Our Man in Havana (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

by Graham Greene (Author), Christopher Hitchens (Introduction) "'THAT nigger going down the street,'said Dr Hasselbacher standing in the Wonder Bar, 'he reminds me of you, Mr Wormold.'..." (more)
Key Phrases: man with the screwdriver, celluloid sheets, Captain Segura, Professor Sanchez, Wonder Bar (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
As comical, satirical, atmospherical an ‘entertainment’ as he has given us. -- The Daily Telegraph, London

The ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man’s consciousness and anxiety. -- William Golding

Review
The ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man’s consciousness and anxiety. (William Golding)

As comical, satirical, atmospherical an ‘entertainment’ as he has given us. (The Daily Telegraph, London)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (July 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142438006
• ISBN-13: 978-0142438008
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,666 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Satirical spoof. I found myself giggling throughout., May 9, 2003

By	Linda Linguvic (New York City) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Our Man in Havana: An Entertainment (Twentieth Century Classics) (Paperback)

This 1958 novel was a complete surprise to me. I'd read three books by this author before and found them dark and introspective. But "Our Man in Havana" is a satirical spoof and I found myself giggling throughout. It deals with a theme that Greene has revisited on many occasions - that of a spy in a foreign country. But this time, it's all in fun, although between the 220 pages of this slim volume, he manages to say a few important things about social class, the Catholic Church, and the absurdity of international relations.

The hero of the story is Jim Wormold, a divorced vacuum cleaner salesman from England in pre-Castro Cuba. His 17-year-old daughter is growing up fast and he finds he needs money. So when the British Secret Service recruits him, he invents a whole world of secret agents and intrigues just to keep the money flowing. He is even sent a secretary, which introduces a bit of romance to the outrageous plot. All of a sudden, the lies he has invented seem to be coming true and the plot thickens, moving along at a breakneck pace. I was totally involved, and found myself laughing out loud at times. What a delightful read! Highly recommended.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wickedly entertaining, March 7, 2004

By	Andrew McCaffrey "The Grumpy Young Man" (Satellite of Love, Maryland) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Our Man in Havana: An Entertainment (Twentieth Century Classics) (Paperback)

I went into OUR MAN IN HAVANA with very few expectations. I was under the vague impression that it was a thriller of sorts and I somehow knew that there had a been a film made out of it a number of decades back. So I was a bit surprised when I started reading the book and found out that it was a comedy. Surprised and delighted, because OUR MAN turned out to be one of the more understated and enjoyable satires that I've read in a good long time.

The book is a smart send up of a lot of the standard material one would have found in the noir films and books of the time (the novel was published in 1958, when the genre was starting to wear itself out). A British secret agent, looking to increase his community of contacts, has arranged for an ordinary vacuum cleaner salesman to file reports of any unusual activity in the area. The merchant, Mr. Wormold, reluctantly agrees to this arrangement for no reason other than the lure of extra money; he has a teenage daughter with very expensive tastes (to whit: men and horses). To keep himself employable, Wormold constructs a whole world of intrigue to write home about. The back-cover hints at one of the book's funnier gags, but all of Wormold's fictions (and especially the reaction they receive at the other end) are hilarious.

Despite the comic portions of the plot, the characters themselves are allowed to retain a certain dignity. The prose is also as lush as one would expect from a Graham Greene novel. One particular scene stood out as a wonderful piece of writing. Placing two main characters inside a dark, dingy saloon, Greene describes the other inhabitants as looking like paratroopers about to parachute out of an airplane. Their quick glances at the door and their hushed demeanor are all exquisitely described. I like comedies as much as the next guy, but it's rare to find one that is simply this literate and also so entertaining.

OUR MAN IN HAVANA is a relatively short novel; my copy clocks in at just two hundred twenty pages. It makes for a quick read, but not a throwaway one. It's smooth enough to be read as a straightforward thriller, if that's what you're in the mood for, as its comedy is more on the subtle than on the broad side. But, that said, the neat cuts of satire make this a hilarious and whimsical tale.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Subtle and humorous with a FANTASTIC plot, September 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Our Man in Havana: An Entertainment (Twentieth Century Classics) (Paperback)

If you've got Scotch miniatures at home, you are bound to be reminded of this book pretty often.This is one of Greene's lightest, but best novels.Brilliantly crafted characters and a fabulous storyline make this a joy to read. The unworldy air of the events and a grand climax grips the Greene fan and the uninitiated alike.The conflict present in Greene's characters is present here as well -Wormold,the vacuum-cleaner seller cum spy struggles to keep his life in check and conscience within bounds. Greene himself was an MI-6 agent.Is he trying to put across something about MI-6 or the secret services in general?Apparently Greene once acknowledged this fact. A must-read.