Facts about Graham Greene

1. 13

   Twenty-two times Greene was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature before finally winning in 1986, making him one of the most overlooked major writers of his era.

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2. 12

   His 1938 novel Brighton Rock sold 50,000 copies in its first year and introduced the character Pinkie Brown, a 17-year-old criminal whose internal conflict became Greene's most psychologically complex protagonist.

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3. 11

   Stamboul Train, Greene's 1932 debut novel, was written when he was just 27 years old and established his reputation for psychological thrillers with morally ambiguous protagonists.

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4. 10

   Expelled from Berkhamsted School at age 16 for running a pacifist magazine, Graham Greene later credited this rebellious act with shaping his career as a writer.

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5. 09

   Monsignor Quixote, Greene's final novel published in 1982, was a playful reimagining of Cervantes' classic featuring a Catholic priest and communist mayor as protagonists.

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6. 08

   Greene's 1955 novel The Quiet American predicted American involvement in Vietnam with such accuracy that it was adapted into a 1958 film despite Cold War tensions.

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7. 07

   Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986 at age 82, Greene was recognized for his novels' moral complexity and psychological insight into twentieth-century human experience.

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8. 06

   Over 25 novels across five decades earned Graham Greene the nickname 'the Pelican,' reflecting his prolific output and influence on twentieth-century literature.

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9. 05

   The third Man, Greene's 1950 novel set in post-war Vienna, sold over 2 million copies worldwide and became one of the best-selling English novels of the twentieth century.

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10. 04

    A lifelong smoker, Graham Greene consumed approximately 40 cigarettes daily throughout his adult life, a habit he maintained until his death in 1991 at age 86.

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11. 03

    Greene converted to Catholicism in 1926 at age 22, a religious commitment that profoundly shaped the moral themes throughout his 25 major novels.

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12. 02

    During World War II, Graham Greene worked as a spy for British intelligence in West Africa from 1941 to 1943, an experience he later drew upon for his novel The Human Factor.

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13. 01

    In 1966, Graham Greene's novel The Comedians was banned by the Haitian government under Francois Duvalier after satirizing his brutal dictatorship.

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