966. The Comedians. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.

Greene, Graham. 1973. The Honorary Consul. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.

Greene, Graham. 1985. The Tenth Man. Harmondsworth,:Penguin Books.

Lodge, David. 1966. “Graham Greene’s Comedians”. In Commonwealth, LXXXIII: 604-606.

Lodge, David. 1977. “Modernism, Antimodernism and Postmodernism”. In The New Review, 38: 39-44.