by Graham Greene (1904-1991) was variously released using a different title. On his return voyage from Liberia in 1935, Greene drafted a short story, “The Basement Room”, to stave off boredom. For the work he mixed his recent West African experiences with his childhood memories of growing up as a pupil and as the son of the headmaster at Berkhamsted School in Hertfordshire, England.
Greene finished the work when the News Chronicle commissioned a five-part story (Kelly 23). It appeared later that year as part of a collection of short stories entitled The Basement Room and Other Stories (1935) and was been reprinted in several collections from 1947 to 1973. Except for the version in Collected Stories (1973), Greene made only minor changes from the News Chronicle edition.
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Citation: Beene, LynnDianne. "The Fallen Idol". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 August 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=41323, accessed 02 May 2024.]
