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Graham Greene papers 2

 Collection
Identifier: GTM-GAMMS325

Collection-level Scope and Content Note

The Graham Greene Papers Part 2 consists mainly of original correspondence and manuscripts. The collection also contains Greene's appointment diaries and two audio recordings. The correspondence includes a series of letters written by prominent authors in response to Greene's proposal of a mass resignation from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in response to the war in Vietnam. The letters often contain the authors' views on the war and the opposition to it. Some of the authors included are Bertrand Russell, Herbert Read, Isaiah Berlin, E.M. Forster and Cecil Day-Lewis. A series of letters from Constant Lambert discuss the possibility of a monthly article written for Night and Day. There are also two series of personal correspondence in the collection. Letters from Violet Hunt to Greene comment on the literary circles of her time. Letters between Kim Philby and Greene discuss the current political situations and literary publications. After 1986, the letters include references to the visits Greene paid to Philby in Moscow. The collection contains manuscripts of some of Greene's major works including The Captain and the Enemy and The Tenth Man and theater scripts such as For Whom the Bell Chimes. There are also numerous manuscripts for letters published in newspapers, many of them dealing with issues in Nicaragua and Central America. A few manuscripts of prefaces, speeches, and reviews are also included. Appointment diaries for the years 1978 through 1980 contain autograph entries by Greene and monthly reading lists. Also included in this collection are materials related to Greene's visit to Georgetown University in 1985.

SERIES SYNOPSIS: The Graham Greene Papers Part 2 are arranged into eleven series.

SERIES: 1. Arts and Letters Correspondence DESCRIPTION: This series contains correspondence regarding the proposed combined resignation of Honorary Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters due to the Academy's failure to publicly oppose the Vietnam War. Graham Greene sent a cover letter and a draft of the combined resignation letter to all Honorary Members. Their responses and continued correspondence with Greene are contained here, along with carbon copies of Greene's replies.

SERIES: 2. Violet Hunt Correspondence DESCRIPTION: This series contains five letters written by Violet Hunt to Graham Greene.

SERIES: 3. Constant Lambert Correspondence DESCRIPTION: This series contains three letters written by Constant Lambert to Graham Greene.

SERIES: 4. Kim Philby/Graham Greene Correspondence DESCRIPTION: Letters from Kim Philby to Graham Greene and from Greene to Philby, arranged chronologically. A photograph and two newspaper clippings are included at the end of this series.

SERIES: 5. Manuscripts for Major Works DESCRIPTION: This series contains manuscripts, autograph and typed, for some of Greene's major works. The manuscripts are arranged alphabetically by title. Manuscript pages have generally been left in their original order which means that the page numbers are not always in order and there are often gaps in the numbering.

SERIES: 6. Shorter Manuscripts - Latin America DESCRIPTION: The majority of these manuscripts were stored together in a folder which Greene labeled "Nicaragua and Central America." The manuscripts include letters written to newspapers and magazines for publication, statements and notes, a Preface and a Postscript. They all refer to countries in Latin America and are arranged in their original order. The last two manuscripts and newspaper clipping in this series were not originally stored with the others.

SERIES: 7. Shorter Manuscripts - Literary DESCRIPTION: The majority of these manuscripts were stored together in a folder which Greene labeled "Literary." The manuscripts include letters written to newspapers for publication, notes, reviews, two Prefaces, and a speech. The manuscripts are arranged in their original order. The last 3 manuscripts of the series were not originally stored with the others.

SERIES: 8. Shorter Manuscripts - Miscellaneous DESCRIPTION: The manuscripts in this series were stored together in a folder which Greene labeled "Miscellaneous and Sometimes Flippant." The manuscripts include letters written to newspapers for publication and a speech.

SERIES: 9. Appointment Diaries DESCRIPTION: This series contains 12 appointment diaries kept by Graham Greene from 1978 to 1980. They contain autograph entries by Greene regarding travel plans, visitors, birthdays, reading lists, meetings, and reminders.

SERIES: 10. Graham Greene at Georgetown DESCRIPTION: This series contains materials related to Graham Greene's visit to Georgetown University in October of 1985. It includes newsclippings, tickets, and audio recordings.

SERIES: 11. Nicaragua Interview DESCRIPTION: This series includes audio recordings of Graham Greene's radio interview on Nicaragua.

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ABBREVIATIONS: ACS - Autograph Card Signed AL - Autograph Letter ALS - Autograph Letter Signed AMS - Autograph Manuscript Signed TL - Typed Letter TLS - Typed Letter Signed TM - Typed Manuscript TMS - Typed Manuscript Signed

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Dates

  • 1944-2001
  • Majority of material found within 1967-1985

Collection-level Access Restrictions

Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers are solely responsible for determining the copyright status of the materials being used, establishing who the copyright owner is, locating the copyright owner, and obtaining permission for intended use.

Biographical note

Graham Greene was born on October 2, 1904 in Berkhamsted, England. His father was Charles Henry Greene and his mother was Marion Raymond Greene. He married Vivien Dayrell Browning in 1927. Their two children are Mrs. Lucy Caroline (Greene) Bourget and Francis Greene. Greene, a prolific writer, is best known as a novelist though he also wrote plays, short stories, and non-fiction. He was on staff at The Times from 1926-1930 and held the position of Literary Editor at The Spectator from 1940-1941. During the 1930s he was on staff at Night and Day, and, in 1954, was the Indo-China correspondent for the New Republic. His career also included serving the British Foreign Office in Africa from 1941-1944, and a being member of the Panamanian delegation to Washington for the signing of the Canal Treaty in 1977. Greene died of a blood disease on April 3, 1991 in Vevey, Switzerland. Violet Hunt (1866-1942) was the daughter of Alfred and Margaret Hunt. She was a prolific writer and moved in the literary circles which included Joseph Conrad and Henry James. Hunt was the companion of Ford Madox Ford and for a time regarded herself as his wife when Ford's first wife, Elsie, refused a divorce. Constant Lambert (1905-1951) was a composer, conductor and writer on music; a member of the Sitwell circle. Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby (1912-1988) was a British Intelligence Operative and a spy for the Soviet Union. He provided the Soviet Union with a wealth of information which he was able to gather as a high ranking British diplomat and insider. In 1949 he was posted to Washington, D.C. as the British liaison to the Central Intelligence Agency. In 1963 he defected to Moscow where he lived the rest of his life. He married his fourth wife, Rufa, a Russian woman, in 1971. Greene visited Philby in Moscow in 1986 and 1987. Greene also wrote the introduction for Philby's book, My Silent War.

Extent

2 Linear Feet (5 Hollinger Document Cases)

Language of Materials

English

Title
Graham Greene papers 2
Status
Completed
Author
Georgetown University Library Booth Family Center for Special Collections, Washington, D.C.
Description rules
Local Practice
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
Lauinger Library, 5th Floor
37th and O Streets, N.W.
Washington DC 20057