The Last Word, and Other Stories

This bundle of short stories is an excellent introduction to the works of the sometimes controversial British novelist. `The Last Word' sketches a world without religion with a jailed Pope as the last of the Christians. But, `is it possible that what this man believed may be true?' `The News in English' and the ironic `A Branch of the Service' are intelligence service stories. `The Moment of Truth' is a most human story about `the near approach to death', which is `like a crime one is ashamed to confess'. `The Lieutenant died last' is a jingoist war story with an Act of Contrition at the end. `The lottery Ticket' is a mockery of the tragic South-American political theatre, where the police officers support those politicians who pay them. `The Murder for the Wrong Reason' is a detective story (`a bad man is not always killed for a good reason.) `The New House' is a discussion between an architect and a proud proprietor (`Do you think I'll be the instrument for spoiling this land?') `An Appointment with the General' is a mockery of an unsuccessful interview with a caudillo. (`the Communists are for a while traveling on the same train. So are the socialists. But it is he who is driving the train'.) These stories of uneven quality are a very worth-while read.

I picked this book up just out of curiosity. It was sitting in our "exchange" room, where people leave things they no longer want. However after having read it, it's found a new and welcome home on my bookshelf. It's a strange collection of stories, though as disparate as they seem, they do have several underlying themes, particularly human relationships, trying to understand the underlying motives of others, and also trying to understand one's significance in the face of ultimate persecution. Graham Greene is a Catholic author, and though it shines through in most of his stories, it usually is hidden in subtle undertones. Though I found some of the stories to be obscure, I enjoyed most of them.

For we, myself included, who number among those addicted to the writing of Greene, this volume of collected stories truly falls into the 'must-have' category. Spanning almost his entire career, this represents a broad variety of stylistic and narrative approaches employed.As an introduction to Greene, though, this may be relatively less ideal. Perhaps better might be one of his novels, or for something lighter, one of his entertainments. Though the breadth and depth of variation apparent in Greene's work is well-represented here, a better feel for the true character of his writing might be found more readily in others of his works: simply put, I really don't think the medium of a short story allows the unfamiliar reader to sufficiently develop the rich relationship with the material that I find myself desiring. Regardless of that, this an outstanding collection of stories, the title story ("The Last Word") being one that I find particularly poignant. This volume is a very fine assemblage of material, and possesses a sense of overarching thematic unity which renders it both comparatively cohesive (in terms of short-story collections) and a joy to read. Highly recommended.