February 17, 2008
Graham Greene: A Life in Letters by Richard Greene (ed.)
In the last year I’ve grown fanatically fond of collected letters, though I ended up approaching Graham Greene: A Life in Letters quite differently than the other collections I’d read. A variety of factors could account for this: that though I like Greene’s books, I’ve not read many and knew very little about his life (whereas I am Mitford mad and adore Carol Shields, which just might explain why their letters were devoured so). I wonder if letters really are a good way to get to know a writer/ personality. Of course they’re indispensable to established fans, but for those just finding their feet, I wonder if letters might be overwhelming?
Though this feeling could also be due to the structure of this particular collection. For though it’s editor was clearing instrumental in its shaping (“The material available for this selection is vast– one selection alone fills seventeen linear files, and there are others nearly as large”), his impact is not so apparent in the reading. The book begins with a substantial introduction (biography, historiography), but thereafter editorial content is sparse. Though notes do accompany letters, I didn’t always find illumination quite where I wanted it.
Part of this could also have to do with the broad range of these letters (letters to his mother, wife, children, friends, other literary figures, one-off letters in response from those to fans). Though of course a life is narrative enough, this broadness gives a very liminal and limited impression of Greene. More focus, I suppose, wouldn’t have made “a life” so much, but his development would have been clearer. Of course it was fascinating to realize the consideration with which Greene addressed his letters to such a disparate group of figures, but many letters seemed to lack context. Which might be their point, of course. Perhaps this would be a very good point for me to read more of Greene himself, and seek out an actual biography?
I’ve been dipping in and out of this book for awhile now, which might be reason I’m left with this fragmented impression, but then the book itself was ideal for this kind of reading after all. Every time I picked it up, however, I did read something interesting. And perhaps a fragmented impression is more true-to-“life” than any other– particularly for a figure with Greene’s affiliations. And there was a progression, obviously, from boy to man. He was very much a man of his time, of his world, and particularly interesting are his experiences in “hotspots” which would come to underline his novels– Africa, Indochina, Mexico. A complicated man– letters to his wife and mistresses so full of affection, and his Catholicism, and leanings toward Communism.
My conclusion is that letters serve better as appendices than starting points when assembling a life– however important they are. And that a collection this brief (425 pages) is hardly going to constitute a life, particularly that of one so prolific. But that to Greene’s fans– even those to whom biography is incidental– these letters will shed light on the rest of his work, and bring sympathy to such a complicated character. And even to lesser fans such as myself, a taste of his voice leaves me wanting for more.
February 17, 2008
Lucky
We really didn’t want to leave. Yesterday we were right at our gate, crossing fingers that our flight was overbooked and we might stay another day. And we almost did get to stay, for somehow we missed our boarding call. The final call, and then they had to call us by name over the whole airport, all the while there we were right in front of them, oblivious to the whole cruel world and conniving to stay in San Francisco forever. With no such luck.
We had the most glorious week. The weather was gorgeous, the blossoms came out to bloom, we walked that whole city and we got to know it well. My theory is that you’ve never actually been any place unless you’ve been to it twice, and so we left our Friday free to go back for what we’d liked best. Which was the Mission, and Delores Park, and corner cafes, Valencia Street, streets called Lucky and Balmy, and that sunshine. For lunch we had burritos. It was perfect.
The whole week was perfect, so much of this to do with friends. In 2004, when we lived in Japan, Stuart and I were part of a Habitat for Humanity Global Village trip to Thailand. In our group of about 30, all were American save for Stuart, me, and our now-friend Carolyn, who lives in Toronto. And those who were American were the very best of America. No coincidence, I think, that most were San Franciscans. The end result of all this being that a) we came to love Americans and b) we’ll always have a place to stay in SF. We stayed the week with our friend Lynda and her adorable son Henry, and they were so impossibly good to us, perhaps the best part of our week. Further, on Friday we were treated to a Habitat Reunion at our group leaders’ amazing house, high up on a hill (naturally). It was such a delight to see everyone again, to know they’d come out because we were coming, to get their updates– because they’re all such fabulously interesting people. It was a lovely evening, filled with wine, good food and laughter, and we both felt so lucky.
Which was sort of the story of our entire week.
February 17, 2008
Abundance
It might be surprising, all the reading I’ve got done this week all the while touring, unless you consider that for me “touring” consists of reading a lot of books in sunny parks whilst sprawled out on green grass. And that there was an abundance sun and grass in our San Francisco.
I’ve got a lot to say about the books just done, which I will do in posts to come. This week I had the pleasure of Arlington Park, Housekeeping Vs. the Dirt, Hobart 8, San Francisco Poems and Anagrams (which was the entire plane journey home). And then home again, I’ve just finished Graham Greene: A Life in Letters, which has been ongoing for ages. It has been my “dipping into” book, to be now replaced by The Paris Review Interviews Vol. II. And I’ve finally started The Poisonwood Bible, which so many people rave about that of course my expectations are high.
February 13, 2008
Fake Tales
Two thousand miles we roamed. The only bookish event was a sighting of Danielle Steele’s house. Tomorrow morning we’re picking up our car and hitting the road for two days. We’ve both come to look for America.
February 12, 2008
Monday Monday
Another wonderful day, and our faces are sun-kissed. Sea food, sea cruise, sea lions, sea air. City Lights was exceptional. We got Hobart (with a story by Stephany Aulenback), Twilight of the Superheroes, San Francisco Poems by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Stuart got The Maltese Falcon for a bit more local flavour.
February 11, 2008
Bookish Updates
Very cool: Bang Crunch is a staff pick at the shop around the corner from here. (Read my review). And my favourite book of 2008 is out now: The Monsters of Templeton gets an absolutely stellar review in The Globe. Just finishing Arlington Park, which I’ve loved. And today I purchased Housekeeping Vs The Dirt.
February 11, 2008
California Notables
Fruit, the view from our friend’s living room, and the world’s strangest manga. California is beautiful, warm, and everyone who told us it would be rainy and cold was totally lying. Which means we have to go shopping. Today was Haight and Ashbury, Golden Gate Park, Japanese Tea Garden, Divisidero Street!, Alamo Square, Mission, 826 Valencia, world’s steepest hill to Castro. All on foot. Tomorrow is Alcatraz etc. Vacation– all I ever wanted.
February 7, 2008
If we can awaken
“If we can awaken sympathetic comprehension in our readers, not only for our most evil characters (that is easy: there is a cord there, fastened to all hearts that we can twitch at will), but of our smug, complacent, successful characters, we have surely succeeded…” –Graham Greene, London 1948 from A Life in Letters
