The Quiet American

by
No cover

Graham Greene: The Quiet American (1962, Penguin (Non-Classics))

192 pages

English language

Published Jan. 1, 1962 by Penguin (Non-Classics).

ISBN:
978-0-14-001792-2
Copied ISBN!

View on OpenLibrary

5 stars (2 reviews)

One of Graham Greene's best works. The story is set at the time of the French war against the Viet Cong and tells the story of liberal British journalist Thomas Fowler, his mistress Phuong, and their relationship with American idealist Pyle. The latter is an earnest young man indocrinated with geo-political theory and whose attempts to shape the world to American ideals ends in his own personal tragedy and drastically alters the lives of the other two participants. Written before the US involvement in Vietnam this is a strangely prophetic work and seriously encapsulates the British viewpoint towards that conflict. A beautifully written book and highly recommended.

32 editions

reviewed The Quiet American by Graham Greene

Authentic and Beautifully Written

5 stars

Graham Greene served with MI6 during World War II and traveled the world extensively both before and after. His experiences really come across in this novel, where the narrator can zero in about the small details of a locale that make it special, as well as provide some insights into life in war zones that only someone with legitimate been-there-done-that experience would have.

While the plot itself centers around a love triangle between a journalist, a Vietnamese woman, and an American operative, that almost seemed like background noise to me. What made the book special was the first person narration - a voice that was reflecting on life in general, life in Vietnam, war, intrigue and numerous other details with an authenticity that can't be fabricated.

Beautifully written and filled with realities of conflict (internal, interpersonal, and between opposing forces) that continue to resonate.

reviewed The quiet American by Graham Greene (Penguin classics)

My beloved, problematic Graham

5 stars

Vietnam, 1950s. Pyle is the quiet American, young, idealist, determined to bring democracy to Vietnam. Fowler is the disillusioned, cynical British reporter. Phuong is the Vietnamese woman they both want. As a novel, it is impeccable. It also offers an insightful, complex commentary on that war, and many other wars too. The portrayal of Phuong (as a flower, a victim, a child, a servant woman), the frequent use of sexual imagery to talk about the colonies and their inhabitants are very disturbing. Even if Greene seems to be aware of it, i.e. aware that everyone is making up their own Phuong to fit their story. Does it make it OK?