The work of Graham Greene is often seen as sort of at the boundary line between popular and literary fiction. Greene (1904 to 1991) was a very prolific and successful author. Several of his novels were made into movies. Among the most read of his novels are The Third Man, Our Man in Heaven, and The Power and the Glory. (There is a good article about his interesting life and career here).
"The Invisible Japanese Gentlemen" is a funny clever well story written in a pleasant style. An engaged couple are in a restaurant celebrating the acceptance of the woman's first novel for publication. She is trying to pressure the man into marriage right away, saying they can live from the proceeds of her book sales. Her publisher has given her a nice advance and told her she is one of the most perceptive new writers whose work he has read in years. The woman is very thrilled by this remark and keeps telling her finance what the publisher said about how perceptive she was over and over. Seating right next to them is a loud party of ten or so Japanese men. There is a well done ironic and sharply undercutting ending that puts the publishers observation on her very much in doubt. You cannot help but think maybe everything the woman hope for is based on the shaky predictions of the publisher.
""The Invisible Japanese Gentlemen" is included in The Penguin Book of Modern British Short Stories edited by Malcolm Bradbury. It is an interesting well written twist ending short story.
Please share your experience with Graham Greene with us.
Mel u
I read Graham Greene in high school, but haven't read him since.
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