Ways of Escape by Graham Greene
"Ways of Escape" is the second volume of Graham Greene's autobiography, following "A Sort of Life." It chronicles his development as a writer from the late 1920s until the late 1970s, specifically from the publication of his first novel, "The Man Within," to "Doctor Fischer of Geneva: Or, The Bomb Party." The narrative is largely chronological and draws upon Greene's private journals, as well as his reflections on various global travels and encounters with significant political and literary figures. The autobiography reflects Greene's deep engagement with themes of social injustice, oppression, and the human condition, often colored by his Catholic beliefs and the turbulent political landscapes he witnessed in regions like Mexico, Vietnam, and South America.
The book is structured into nine sections and spans 278 pages, combining elements of personal narrative with dialogue that brings to life the people who influenced him, both in reality and through his fictional works. Greene presents himself as the central figure in his journey, offering readers insight into his creative process and the evolution of his literary career. Overall, "Ways of Escape" serves not only as a personal account but also as a reflection of the artistic soul that permeates Greene’s extensive body of work.
Subject Terms
Ways of Escape by Graham Greene
First published: 1980
Type of work: Autobiography
Time of work: 1929-1980
Locale: Great Britain, Africa, Vietnam, Mexico, Haiti, Antibes, and Argentina
Principal Personage:
Graham Greene , a writer and an adventurer
Form and Content
Graham Greene’s autobiography consists of two volumes: A Sort of Life (1971) and Ways of Escape. The first volume covers the period from his birth in 1904 to the publication of the novel Stamboul Train (also known as Orient Express) in 1932. With some overlapping, the second volume traces his growth as a writer from his first published novel, The Man Within (1929), to Doctor Fischer of Geneva: Or, The Bomb Party (1980). Greene developed about half of the material for Ways of Escape from the introductions he had written for the collected edition of his works and from essays that he had published in several British magazines and newspapers.
The autobiographical form of the book is straightforward. Essentially a chronological record of the circumstances in which Greene conceived and wrote his books, Ways of Escape also recounts his travels to various trouble spots throughout the world and his reflections upon the political and literary figures who affected his life and writing. Greene incorporates into his narrative several long passages from his private journals as well as occasional dialogues between himself and other people.
Framed by a brief preface and an epilogue, the book is divided into nine main sections and runs 278 pages. Like the first volume of his autobiography, this book lacks an index.
Critical Context
The context in which Greene develops his autobiography involves his creative interaction with orthodox Catholicism and with political and military events in England, Mexico, Africa, Vietnam, Cuba, and South America. Although his writing reveals an intensely personal vision of a frightening, suspenseful, and dark world— a human place peopled with sad and suffering men and women who profoundly long for peace—his vision draws upon the public world of the journalist who seeks out social injustice and oppression around the globe.
Coming toward the end of his career, Ways of Escape is Greene’s attempt to put his literary career into perspective. His reflections on the specific circumstances and people upon which he based his novels and stories not only provide insights into the creative process but also unfold the growth of a writer’s mind and career. Combining a fast-paced narrative with dialogue, the book has some of the qualities of Greene’s novels; here, however, he is the unmistakable hero of his adventure. The other characters of this book are not only the actual people who moved in and out of Greene’s life, but, more important, the characters he created in his novels, short stories, and plays during a period of more than forty years. It is in these fictional people that one discovers the artistic soul of Graham Greene.
Bibliography
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America. CXLIV, March 21, 1981, p. 233.
Atkins, John. Graham Greene, 1966 (revised edition).
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Critic. XXXIX, March 1, 1981, p. 2.
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Library Journal. CVI, February 15, 1981, p. 453.
The New Republic. CLXXXIII, December 27, 1980, p. 33.
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Newsweek. XCVII, January 5, 1981, p. 56.
Saturday Review. VIII, January, 1981, p. 64.
Stannard, Martin. “In Search of Himselves: The Autobiographical Writings of Graham Greene,” in Prose Studies. VIII (September, 1985), pp. 139-155.
Zabel, Morton Dauwen. “Graham Greene: The Best and the Worst,” in Craft and Character in Modern Fiction, 1957.