Graham Greene: His Faith, Civic Position and His ‘Quiet’ Americans

Abstract

Graham Green is regarded as the greatest figure in the history of the 20th century British novel, a master of psychological portrait and unforgettable plot. The Catholicism he declared contradicted the dogmas of official church Catholicism, because it was always a complex fusion of belief in God, ideological and political aspirations, and real psychological states of people in certain social situations. Green’s creative and journalistic heritage is huge and worthy of the largest volume of research. The purpose of this anniversary article is to characterise the main stages of Green’s spiritual and creative evolution as a novelist during the most fruitful decades of his life (1930–1960s), to highlight those of his works that most clearly express his civic position, the study of which, especially in terms of his attitude to the United States, seems so relevant today. The author’s task is to analyse the evolution of the hero of Green’s novels from “England Made Me” to “The Comedians” against the background of contemporary socio-political changes on the planet. Elements of the method of historical-comparative analysis are used, as well as the memoirs of the author of the article.