Graham Greene

The new series of Writers and their work continues a tradition of innovative critical studies introducing writers and their contexts to a wide range of readers. Drawing upon the most recent thinking in English studies, each book considers biographical material, examines modern criticism, includes a detailed bibliography, and offers a concise, original reappraisal of a writer's major work. Graham Greene is among the major creative talents of our time. During a career which spanned more than sixty years, he achieved a world-wide reputation. As skilful in writing with humour as with seriousness, Greene combined the gifts of a superb story-teller with the power to analyse the political ills and human dilemmas of an age of anxiety. As a writer who 'happened to be a Catholic', he also reflected the problems of faith and belief in a time of persistent violence. This study describes his vision of the twentieth century, and his evolving dedication to his craft as a writer of fiction. Peter Mudford is Reader in Modern English Literature at Birkbeck College, University of London. He has travelled widely and lectured in many countries of the world. His books include Birds of a different plumage : British-Indian relations from Akbar to Curzon, The Art of Celebration : a study of late nineteenth and early twentieth century literature, and Memory and Desire : Representations of Passion in the Novella.