Customer Reviews

Twenty-one Stories (Vintage Classics)

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Graham Greene just doesn't get the recognition he deserves as a short story writer. As a novelist, his reputation has been well-established, fortunately. This collection, "Twenty-One Stories" is a fine sampler of Greene's abilities in the shorter genre. Many of the elements that feature so prominently in his novels also figure in these stories: the spontaneity of violence; ruthless polictics; looming secrets; greed; and the complex situations that life drops on you.

Here are some brief looks at my favorite stories:

"The Destructors" is Greene's examination of horrific, calculated vandalism in the extreme, made even more horrifying by the coolness with which it is carried out.

An event in a man's past comes back to haunt him in "The Blue Film". Strangely, the haunting specter doesn't frighten him so much as saddens him.

Purely-plot driven, "The Case for the Defence" is still a brilliant tale worthy of an Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

"Brother" explores the nature of political allegiances and the risks of making them known.

Lastly, "The End of the Party" is a harrowing tale of identical twins playing hide and seek at a party. The ending paragraph left goosebumps on my skin for days.

For those who have never read Graham Greene, "Twenty-One Stories" ought to be your starting point.

As the title says, 21 short stories from 1929-1954 that showcase what a versatile and accomplished writer Greene is.The human condition is his theme,humour tragedy,violence and hope are his illustrators.
All the stories are so well rounded they read like miniature novels.Hard as it is to single out favourites,I loved the humour behind 'Greek meets Greek'-two old con men unwittingly trying to con each other,the swipe at Laputian bureaucracy in 'Men at Work' and the brilliant 'Basement Room',told from a childs perspective as the narrator tries to comprehend an adult world of infidelity deceptions and death.
Ever since I started reading I've had Graham Greene lauded to me,but-despite enjoying 'Monsignor Quixote' and 'The Lawless Roads'-his novels have always grated with their compulsory Catholic character and illusions that-to me- have absolutely no relevence to the story at all(they might just as well be Pagans or Jedhi Knights)and Greene always struck me as the converted bore(Greene converted to Catholicism aged 22)who goes on and on about their new found faith that you cant possible share or care about.It seemed obsession bordering on fetish to me.
But-at last! With 21 stories I can both see and appreciate the great writer they were on about. Yes,there are Catholic characters and illusions, but here there is a point ('The Hint of an Explanation')and thoughts are provoked.
This is a great introduction to Greene. I wish I'd read it first-it may have stemmed my antagonism to his novels and I might have enjoyed them more (I'll know on re-reading)and is up there with the best of them in the short story genre.

I read Graham Greene's collection of short stories after reading "The Power and the Glory" and "The End of the Affair" and before I read "The Quiet American". I think they were largely quite good with some very solid stories. They range from the appalling in "The Destuctors" to the very amusing such as "The Blue Film". However, I still prefer the author as a novelist; "The Heart of the Matter" and "The Power and the Glory" in particular.

These are excellent stories, though not on a par with his best novels. Saying this, "The Destructors" reminded me very much "Brighton Rock."

"When Greek meets Greek" is very funny. "A Drive in the Country" is one of the best stories I've ever read.

"I Spy" and "The End of the Party" demonstrate there can be as much horror in a child's life.