The Confidential Agent: An Entertainment

by Graham Greene

Paperback, 1992

Status

Available

Call number

823.912

Genres

Collection

Your library

Publication

Penguin Classics (1992), Paperback, 208 pages

Description

WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY IAN RANKIN 'In a class by himself...the ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man's consciousness and anxiety' William Golding In a small continental country civil war is raging. Once a lecturer in medieval French, now a government agent, D is a scarred stranger in England, sent on a mission to buy coal at any price. Initially, this seems to be a matter of straightforward negotiation, but soon, implicated in murder, accused of possessing false documents and theft, held responsible for the death of a young woman, D becomes a hunted man, tormented by allegiances, doubts and love.

Media reviews

NY Times

But the violence and evil and pity are not of war only; human life always carries its seeds of anarchy and brutality and fear and tragic waste, and man must find his own courage and generosity and integrity and hope, even through horror, if and as he can. "The Confidential Agent" is an even better

novel than its brilliant predecessor, "Brighton Rock," and -- in all its tragic timeliness -- it should be very widely read.

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User reviews

LibraryThing member baswood

- The author doses himself with Benzedrine in order to bash out a novel in six weeks.
- He sits down every morning at his typewriter without much of a thought as to where his plot will take him
- He writes an espionage thriller knowing precious little about the world of spies and spying.

Knowing this

background would you want to read the finished novel? Well you might if you knew the author was Graham Greene. It is to his credit that he has fashioned a novel that is entertaining and engaging. It has the feel of a good noir B movie: plenty of atmosphere but not always plausible.

Written in 1938, Greene captures the uncertainty, the paranoia and the recklessness of pre-war England. Kafka it is not, but the hero D suffers similar uncertainties to Kafka's heroes: not being able to trust anyone around them and a feeling of helplessness as they are tossed around by other peoples devious plans. The main characters are well drawn although others are introduced just to service a plot that creaks and groans in places. There are flashes of a superior writer at work and I enjoyed it enough to forgive some of its missteps. A fun read

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7 more

LibraryThing member clong

The Confidential Agent tells the story of D., an agent for one side of a civil war in an unnamed European country (clearly modeled after Spain). Bitter and withdrawn, D is sent to England in a bid to buy the coal that will keep his side’s government from collapse. A chance encounter with a woman

who turns out to be the daughter of an English coal mine owner starts him down a path of encounters with both competing agents for the other side and distrusting and at times disloyal agents from his own side. Before he knows it, he’s also on the run from the police. This one is well written enough, but really pales in comparison to Greene's superb This Gun for Hire, which I had read immediately before. The characters are uniformly less compelling (in particular the romantic interest Rose), the plot much looser and driven by coincidence, the romance much less believable and the conclusion less satisfying. The most interesting thing about the book is it’s depiction of pre World War II England, its idiosyncrasies, its naiveté, and its social stratification. It’s a book that exudes cynicism about both politicians and capitalists, and empathy for the poor.

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LibraryThing member ElBandido

This is certainly not one of Greene's greatest, which is explained in the introduction: it was written for cash, quickly and on benzedrine.

Nevertheless, even in these conditions Greene does a better job than most contenders. As mentioned in some of the other reviews, the best thing about the book

is its description of pre WWII-England. It reminded me a lot of the British pictures of Hitchcock, an other favourite of mine. The plot, though, I must admit is not all that exciting and the character development has been better in other novels.

So if you're keen on Greene, than this could be your cup of tea. Otherwise, I'd look elsewhere.

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LibraryThing member MrsLee

D. is an agent from a war torn country, trying to get a contract for coal from some major manufacturers in England in the early part of the Twentieth century. There is, however, a counter-agent trying to get the contract for his side.
Wow an intriguing book full of ups and downs. Wasn't sure how it

would end until the last paragraph, and I don't know whether I like that or not. Very slowly built up an affection for the protagonist, only to have it fade. Projected the feeling of despair and numbness of the protagonist very well.

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LibraryThing member mahallett

a story of frustration. the female love interest is not very interesting. the hero is so hard done by. how could he have any teeth left? perhaps teeth were not very important then. not a flattering portrait of pre-war london/britain.
i seem to not be in the mood for greene in my sixties.

LibraryThing member idiotgirl

This is a wonderful thriller which in the end nothing happens. Lots of complications (events as you will) along the way. But nothing that rises to a plot for this novel. And characters? Generic names. In the end the details of the characters end up having more of a story. This isn't a thriller

after all but a love story. Definitely recommend for a reader with a bit of patience.

The audible reading was very annoying. But the book was good enough to get me through.

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LibraryThing member jonfaith

This is Greene at his best, providing a gnashing noir, a tale of chase and deception. The Confidential Agent distills the fears of the late 1930s, people are being driven to an almost post-human ignobility. Attempting to stay above the feral pragmatism, an agent known as D. makes his way to

England. The timeframe and circumstances suggest The Spanish Civil War, but the details blur into a generic European nightmare. D. is a classics professor and the reader feels for his obsolescence in these dark times. The landscape, the weather and even radio advertisements conspire and haunt. Greene provides no relief and actually mocks the possibility of a sentimental response or conclusion. Highly recommended.

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LibraryThing member AliceAnna

Very good! The whole thing was kind of a slow burn with frantic interludes. The main character, Mr. D, had a back story that left him mostly dead inside. His mission was to go to London as a confidential agent for a foreign government and procure coal for the winter for his people while keeping it

out of the hands of the rebels with which his government was at war. As soon as he gets to London, it is apparent that his job won't be an easy one. A suspenseful story with a character study that mirrors a society at war.

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