An atmosphere of despair and mistrust pervades this tight, psychological drama. The personalities, the setting and the politics are all cleverly intertwined. Brown is not what he appears to be. Clara, a survivor at all costs, seems willing to betray anyone and quickly leaves Starhov for Brown. Starhov, the idealist "who committed the crime of trust" , seems to be a pleasant, thoughtful, book loving man, but is an important KGB officer. Mistrust and betrayal are reflected in the hostile wasteland of the British/Russian border crossing. The Iron Curtain wraps the characters into its folds. The loss of hope and post war devastation permeate this sinister landscape. East-West tensions, disturbing implications of uranium discoveries in the Soviet zone, Starhov's crime in trusting Brown and Brown's duty to betray him reflect the recurring 'trust' theme and a desperate need for peace on the political level.

Next, the reader is treated to Greene's The Stranger's Hand, an excellent, though unfinished film treatment. It was eventually completed by veteran screenwriter Guy Elmes, with Greene's approval, and filmed in 1954. Set against a background of the Cold War, espionage and border disputes, it is similar to No Man's Land. It concerns the plight of seven-year-old Roger Court, sent off to a strange foreign city, Venice, to meet his long absent father, who fails to appear. Greene's sympathetic portrayal of this unhappy, frightened child is impeccable. We experience this poignant drama from the naïve point of view of little Roger. He uses his imagination to distract himself from his loneliness and fear — an improvised cricket match in his lonely hotel room — fantasies that take him into the juvenile adventure tales he reads to try to interpret the unstable adult world that is caving in on him. At time his courage and self-control give way to tears, even though there are adults trying to help him in his small corner of the world.

Up to this point we are fascinated. Whatever will happen to poor young Roger? Will he ever be reunited with his father? Will his father survive the political intrigue that has detained him? THEN — Oh, the disappointment of it all — we finish off with a flat 'summary of Guy Elmes's continuation'. If only Greene himself had completed this wonderful short story!.

Although No Man's Land and The Stranger's Hand, are little-known minor works, Greene's literary genius is evident in both. He was greatly influenced by his personal life and the unstable political climate in post war Europe. His own alienated childhood, his conversion to Catholicism in 1926, his guilt about deserting his own children, his jealously possessive feelings for his mistress, and his overwhelming desire for a peaceful Europe are woven into the multi-layered aspects of his writing. His powerful gift for exploring complex personalities, his ability to capture a sense of place and time, and his quietly effective symbolism make Greene irresistible.

December 2005