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Title: Power and the Glory (Viking Critical Lib) by Graham Greene, R. W. B. Lewis, Peter J. Conn ISBN: 0-670-01806-6 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: June, 1968 Format: Paperback List Price(USD): $6.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4.47 (62 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Fleeing from God himself
Comment: In what has to be one of the best-written novels of all times, Greene tells us the story of a nameless priest, running away from himself, from God and from fascist authorities in 1930's Mexico. A little background: in the 20's and 30's, Mexico suffered a civil war concerning the repression or outright prohibition of religious cults. The war was mainly concentrated in central-western Mexico, but curiously enough the place where the repression against Catholics was harshest was Tabasco. Tabasco is a southern state, only recently developed as a result of its huge reserves of oil and gas. It is all jungle and swamps. Back in the 30's it was really a dreadful place to live. A governor called Tomas Garrido completely banned not only the public practice of Catholic rites, but the very existence of the religious cult in the state. To this end, he formed armed bands called "the Red Shirts", which searched for priests in order to force them to get married or be shot.

Greene's novel concerns this state of affairs, and his nameless "hero" is THE last priest in the state. The cops are looking for him; he is running away. That in itself makes for a good tale, but of course, Greene being a truly great novelist, "The Power and the Glory" goes to a higer level by depicting a man consumed by doubt and guilt, a lone soul who is running away from cruel atheists but also from his own conscience. He feels guilt for having been called a "whiskey priest" and for having fathered a daughter whom he loves desperately, in spite of the child's despise for him. The priest wanders around, hiding from the authorities and trying to reach the border with Chiapas, where the persecution was much lighter. It is really a travel through an outer and an inner hell.

Greene displays all his mastery here, to dig in the soul of this troubled and tormented man, to depict the savage scenery with no Romanticism whatsoever about it. A barely inhabited jungle-swamp is one of the most hostile environments you can think of. Not a single word is gratuitous, the prose is one of the most controlled and unsentimental I've ever read.

Of course, the tale is full of Christian allegories and metaphors, from the Judas-like peasant trying to sell the priest, to teh dead child and others. It is no sermon, though. The author is never intrusive: he's just a voice telling a desperate, tragic and illuminating story, well beyond politics or religion. Most recommended.

Rating: 5
Summary: Deceptively Simple, Brilliant Story
Comment: I was directed toward Graham Greene by my dad, who had read him in his 20's and 30's. This was the first one I read, and I loved it. He's incredibly easy to read, almost to the point where you might mis the subtext of what he's getting at with each line. Powerful story!

Rating: 5
Summary: A Catholic Gem!
Comment: This is Greene's masterpiece. He based the book on his travels in Mexico during the persecution of the Church. This book is based on events in the state of Chiapas during the 1920s. Greene hated the treatment of Catholics by the Communists who blamed the Church for poverty and injustice. Greene noted that it was worse under Communism. This book reads more like an extremely painful adventure. The main character is typical Greene, referred to as the *whiskey priest;* repentant due to having been *steeped* in sin previously. Racked with guilt and fear, he stumbles onto one unfortunate situation after another. While the priest's unhappy existence is powerful, his ending is glorious.