The second Graham Greene novel on this list, his 1955 masterpiece "The Quiet American" is a brilliant anti-war novel that draws on his experiences as a war correspondent for "The Times" in French Indochina in the early-1950s. A young American idealist named Alden Pyle finds himself in Vietnam working as an undercover CIA Agent trying to promote democracy through the mysterious "Third Force". Unfortunately for Pyle, his naive outlook causes trouble and bloodshed and his cynical foreign correspondent friend Thomas Fowler (probably based on Greene himself) finds it unbearable to witness. As Fowler steps in to try and deal with things, he tries to workout whether or not his actions are motivated by politics or compassion. A 2002 film (and also a 1958 version) were made, with the former starring Michael Caine as Fowler.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.