Seeds of Fiction

Graham Greene's Adventures in Haiti and Central America 1954–1983

Bernard Diederich

• Publisher: Peter Owen Publishers
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9780720614886
• eBook ISBN: 9780720614848
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literary Biographies
• Index: Literature

A major new biography of Graham Greene with extensive new material; exclusive, never-before-seen photographs of Greene on his travels; and fullfamily cooperation

Anessentialread for fans of literary biography, thisbook finally and fully illuminates a pivotal episode in Graham Greene's life and career in the kind of detail that will sate any fans ofhis work, but whichalso provides a fascinating glimpse into a writer's life. In 1965, Greene joined journalist Bernard Diederich in the Dominican Republic to embark on a tour of its border with Haiti, then ruled by "Papa Doc" Duvalier. They were accompanied by activist priest Jean-Claude Bajeux. Diederich had known Greene since the mid-1950s and had lived in Haiti for 14 years. He was a seasoned correspondent for the British and North American press and had reported many stories from the region, including Castro's triumph in Cuba and the death of the Dominican dictator, Trujillo. In 1963, he had been thrown out of Haiti and when Greene arrived was working from the Dominican Republic. The famous novelist was 61 and depressed, having struggled to finish A Burnt-Out Case, and was being plagued by religious doubt; Bajeux, meanwhile, had been informed that his family had been "disappeared" by Duvalier's henchmen. As this trio traveled along the border they met a number of rebels and other characters later fictionalized in Greene's most politically charged novel, The Comedians, published the following year.This book tells the story of how a series of extraordinary and often hair-raising journeys gave one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century new inspiration in his writing.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• List of Illustrations
• Foreword by Pico Iyer: ‘Greene in the World’
• Introduction by Richard Greene
• Map of Hispaniola
• Part I Graham Greene in Haiti
• Part II on the Way Back: Graham Greene in Central America
• Epilogue
• Afterword
• Index
• Photos