A 1001 Midnights Review: GRAHAME GREENE – The Ministry of Fear.

A 1001 MIDNIGHTS Review by Marcia Muller GRAHAME GREENE – The Ministry of Fear. Heinemann, UK, 1943. Viking Press, US, 1943. Penguin #530, US, 1946. Reprinted many times. Graham Greene has a rigid-and pretentious-habit of classifying his own work into two categories: “entertainments” and “novels.” While all of his work is suspenseful and contains criminous elements, the “entertainments” are more action-oriented and their mystery elements are stronger. The “novels,” on the other hand, tend to be quieter and deal with the religious thematic material that is one of Greene’s preoccupations. While the author appears to want to rank his “entertainments” as secondary within his body of work, it is apparent that no less effort goes into them than into the “novels”: all are well written, deeply characterized, rich in background, and highly suspenseful. In Greene’s case, whatever the label, the product is bound to be superior. As the hero of The Ministry of Fear states, “It all began … with a…