April 2016
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Catherine Walston: The Beautiful Inspiration for “The End of the Affair”
As we discussed on the podcast, Graham Greene’s masterpiece The End of the Affair had a real-life basis: Greene’s affair with Catherine Walston, an American beauty whose “zeal for Catholicism was matched only by her insatiable lust.” (Quite a description!) And of course, the Hollywood versions of Sarah (the character inspired by Walston) do justice… Continue reading
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Graham Greene and…the Dalai Lama?
Hmm…I’m not sure I’m buying what Pico Iyer is selling here… Q: What is it about Graham Greene? If you put the Dalai Lama on one end of a continuum, Leonard Cohen would be somewhere nearby and Graham Greene would be way over on the other end. A:… Continue reading
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To Catch a Spy: Graham Greene’s Deathbed Revelation
It’s one of the great mysteries of Graham Greene’s life, and it may have cost him the Nobel Prize. I alluded to it in the podcast that Mike and I did on Greene’s life and works. Part of it isn’t a mystery at all, of course. We know that Greene worked for Britain’s foreign intelligence… Continue reading
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The Secret Diaries of Graham Greene
Here’s another fascinating story we didn’t get to during our hour-long conversation on the life and works of Graham Greene – the matter of his secret journals. I asked the President of the Literature Supporters Club to fill in the skinny: Oh, I should have mentioned it on the podcast. Just a delicious detail. He kept parallel… Continue reading
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Graham Greene and the Lolita Controversy
We talked for an hour, and yet we still barely scratched the surface of Graham Greene’s incredible life. Here’s one we didn’t get to: his role in bringing Lolita to the literary world’s attention – and inadvertently triggering the ban (which probably helped sales in the long run). Maria Popova has more: When Lolita was first published… Continue reading
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The History of Literature Episode 39 – Reconsidering Graham Greene
Jacke and Mike reconsider the life and works of the great twentieth-century British novelist Graham Greene. Works discussed include The End of the Affair, The Power and the Glory,The Quiet American, Babbling April, and The Third Man. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:36 — 35.7MB) Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS | More… Continue reading
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Reconsidering Graham Greene
Hello! We have a good episode of the History of Literature coming up soon… a reconsideration of Graham Greene, one of the best novelists of the twentieth century – and also one of the most important. During the recording I fumbled for this quote, but it still stands out: For me one of the best,… Continue reading
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The History of Literature Episode 38 – Great Literary Duos (Part Two)
When are two artists or characters more than the sum of their parts? How is that magic created? And what does it mean for the rest of us? Part two of a conversation with host Jacke Wilson and his guest, the President of the Literature Supporters Club, on great literary duos. Podcast: Play in new window | Download… Continue reading
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Female Action Movie Stars… in the 1910s!?!?
Wow. It has been a long time since an article has made me think (and rethink and rethink) as much as this piece in The Atlantic, The Forgotten Female Action Stars of the 1910s. I can’t get over it. Just take a look at this publicity shot from 1918:: Here’s the description: A city editor orders an… Continue reading
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Sneak Preview: More Literary Duos!
Will the great Beatrice and Benedick make the list? Stay tuned! Continue reading
Jacke Wilson 