20 th Graham Greene International Festival 2018 BerKhamsteD • 20 th to 23 rd september 2018
Graham Greene Birthplace trust above: illustration by Julie Brown, based on Stamboul Train : Drenched Decks ‘he passed the lit windows of the restaurant-car, small mauve-shaped lamps shining on the linen laid ready for dinner. “Ostend–cologne–Vienne–Belgrade–istanbul.” he passed the rows of names without a glance; the route was familiar to him; the names travelled back at the level of his eyes, like the spires of minarets, cupolas, or domes of the cities themselves, offering no permanent settlement . . .’ part One: ‘Ostend’, i, of Stamboul Train (1932) by Graham Greene.
cover image: Graham Greene 1989. pencil drawing by humphrey Ocean. royal collection trust / © her majesty Queen elizabeth ii 2018. is drawing marked the fact that Greene had become a member of the Order of merit in 1986. Graham Greene Birthplace Trust presents e Twentieth Graham Greene International Festival
20 th – 23 rd September 2018 at Berkhamsted school e town hall, Berkhamsted e civic centre, Berkhamsted
Festival Director: Dr martyn sampson
Sponsored by Greene King plc and supported by Berkhamsted school
Patrons: caroline Bourget, andrew Bourget, louise Dennys, nick Dennys, lucy saunders
presented by the Graham Greene Birthplace trust (http://grahamgreenebt.org/ [charity no. 1064839]), a member of the Berkhamsted arts trust
e provisional dates for the Twenty-first Graham Greene International Festival are 1 9th -22 nd September 2019. 1 Twenty Shades of Greene 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of the Festival. a key event in the local and literary calendars, this gathering of Friends, fans, experts and interested persons from the town of Berkhamsted and all parts of the world, has become a truly special occasion. its growth and development are a tribute to a team of volunteers whose dedication across the last two decades has been unwavering, and to whom we owe a debt of thanks. is year will see the first David pearce memorial talk to mark the memory of David, whose legacy to the life of the trust and the Festival is monumental.
is year is also the 70th anniversary of the production of e ird Man . We have with us angela allen mBe, who can give first-hand reflections on the film’s production. John Baxter will consider his collection of Greene, which he documented in A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict . Jeremy Front will discuss his adaptation of Greene’s Stamboul Train for BBc radio 4. also, we are honoured to welcome one of our most celebrated journalists and broadcasters, robin lustig, who will consider representation in the work of novelists and journalists. together with film adaptations of Greene’s short stories, fine meals, and something slightly different, that being a musical reflection on Greene’s life and work, we have, in typical style, something for everyone. it is our hope, as an organising team, that you thoroughly enjoy yourselves, and walk away with great memories in celebration of all things Greene .
Our way of marking the 20th anniversary is, in part, to reflect on our own twenty shades of enjoyment of an author whom William Golding suggested was ‘the ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man’s consciousness and anxiety.’ as we step further into the 21st century, you are invited to consider your own encounters with the man and his work, who, across our annual events, has been fruitfully imagined and re -imagined. Fearless explorer, navigator of the geopolitical worlds, trend-setter of representations of the sacred and (sometimes) the profane, not to mention different kinds of pleasure ( and pain) – my question is, what aspects Greene’s life and work are significant for you? Do you see Greene, primarily, as someone in whom the literary and cinematic imaginations flourish? Whatever your take, let us critically and creatively enjoy ourselves in the company of one of the greats.
Dr Martyn Sampson, Festival Director
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ursday 20 September Aernoon Berkhamsted Railway Station (or Court House, beside St Peter’s Church) 2.15 Berkhamsted: e Greene Guide : a guided walk of approximately one hour, led by Brian shepherd, with readings from A Sort of Life , e Human Factor and e Captain and the Enemy , by Judy mead and richard shepherd. please assemble outside the rear entrance to Berkhamsted railway station (the platform 4 exit) for the introduction. in the event of wet weather, there will be an illustrated talk with readings in the court house. Old Hall, Berkhamsted School 4.45 e Legacy of Graham Greene’s First-person Narration : a talk by professor motonori sato to sixth Form english students.
Evening e Town Hall 5.15 Social gathering and film supper. 7.15 for 7.30 film May We Borrow Your Husband? (Yorkshire television, 1986 – 101 minutes), directed by Bob mahoney and starring Dirk Bogarde and charlotte attenborough. introduced by Quentin Falk.
3 Graham Greene internatiOnal FestiVal Friday 21 September Morning e Town Hall 9.45 e ird Man Museum: e Creation of Enthusiasts : a talk by Karin höfler and Gerhard strassgschwandtner on the creation and curation of their museum in Vienna. 11.15 A Journey With Maps: Adapting Stamboul Train by Graham Greene for BBC Radio 4 : Jeremy Front is interviewed by Dr martyn sampson on the writing, production and critical and creative contexts of his adaptation of Greene’s novel. Aernoon 12.45 a repeat of Berkhamsted: e Greene Guide (see ursday at 2.15). in the event of wet weather, there will be an illustrated talk with readings in e town hall. e Town Hall 2.30 Graham Greene: Treachery and Trust : a talk by monsignor roderick strange on the theme of betrayal in Greene’s writings. Who can we trust? e David pearce memorial talk. 4.00 e Book that Greene Never Wrote: To Beg I Am Ashamed : a talk by emeritus professor François Gallix on one of the apocryphal texts that was, in part, attributed to Greene. Evening e Civic Centre 7.30 Music and Film night : songs and music by matt saxton and band, inspired by the life and work of Graham Greene; followed by a showing of Under the Garden (ames television, 1976, 50 minutes), with Denholm elliott, arthur lowe and Vivian pickles. e film will be introduced by mike hill. Festival Bookstall roughout the Friday and saturday of the Festival, richard Frost will again have on sale a large selection of books by and relating to Graham Greene, and there will be a Festival Bookstall selling Greene-related books, including those by some of our speakers.
4 Graham Greene internatiOnal FestiVal Saturday 22 September Morning Deans’ Hall, Berkhamsted School 9.45 Adventures in the Greene Trade: Collecting Graham Greene Rarities and Stalking the Man Himself : a talk by John Baxter on the theme of collecting works by Greene . 11.15 Journalists and Novelists: Facts and Truth : a talk by robin lustig on contrasting approaches to literary representation. Aernoon Deans’ Hall, Berkhamsted School 2.30 Coloring Catholicism Greene in the Age of Pope Francis : a talk by Father mark Bosco, s.J., who will ask: is Francis, the first Latin American pope, what Greene was waiting for all his life? 4.00 Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Making of e ird Man - A Conversation with Angela Allen, MBE : iconic script supervisor angela allen is interviewed by Dr Brigitte timmermann about her career in film production, especially regarding e ird Man . 5.15 e Birthday Toast by Dr martyn sampson. Evening Old Hall, Berkhamsted School 7.45 Festival Dinner. Festival Exhibitions in the town hall and the Deans’ hall will be a display on memories and reflections that mark the twenty years of the festival. in addition, in the town hall will be the exhibition Our Man in Berkhamsted , covering Greene’s life and works, with particular emphasis on his Berkhamsted roots. e exhibition was originally put together by the hertfordshire archives and local studies department. On saturday in Deans’ hall the exhibition Our Journey with Greene will display 42 original prints inspired by Greene’s books, by local artists who work together at Bodenpress printmaking studio. a copy of one of the works can be found earlier in this brochure. e works are for sale and copies of the catalogue are available to buy.
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Sunday 23 September Morning VIth Form Centre, Berkhamsted School, Castle Street 9.00 A Tour of the School Archives : including a look at the exhibition room, the green baize door, Old hall and the school chapel. (meet outside Old hall.) 9.45 Known and Not So Known Literary Outcomes of Graham Greene’s Travels with Father Leopoldo Durán: Monsignor Quixote and the Manuscript Book Picasso : a talk by Dr Beatriz Valverde Jiménez on an item that ‘Father Durán considered his most beloved treasure’. 11.30 Graham Greene’s ‘e Virtue of Disloyalty’ : a talk by Dr Jon Wise on Greene’s vital essay, his acceptance speech on receiving the shakespeare prize in 1969. Lunch Old Hall, Berkhamsted School 1.00 Farewell Lunch. Festival Venues
6 town hall
civic centre
Berkhamsted school
7 e Festival Speakers
Angela Allen MBE has had an illustrious career as script supervisor spanning six decades, her behind-the-scene contribution to the film industry is legendary, let alone her fight for the rights of women in the male dominated world of movie making. she worked with John huston and Franco Zefirelli, received an mBe in 1996 and the michael Balcon award for Outstanding British contribution to cinema in 2005. One of the youngest female continuity professionals in the business at the time, she joined carol reed’s crew on e ird Man for weeks of location shooting in Vienna. John Baxter is an author of biographies of J.G. Ballard, stanley Kubrick, robert Deniro, Woody allen, steven spielberg, George lucas and Josef von sternberg. a series of memoirs includes e Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris and A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict . e latter documents John’s lifetime fascination with rare books, including how he accumulated a major collection of works by Greene. Father Mark Bosco, S.J. is Vice-president for mission and ministry at Georgetown university and teaches in the english department. he is author of Graham Greene’s Catholic Imagination , and is a producer and director of the upcoming documentary feature film, Flannery O’Connor: Mystery and Manners , with pBs/american masters. Quentin Falk has been a freelance film critic and magazine editor for more than 40 years. he is also the author of the award-nominated Travels in Greeneland: e Cinema of Graham Greene , now in its four edition. his other books include biographies of alfred hitchcock, anthony hopkins, albert Finney and lord lew Grade. Jeremy Front writes extensively for radio and television, moving between original works and adaptations in both drama and comedy departments. his long running Charles Paris comedy drama series starring Bill nighy is approaching its twelh outing. Jeremy also writes and acts in radio 4’s Incredible Women (series 7 2018), and a new series, Jack and Millie both co-starring with rebecca Front. his adaptation of Stamboul Train aired on BBc radio 4 on 18 november 2017. François Gallix is emeritus professor of 20th century British literature at the sorbonne. his research concentrates on the works of Graham Greene. he has recently discovered and published in e Times and in e Strand a detective novella by Greene. he has edited two volumes on Greene, published by robert laffont (2011). Mike Hill is a former schoolteacher who now edits the Birthplace trust magazine, A Sort of Newsletter and was last year’s Greene Festival Director. he has directed five festivals in total. With Jon Wise, he has written two books on Graham Greene – e Works of Graham Greene: A Reader’s Bibliography and Guide (2012), and e Works of Graham Greene, Volume 2: A Guide to the Graham Greene Archives (2015). Karin Höfler is a graduate in Japanese studies from the university of Vienna. she is a Japanese- German interpreter, and has had assignments in Vienna, austria, Germany, and Japan. With Gerhard Strassgschwandtner , she opened the ird man museum in 2005. Dr Beatriz Valverde Jiménez holds a Doctorate in english philology in addition to a ma in spanish literature. in both fields she has published several articles in various spanish and international journals, many of them connected to the work of Graham Greene.
8 Robin Lustig is a journalist and broadcaster. he began his career with reuters news agency, as a correspondent in madrid, paris, and rome, and then spent more than a decade at e Observer , including three years as middle east correspondent based in Jerusalem. he moved to the BBc in 1989, where he presented e World Tonight on radio 4 and Newshour on BBc World service. he has won several awards, including the charles Wheeler award for outstanding contribution to broadcast journalism. in 2017, he published Is Anything Happening? My Life as a Newsman . Dr Martyn Sampson , Festival Director, holds a phD on Greene from Bristol uWe, where he taught english and completed teacher-training. he has edited two anthologies of creative writing, and has authored an introduction to an edition of Lord of the World by robert hugh Benson. Professor Motonori Sato is professor of english at Keio university in Japan, having studied at Queen mary, the university of london, and the university of tokyo, Japan. his new book Graham Greene, a Cinematic Life (tokyo: Keio university press) has recently been published. Matt Saxton is a rock and folk singer-songwriter and a multi-instrumentalist. in 2015, Google featured his guitar piece ‘seabird’ on their homepage, and in 2016, he released his single ‘Greeneland’ on e animal Farm label. is year, he released his album I Wasn’t Looking For Love . Brian Shepherd is the author of four audio Guides to countryside walks around Berkhamsted. researching what writers with local connections had to say about Berkhamsted common led him to many references in Greene’s writings to what he called ‘my natural escape route’. his walk of the town at this year’s festival complements his guided walk of the common in previous years. Monsignor Roderick Strange was ordained as a catholic priest for the Diocese of shrewsbury in 1969. since then, he has been a pastoral priest in that diocese for 11 years during which time he was also Director of the religious education service for five years and he has served on the national conference of priests for eight years, for three of them as chairman. he also spent 12 years as one of the catholic chaplains at Oxford university and for 17 years was rector of the pontifical Beda college in rome. he is now a professor of eology at st mary’s university, twickenham. Gerhard Strassgschwandtner has worked as a licenced tour guide in Vienna since the mid 1990s. For the past 20 years, his collecting activities have been concentrated only on finding and getting original documents and artefacts relating to the film classic e ird Man . With Karin Höfler , he opened the ird man museum in 2005. Dr Brigitte Timmermann is a graduate of history and english literature of the university of Vienna, and is a visiting professor of american colleges based in austria. she runs a family business in tourism, and is author of e ird Man's Vienna: Celebrating a Film Classic . Dr Jon Wise has co-authored with mike hill a two volume bibliography and guide to the works of Graham Greene, published in 2012 and 2015. he is currently co-editing the academic journal Graham Greene Studies with professor Joyce stavick. he is a Birthplace trustee and manages the trust’s website. he also writes extensively on naval history.
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