Review first posted on BookLikes:http://brokentune.booklikes.com/post/...‘It’s possible, of course, just possible,’ C said, ‘that the leak came from abroad and that the evidence has been planted here. They would like to disrupt us, damage morale and hurt us with the Americans. The knowledge that there was a leak, if it became public, could be more damaging than the leak itself.’ ‘That’s what I was thinking,’ Percival said. ‘Questions in Parliament. All the old names thrown up – Vassall, the Portland affair, Philby. But if they’re after publicity, there’s little we can do.’I read The Human Factor shortly after finishing Ben Macintyre's biography of Kim Philby - A Spy Among Friends. It is impossible to read a biography of Philby and not think of Graham Greene. Just as it is impossible to read The Human Factor and not wonder about the underlying motives that made people not only join the secret service but also made them defect from it and turn into double agents. With respect to Philby in particular, it still is a mystery to me how anyone could have regarded the Soviet Union as a place to aspire to live. Of course, as mentioned in my review of Macintyre's book, I can look at the Soviet Union from a perspective less tainted with either hope or propaganda whereas no-one at the time that The Human Factor was written had the privilege of hindsight. It is all the more fascinating that Greene should pick up a story of defection and focus on the motivations of the spy and the efforts of counter-espionage to exercise damage control - the game which gives so little consideration to the human factor:'I wish I were a chess player. Do you play chess, Daintry?’ ‘No, bridge is my game.’ ‘The Russians don’t play bridge, or so I understand.’ ‘Is that important?’ ‘We are playing games, Daintry, games, all of us. It’s important not to take a game too seriously or we may lose it. We have to keep flexible, but it’s important, naturally, to play the same game.’ ‘I’m sorry, sir,’ Daintry said, ‘I don’t understand what you are talking about.’Greene's tale is full of gritty suspense as a leak is detected and a ruthless man-hunt for the informant takes its toll on the lives of the characters involved.Daintry said, ‘Come away, Castle. I’ll buy you another owl, Sylvia.’‘It’s irreplaceable, that one.’‘A man’s dead,’ Daintry said. ‘He’s irreplaceable too.’However, in his typical style Greene also pays tribute to human character being a complex and multi-layered beast - he accurately accurately observes that not all spies are committed to the cause, that not all agents completely subscribe to any ideology without deviation. He manages to portray the naivety of people and creates moving moments of conflict and hope and despair. "People talked of courage as a primary virtue. What of the courage of a known swindler and bankrupt taking his place in the dining-room of the House of Commons? Is courage a justification? Is courage in whatever cause a virtue?"
When Graham Greene wrote this book he was 74 years old and had published his first novel 49 years earlier. These are two facts that show how extraordinarily long-lived the literary career of this man has been. But those who may look for decay or incipient senility in "The Human Factor" will be disappointed. Among the 6 novels of Mr Greene I read so far, this is among the best ones even considering the usual high-quality standards of this author."The Human Factor" is a novel of apparent stillness and the power of memories where not so much seems to happen in the present with the main characters constantly looking backwards. The daily life of middle-aged Mr Castle is spent between his desk in a tiny office in London and a detached house in the sleepy little town of Berkhamstead, where Graham Greene himself was born. And yet, Mr Maurice Castle is no Bartleby. He would not prefer to, but he got the habit of his dull office life spending his lunch breaks alone in the nearest pub far and chatting with his only colleague, whom he calls by his surname, Davis. Mr Castle may look like a common commuter trying to read heavy books on the train and then cycling back home being welcomed by his wife, his son and a glass of J&B, but he is and he was something and someone else. The memories of his very different past are not forgotten and soon enough will blow Castle's life to pieces. What I liked here is that Graham Green aged well and by all accounts. "The Human Factor" is not your usual spy story, but a book where cliff-hangers are hidden and the tension is subterranean and treacherous. There are masterfully drawn scenes with some of the best dialogues I've ever read and there is even humour every now and then. All the references to Maltesers, whisky brands and some horrible artificial-palmed hotel on the way to Heathrow are carefully chosen with an accurate and sensitive attention to every minor detail which could become a key point in the development of the story. How Greene fulfilled this technique without indulging in over-descriptions or wordy digressions is the best sign of a great novelist who once again managed to stay very focused on what was going on around him from history to politics to social trends.
What do You think about The Human Factor (1992)?
Graham Greene as an author writes in a very straightforward, easy to read style, while oftentimes addressing very complex themes in his stories- his talent is great, and similar in style, in this reader's opinion, to John Steinbeck or W. Somerset Maugham. The Human Factor was one of several books Greene wrote that was of a more commercial nature (similar to his famous The Third Man). It's a book of espionage and international intrigue, dealing with the British Secret Service, and more particularly a man named Maurice Castle. Originally published in 1978, it received critical acclaim, and was even made into a movie. I enjoyed reading the novel...twice. This was the second time. It's a good change of pace from Le Carre, Ludlum, Deighton, et al, and is easily finished in a few quiet, dedicated sessions of reading. A great summer read.
—Paul Bartusiak
Greene is more cynical and much subtler than I thought. It's not just a book about vetting and defecting or being defected, it contains quite enough middle-age meditations as well. Even though from the start there was already murder and subotage, dangerous cross-racial contests and the greatest ideological conflicts, the story goes on with its own unhurried pace. Davis was murdered, yes, but that's just so insignificant that both parties just don't give a damn. This kind of indifference, is the most striking and horrifying fact. Everyone wants to retire, wants to get out, but they couldn't, and they wouldn't. I mean, what else could they possibly do except following another set of boring routines? There are potential elements in this book which could lead the plot to a bigger outburst, I mean, like the Chinese plot is not fully developed, it just hovers noiselessly in the background. What a pity. Buller the boxer has been given full credentials. It's really adorable when the boxer has the sole aim of assassinating cats while tirelessly fawning to every human being who happens to be in his way. Absolutely lovable. For a while, at the end part, I really thought Sam would die and Sarah would happily reunite with Castle in Moscow. It has its build-up, because for christ, Sam really WAS ill, wasn't he? But I was confronted with a The-Graduate finale. Unappeased. Sigh.
—Ailsa Jo.
a novel of spies and of pawns and of the interchangeability of those roles. the tale is deceptively simple and straightforward; the mixed loyalties of the protagonist and the portrait of his relationship with his african wife are sweetly affecting and pleasingly non-dramatic....but all of this is, in a way, a cover for the bleakly mordant commentary on betrayal that lies at the novel's heart. reading Human Factor made me understand how the works of le carre will always be superior to the works of fleming, and yet will often be half the fun. dismantling the myth of the sexy super spy, and using that deconstruction as an extended metaphor for the dangers of empathy....it is an educational but often depressing experience.
—mark monday
