‘A writer’s knowledge of himself, realistic and unromantic, is like a store of energy on which he must draw for a lifetime: one volt of it properly directed will bring a character alive.’ – Graham Greene in A Sort of Life
Greetings from Hoxton Square, where the office has become an obstacle course of books, cardboard, wrapping paper and ribbon as we scramble to keep up with Christmas orders. Thank you to everyone who has already placed an order with us. If you are thinking of ordering a gift subscription, or a beautiful book or two as a Christmas present, you might like to check Royal Mail’s last recommended posting dates on our website.
For this week’s missive, we thought we’d dig into the backlist and share an extract from Graham Greene’s compelling memoir A Sort of Life. Greene once said that writing this memoir ‘was in the nature of a psychoanalysis. I made a long journey through time and I was one of my characters.’ Certainly, the younger self that emerges is as complex and intriguing as any of those he created in his novels.
A Sort of Life takes him through his childhood in Berkhamstead, his time at Oxford, the early years of marriage and his conversion to Catholicism, to the point where he recklessly gives up his first Fleet Street job as a sub-editor on in order to write full-time. But what marked Graham Greene out above all else was his utter determination to pursue his craft. There can be no more fascinating or illuminating account of what it takes to become a writer.
Please scroll on for an extract from A Sort of Life and, to follow, some other books from the Foxed shelves that provide a direct glimpse into the minds and lives of literary types, the oftentimes unromantic reality of writing and the ever-intriguing world of bookish people.
With best wishes, as ever, from the SF staff
Isabel, Rebecca, Edie, Ruth & Jennie
PS We are pleased to let you know that Delayed Gratification are running a tempting seasonal offer for SF newsletter subscribers. More details can be found at the foot of this page.
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