Graham Greene preferred the novel
The Honorary Consul(1973) “to all the others” (
Ways228) as it best accomplished his creative goals.
Consul, with highly developed characters and nuanced presentations of philosophical, religious, and artistic topics, also reconsiders the issues of faith and tyranny that had occupied Greene since
The Power and The Glory(1940). Where
The Power and Gloryfocuses on the bases of morality, salvation, and sin by recounting the hunt by the Mexican paramilitary group, the Red Shirts, for an unnamed, worldly “whiskey priest”,
Honorary Consuluses the political turmoil still evident in South America as background for a cynical doctor, a vainglorious writer, and a drunken minor official to apprehend the complicated issues of love and humanitarianism.
5295 words
Citation: Beene, LynnDianne. "The Honorary Consul". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 January 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=510, accessed 14 December 2024.]