How it all began
- Book: The Quiet American
- Location: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
- Author: Graham Greene
Set in the 1950s, when it was written, this novel traces the changes in Vietnam as the Viet Minh are about to displace the French colonial government and a mysterious Third Force (almost certainly the CIA) is about to start meddling in the country, leading as we now know, to the Vietnam War.
Against this backdrop, a jaded British journalist, Fowler, is mentoring a young American diplomat (Pyle) who is also his rival for the affections of a beautiful local girl called Phuong.
Since the novel begins with questions about the death of Pyle, it’s no spoiler to reveal that Fowler is conflicted between looking after the young man, protecting his relationship with Phuong and wondering about the fate of the country.
The Quiet American is prescient is so many respects – Greene was a spy as well as a journalist – but it is, at its heart, a love story.
You can still visit the bars where Fowler and his cronies drank and wander up the former Rue Catinat (now Dong Khoi) where both Fowler and his creator green lived.
There is an excellent guide to the book and movie locations by local historian Tim Doling (http://www.historicvietnam.com/graham-greenes-saigon-revisited/).
There are two film adaptations with the 2001 version directed by Philip Noyce and starring Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser being by far the superior and most faithful to the book.
The late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain said this novel was what made him want to retire to Vietnam some day. If only he’d held out for that.
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