Hello! I
would like to recommend a book I just read in English class:
I read the
book The Quiet American written by
Graham Greene. The novel was first published in 1955 in the UK, and in 1956 in
the United States. It is an anti-war novel which draws on Greene's experiences as a war correspondent for The Times and Le Figaro in French Indochina in
1951–1954. He was
apparently inspired to write The
Quiet American in October
1951 while driving back to Saigon from the Ben Tre province.
The
book tells the story about the British journalist Thomas Fowler in his fifties who has been covering
the French war in Vietnam for over two years. He meets a young
American idealist named Alden Pyle, who lives his life and forms his opinions
based on the books written by York Harding, with no real experience in matters
of south-east Asia at all. When Pyle and Fowler first meet, Pyle says he would
be delighted if Fowler could help him understand more about the country. Pyle
is young and idealistic, unlike Fowler who is much older, more realistic and
more cynical. But the book does not only portray the horror of the
Vietminh-war, love is also an important theme throughout the novel. Fowler has
a young lover, who is thirty years younger than Fowler, named Phoung. She
worked as a dancer until she met Fowler. The problems start when Pyle meets
Fowler’s lover, and falls head over heels in love with her. From there on it is
not only a story about conflicts between nations, but also a love triangle
which has a tragic ending. And in my opinion the saying: “All is fair in love
and war” is the perfect description of the plot.
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| The Quiet American (2002 film) |
I
would say that Drama is the main genre, but it is also crime novel since the
book starts with the murder of Pyle and then takes us back to the begging when
Pyle and Fowler met. And the further you read into the book, it is reviled that
Pyle was involved in an American conspiracy project against the communism
called “the third force” and that he was not as innocent and pure as portrayed
in the beginning.
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| Henry Graham Greene |
What I
really liked about the book is how the author portrays the Vietnam-war, I liked
that for once the Americans aren’t described as the world’s big brother or the
heroes of the day who just wanted to save Vietnam from communism. You notice
how Greene’s personal meanings and experiences influence the political point
view of the French Indo-China and the Vietnam-war. He
spent three years writing the novel, which foreshadowed The US involvement in
Vietnam long before it became publicly known. The book was the initial reason
for Graham Greene being under constant surveillance by US intelligence agencies
from the 1950s until his death in 1991.
The Quiet American is not only an entertaining novel, but after
reading this book you are also left with a lot of knowledge as Greene’s writing
is based on facts and actual happenings. Since the book is about how the two
men Pyle and Fowler fights for Phoung’s love too it is also appealing for others
target groups. The narrator as written several resembling novels and is acknowledged
for his work all over the world, The
Quiet American being one of his bestselling books.
This is
a book worth reading, and I hope you all will take my advice! The Quiet American was adapted into
films in 1958 and in 2002, so if you don’t feel like reading you can watch one
or both movies. I have not seen any of the films myself, but in the 2002
version we meet Michael Caine as Thomas Fowler,
who was nominated for the Oscar as Best actor, so I believe it is a great
movie. Enjoy!
Sources:
The Quiet American, 1955
