The Honorary Consul

Relates the story of the politically motivated kidnapping of Charlie Fortnum, a minor British functionary in Argentina.

A gripping tragicomedy of a bungled kidnapping in a provincial Argentinean town, considered to be one of Greene's finest novels. Charley Fortnum is the 'Honorary Consul', a whisky-sodden figure of dubious authority taken by a group of rebels. As Eduardo Plarr, a local doctor, negotiates with revolutionaries and the authorities for Fortnum's release, the corruption of both becomes evident. In this spare, tense novel, Graham Greene explores the morality of a political system that turns priests into killers. WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY NICHOLAS SHAKESPEARE 'Perhaps the most enduring novel that even he has give us' Daily Mail

A fun, pragmatic index to key information for a successful practice as an Honorary Consul. A voyage of discovery to information from the origins to the presence of Consuls in film, literature, theatre, spying, war, and peace. It includes a sartorial touch on dressing codes and etiquette to round up the unassuming share of worldly facts at the reach of the reader's hand.

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.

Is Graham Greene really the great novelist we think he is? ... In what way did he succeed in keeping his readership spellbound? ... What was the driving force behind his so-called 'Catholicism''... Was there a special reason for him to call The Honorary Consulhis favourite book'... Why is 'clock time' such a matter of great concern to those who otherwise believe the book to be his greatest'... And is there any reason for calling his characters 'empty' or 'full' - and anything in between - instead of just defining them flat or round'... The answers to these and many other intriguing questions are to be found in this captivating analysis of The Honorary Consulby Rudolf E. van Dalm. Instead of being only a study on Graham Greene, it has turned out to be a fascinating report on what makes Greene such an absorbing writer. One of the most gripping publications on the famous British author on the eve of the millennium, the book is both entertaining and instructive.