The Human Factor (Penguin Classics)
Graham Greene
Language: English
Pages: 288
ISBN: 0143105566
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Maurice Castle is a high-level operative in the British secret service during the Cold War. He is deeply in love with his African wife, who escaped apartheid South Africa with the help of his communist friend. Despite his misgivings, Castle decides to act as a double agent, passing information to the Soviets to help his in-laws in South Africa. In order to evade detection, he allows his assistant to be wrongly identified as the source of the leaks. But when suspicions remain, Castle is forced to make an even more excruciating sacrifice to save himself. Originally published in 1978, The Human Factor is an exciting novel of espionage drawn from Greene’s own experiences in MI6 during World War II, and ultimately a deeply humanistic examination of the very nature of loyalty. This edition features a new introduction by Colm Tóibín.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
She believes we've had a quarrel.' 'Ah, that's one difficulty out of the way.' Old Mr. Halliday, after warming his hands sufficiently, began to move around the room: he cast his eye over the bookshelves. He said, 'I'll give as good a price for those as any other bookseller. Twenty-five pounds down—it's all you are allowed to take out of the country. I've got the notes on me. They fit my stock. All these World's Classics and Everyman's. They are not reprinted as they should he, and when they do
course, but I was thinking of having Mr. Bottomley for lunch again.' 'Oh, Sam and Mr. Bottomley will get on very well together.' 'Will you go and see a solicitor when you are in town?' 'I might.' A half-lie was a small price to pay in return for her new happiness. 'Where will you have lunch?' 'Oh, I expect I'll pick up a sandwich somewhere.' 'It's such a pity you've chosen Thursday. I've ordered a joint. However'—Mrs Castle sought for a silver lining—if you had lunch at Harrods there are
below. His bedroom and his bathroom looked out on a tiny ancient court containing a sun dial and a silversmith. Few people who walked down St James's Street knew of the court's existence. It was a very discreet flat and not unsuitable for a lonely man. For the third time with his Remington Daintry went over his face. Scruples of cleanliness grew with loneliness like the hairs on a corpse. He was about to have one of his rare dinners with his daughter. He had suggested giving her dinner at
their briefcases at lunchtime. Nothing serious, but I was surprised at the number of briefcases... It's a warning, that's all, of course. But a warning might scare a nervous man. We can't very well ask them to strip.' 'They do that in the diamond fields, but I agree that in the West End stripping would seem a bit unusual.' 'Anyone really out of order?' Percival asked. 'Not seriously. Davis in 6A was carrying a report— said he wanted to read it over lunch. I warned him, of course, and made him
day off Castle was in the habit of taking Sarah and Sam for an excursion into the sandy conifered countryside of East Sussex in order to see his mother. No one ever questioned the necessity of the visit, but Castle doubted whether even his mother enjoyed it, though he had to admit she did all she could to please them—according to her own idea of what their pleasures were. Invariably the same supply of vanilla ice-cream was waiting for Sam in the deep freeze he preferred chocolate—and though she