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A truly great book and (forgive the use of what is probably a very well –worn cliché) a novel that is without a doubt powerful and glorious on many levels.
Set in Mexico in the 1930’s against the backdrop of an attempted suppression of the Catholic Church by the authorities. Ostensibly this is the story of the fugitive, renegade ‘Whiskey Priest’ (a great creation and a believably authentic character) and his quest to escape the anti-Catholic authorities. This is a novel that confronts head-on the biggest of themes: sin, redemption, salvation, damnation, heaven, hell and practically everything else in between. Also encompassed here is the dogmatic approach of both organised religion and the authorities attempting to not just to crush and outlaw, but to obliterate that religion – the pitfalls, limitations, restrictions and constraints of any rigidly authoritarian belief system. But the story here is not merely as simple and straightforward as one of ‘religion vs anti-religion’ – far from it.
Essentially it seems to me that the ’Whiskey Priest’ (our hero or anti-hero? – you choose) isn’t just a representation or metaphor for the Catholic Church; to me the power of this novel and the characters within goes way beyond the constraints of religion – surely the ‘Whiskey Priest’ is everyman and the story every life – comprised as they are of hopes, fears, desires, dreams, failures, victories, disappointments, faith and doubt…
Graham Greene himself visited Mexico in the 1930’s and would have witnessed and been aware of the attempted suppression of the Catholic Church – something which will undoubtedly have informed elements of this novel. Green didn’t however view himself as a ‘Catholic author’ rather more – an author who happened to be Catholic. Religion as a theme, in many different ways, does seem more than evident in many of his novels. Certainly religion in this novel is considered in many ways – religion and its suppressors, organised religion juxtaposed with religion on a far more personal basis.
‘The Power and The Glory’ is simply a great and powerful work – which I look forward to reading again, as there is so much in it to fully take in and take away. It is a novel that is so well written, constructed, plotted and thought out - moving, authentic, intelligent and thought provoking.
This is a very human story, it’s about the human condition and above all else – it’s about life and death, good and evil, hate and love and above all – hope.
Set in Mexico in the 1930’s against the backdrop of an attempted suppression of the Catholic Church by the authorities. Ostensibly this is the story of the fugitive, renegade ‘Whiskey Priest’ (a great creation and a believably authentic character) and his quest to escape the anti-Catholic authorities. This is a novel that confronts head-on the biggest of themes: sin, redemption, salvation, damnation, heaven, hell and practically everything else in between. Also encompassed here is the dogmatic approach of both organised religion and the authorities attempting to not just to crush and outlaw, but to obliterate that religion – the pitfalls, limitations, restrictions and constraints of any rigidly authoritarian belief system. But the story here is not merely as simple and straightforward as one of ‘religion vs anti-religion’ – far from it.
Essentially it seems to me that the ’Whiskey Priest’ (our hero or anti-hero? – you choose) isn’t just a representation or metaphor for the Catholic Church; to me the power of this novel and the characters within goes way beyond the constraints of religion – surely the ‘Whiskey Priest’ is everyman and the story every life – comprised as they are of hopes, fears, desires, dreams, failures, victories, disappointments, faith and doubt…
Graham Greene himself visited Mexico in the 1930’s and would have witnessed and been aware of the attempted suppression of the Catholic Church – something which will undoubtedly have informed elements of this novel. Green didn’t however view himself as a ‘Catholic author’ rather more – an author who happened to be Catholic. Religion as a theme, in many different ways, does seem more than evident in many of his novels. Certainly religion in this novel is considered in many ways – religion and its suppressors, organised religion juxtaposed with religion on a far more personal basis.
‘The Power and The Glory’ is simply a great and powerful work – which I look forward to reading again, as there is so much in it to fully take in and take away. It is a novel that is so well written, constructed, plotted and thought out - moving, authentic, intelligent and thought provoking.
This is a very human story, it’s about the human condition and above all else – it’s about life and death, good and evil, hate and love and above all – hope.
