Adapting Graham Greene

With its exhaustive exploration of Greene adaptations in the cinema and other media, Hand and Purssell's Adapting Graham Greene is an admirable example of the rich critical possibilities afforded by adaption studies.' - Shari Hodges Holt, Department of English, University of Mississippi, USA 'After an introduction on the debates surrounding adaptation and an admirably concise and lucid chapter that puts Greene's critical and creative career in context, there are illuminating case studies... The commentaries throughout are informative, incisive and often unusual in their insights.' Neil Sinyard, University of Hull, UK

A highly original and engaging study of the novels and adaptations of Graham Greene, one of the most prolific writers of the 20th century. Far-reaching but focused, the text offers an accessible introduction to adaptation studies and examines the industries in which Greene functioned as author, screenwriter, film critic and cultural figure.Graham Greene was one of the most versatile writers of the 20th century, and he remains a figure of particular interest to those concerned with the relationship between literature and cinema. As well as being a skilled screenwriter in his own right, most famously with The Third Man, Greene's fiction has proved to be a perennially popular source for adaptation, appealing to the broadest range of filmmakers imaginable.

In this engaging and accessibly written study, Richard J. Hand and Andrew Purssell introduce adaptation studies and its relation to Greene's works. They present new and incisive readings of key texts, including the various screen versions of Brighton Rock, The End of the Affair and The Quiet American, among others, and offer a critical examination of the industries in which Greene functioned as author, screenwriter, film critic and cultural figure. By closely exploring the various critical aspects of Greene and adaptation, and by encouraging readers to engage with the topics discussed through the inclusion of innovative exercises, Adapting Graham Greene makes a significant contribution to Graham Greene Studies and Adaptation Studies, as well as to Film and Literary Studies more generally.