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睾乇賮丞 丕賱賲毓賷卮丞
Full cast recording of a theatrical play read by Julian Sands, Kirsten Potter, Morgan Shepherd and Judy Geeson. London in the 1950s. A mysterious house, home to a family that has seen better days, will not yield its secrets. And a love affair turns to tradgedy. Greene, one of the foremost writers of the 20th century, based the play on his own passionate but doomed affairs, and his conflicted view of Catholicism.
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First published January 1, 1954
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About the author
Graham Greene
649听books5,816听followersHenry Graham Greene was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century.
Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a reputation early in his lifetime as a major writer, both of serious Catholic novels, and of thrillers (or "entertainments" as he termed them). He was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times. Through 67 years of writing, which included over 25 novels, he explored the conflicting moral and political issues of the modern world. The Power and the Glory won the 1941 Hawthornden Prize and The Heart of the Matter won the 1948 James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Best of the James Tait Black. Greene was awarded the 1968 Shakespeare Prize and the 1981 Jerusalem Prize. Several of his stories have been filmed, some more than once, and he collaborated with filmmaker Carol Reed on The Fallen Idol (1948) and The Third Man (1949).
He converted to Catholicism in 1926 after meeting his future wife, Vivienne Dayrell-Browning. Later in life he took to calling himself a "Catholic agnostic". He died in 1991, aged 86, of leukemia, and was buried in Corseaux cemetery in Switzerland. William Golding called Greene "the ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man's consciousness and anxiety".
Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a reputation early in his lifetime as a major writer, both of serious Catholic novels, and of thrillers (or "entertainments" as he termed them). He was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times. Through 67 years of writing, which included over 25 novels, he explored the conflicting moral and political issues of the modern world. The Power and the Glory won the 1941 Hawthornden Prize and The Heart of the Matter won the 1948 James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Best of the James Tait Black. Greene was awarded the 1968 Shakespeare Prize and the 1981 Jerusalem Prize. Several of his stories have been filmed, some more than once, and he collaborated with filmmaker Carol Reed on The Fallen Idol (1948) and The Third Man (1949).
He converted to Catholicism in 1926 after meeting his future wife, Vivienne Dayrell-Browning. Later in life he took to calling himself a "Catholic agnostic". He died in 1991, aged 86, of leukemia, and was buried in Corseaux cemetery in Switzerland. William Golding called Greene "the ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man's consciousness and anxiety".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
March 1, 2019
Since I had just re-read The Quiet American and The Comedians by Graham Greene, both of which feature an anguished "agnostic Catholic" guy in a doomed affair, I though what the heck, let me have another, a 1953 play by Greene, featuring Julian Sands as the psychologist stand-in for Greene. It's not one of his best works, and so many of his works were trying to work out his guilt over multiple affairs Greene had himself had.
The popular 欧宝娱乐 reads, statistically, are about sex and romance, but my assumption is that they are not about guilt, but about passion. And they are, well, fun? It's not as if Greene's treatment of fidelity /adultery is completely joyless, but let's say he is not the poster boy for the Free Love generation. He is not a walking advertisement for "Love the One You're With" (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young). Greene, who suffered lifelong from depression and probably bipolar disorder, would not get a pass from his wife Vivian for all of us affairs, and Greene is good here to depict her as tortured and hysterical to be the victim of his lust for a 20 year old when they (the psychologist and his wife) are in their forties.
It's well-written, but it is not Ibsen or Arthur Miller calibre, whereas his novels are among the best ever.
The popular 欧宝娱乐 reads, statistically, are about sex and romance, but my assumption is that they are not about guilt, but about passion. And they are, well, fun? It's not as if Greene's treatment of fidelity /adultery is completely joyless, but let's say he is not the poster boy for the Free Love generation. He is not a walking advertisement for "Love the One You're With" (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young). Greene, who suffered lifelong from depression and probably bipolar disorder, would not get a pass from his wife Vivian for all of us affairs, and Greene is good here to depict her as tortured and hysterical to be the victim of his lust for a 20 year old when they (the psychologist and his wife) are in their forties.
It's well-written, but it is not Ibsen or Arthur Miller calibre, whereas his novels are among the best ever.
April 13, 2021
Greene might have made a name for himself in the theater if he had devoted more of his energies here. This play is odd, witty, fairly well constructed, and tragic.
December 27, 2019
"賴賱 鬲乇賷丿 兀賳 鬲賰賵賳 丕賱丕爻鬲孬賳丕亍 丕賱賵丨賷丿 賮賷 毓丕賱賲 賲賳 丕賱兀賱賲責"
February 23, 2025
The Living Room by Graham Greene
Absorbing play
Graham Greene is one of my favorite authors.
The play comes as a surprise and is different from what I knew...novels like The Power and the Glory, Our Man in Havana...
The themes are familiar though.
Religion, love, duty, infidelity are at the center of the plot.
Rose Pemberton is twenty years old and in love with Michael Dennis, who is older, much older f we are to listen to the woman's aunts.
He is a psychologist, played by Julian Sands, in the production that I listened to. The problem is that Michael Dennis is married.
And not only that, but Catholicism, with its strict doctrine on marriage makes a way out of the conundrum almost impossible.
Divorce is not allowed by the Catholic Church, so what are the options?
The lovers would just have to give each other up.
The estranged wife comes on stage, announced by one of the aunts.
The latter tries to lie and separate Rose from the philandering husband.
She tells him that she will not be available.
Then she tries to convince her niece that the man she loves had gone for a long time.
Michael Dennis is torn between his passion and his duty.
He does not want his wife to suffer, although he understands that she gets hysterical for little reason.
It looks like with or without this affair, the woman would be unhappy and make scenes.
There is a terrible surprise.
I obviously cannot say what happens.
But the excruciating pain is felt all around- maybe- except that the unexpected personage takes decisive and ultimate action.
Enough said about this.
At the end of the play, there is a very illuminating interview with Greene's official biographer.
Graham Greene had quite a few lovers, in conflict with his Catholic faith.
Anita Bjork was one of them and she was a gorgeous Swedish actress.
Graham Greene had tried to commit suicide and he was a very strange man, from what his biographer says.
Part of his books are astonishing, some included on the scholars' lists of best works of fiction.
Absorbing play
Graham Greene is one of my favorite authors.
The play comes as a surprise and is different from what I knew...novels like The Power and the Glory, Our Man in Havana...
The themes are familiar though.
Religion, love, duty, infidelity are at the center of the plot.
Rose Pemberton is twenty years old and in love with Michael Dennis, who is older, much older f we are to listen to the woman's aunts.
He is a psychologist, played by Julian Sands, in the production that I listened to. The problem is that Michael Dennis is married.
And not only that, but Catholicism, with its strict doctrine on marriage makes a way out of the conundrum almost impossible.
Divorce is not allowed by the Catholic Church, so what are the options?
The lovers would just have to give each other up.
The estranged wife comes on stage, announced by one of the aunts.
The latter tries to lie and separate Rose from the philandering husband.
She tells him that she will not be available.
Then she tries to convince her niece that the man she loves had gone for a long time.
Michael Dennis is torn between his passion and his duty.
He does not want his wife to suffer, although he understands that she gets hysterical for little reason.
It looks like with or without this affair, the woman would be unhappy and make scenes.
There is a terrible surprise.
I obviously cannot say what happens.
But the excruciating pain is felt all around- maybe- except that the unexpected personage takes decisive and ultimate action.
Enough said about this.
At the end of the play, there is a very illuminating interview with Greene's official biographer.
Graham Greene had quite a few lovers, in conflict with his Catholic faith.
Anita Bjork was one of them and she was a gorgeous Swedish actress.
Graham Greene had tried to commit suicide and he was a very strange man, from what his biographer says.
Part of his books are astonishing, some included on the scholars' lists of best works of fiction.
January 4, 2023
Es la primer obra de teatro que leo del autor, me dio risa, ternura para que al final fuera tr谩gico.
El cuarto en que se vive hace referencia a una casa en d贸nde viven tres ancianos: Teresa, la mayor, Jaime, el sacerdote inv谩lido; hermano del medio y Elena, la menor. Vivir谩 con ellos su sobrina Rosa, una joven que no conoci贸 a su padre y perdi贸 su madre por una enfermedad, por lo que sus tutores pasan a ser estos hermanos y Miguel, un abogado que se encarga del testamento de la difunta, aunque est茅 煤ltimo se convertir谩 en el amante de la misma, a pesar que se encuentra casado.
Hay un secreto escondido en el t铆tulo de la obra que solo se desvelar脿 y para eso leala, ya que no al spoiler.
El cuarto en que se vive hace referencia a una casa en d贸nde viven tres ancianos: Teresa, la mayor, Jaime, el sacerdote inv谩lido; hermano del medio y Elena, la menor. Vivir谩 con ellos su sobrina Rosa, una joven que no conoci贸 a su padre y perdi贸 su madre por una enfermedad, por lo que sus tutores pasan a ser estos hermanos y Miguel, un abogado que se encarga del testamento de la difunta, aunque est茅 煤ltimo se convertir谩 en el amante de la misma, a pesar que se encuentra casado.
Hay un secreto escondido en el t铆tulo de la obra que solo se desvelar脿 y para eso leala, ya que no al spoiler.
September 8, 2018
I enjoyed this even though it was sad.
October 4, 2020
This was the first of the plays by Graham Greene that I have read 鈥� and I must say, I liked it a lot. I would love to see it performed, even today, 67 years after it was published. It kept me intrigued throughout, and surprised me at the end. The theological (Catholic) angst of the plot, mixed with the flat-out weird sisters makes a good, even spooky, tale. If you know a little about Greene鈥檚 personal life, you鈥檒l probably recognize this as what appears to be another open story about his own life. It鈥檚 pretty clear that he鈥檚 not trying to hide anything when he dedicates this book to 鈥淐atherine with love鈥� (his wife鈥檚 name was Vivien).
April 16, 2020
This a short play published in 1954 with a handful of characters that takes place almost exclusively in, yes, the living room. Except for impossibly naive, painfully young Rose, everyone is harboring secrets and lies, following their fates with nary a glimmer of hope among them. There is a lot of sadness jammed into the two short acts, not a lot happens, no one is especially likable, and yet I never thought to stop reading because there is Greene's writing and that is enough.
July 1, 2020
Perhaps religion helps us to understand ourselves and how we interact with each other the way we do. Love. Faith. Death. How and when do we hide the parts of being human out of fear for feelings? Aren't feelings one of the attributes of being that make us human?
November 10, 2020
This book was lots of fun because Graham Greene is one of my favourite authors but I鈥檝e been running out of his books. This one is a play, and it takes its title from the fact that a family lives in a house where they board up the bedrooms when people die.
January 3, 2023
Such a good play, you can read it in one seating and end up with an existencial crises.
Every character is flawed, but not evil. Together they represent the defective core of the human being.
Every character is flawed, but not evil. Together they represent the defective core of the human being.
May 12, 2021
This audio version of the play was well done. The play is short, with the fear of death as an interesting theme throughout. There is a tension between the justice of God and the mercy of God. Sad that so many would agree with the thought from the play that we aren't supposed to experience any pain. What a horrid world it would be without any pain since pain is so redemptive.
March 24, 2021
A quick very noticing play. Enjoyable
May 6, 2013
Se trata de la primera obra de teatro del escritor, por otro lado famoso por sus novelas, donde el tema del catolicismo aparece como referente. La acci贸n se centra en Rose y sus dos t铆as ancianas, que viven con el hermano de las t铆as, James, un cura cat贸lico inv谩lido.
April 5, 2014
This was a very unusual play. I'm glad I read it and will always remember the message of the book. Graham Greene's books tend to be less about entertaining the reader and more about delivering a message.
September 5, 2020
I hate this play so much. The female characters are caricatures, from the innocent virgin to the grasping wife who is rightfully angry at her cheating husband who the audience is supposed to sympathize with in that 鈥渟hallow stand-in for the author鈥� way.
February 12, 2014
Quite disappointing for Greene, who I usually love.
July 21, 2014
A quick read. I didn't find it very engaging, unfortunately.
February 19, 2016
Powerful performances. The story is of one that gives a new meaning of "quirky family rituals".
August 12, 2016
A powerful play about sin, suffering, God and guilt.
July 1, 2020
Dramatic version didn't help unfortunately.
December 6, 2020
Dated, but great in its time, no doubt.
November 23, 2021
賷毓丿 賴匕丕 丕賱毓賲賱 賲賳 兀賵丕卅賱 兀毓賲丕賱 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 丕賱賰亘賷乇 噩乇丕賴丕賲 噩乇賷賳 賵丕賱匕賷 賷鬲毓乇囟 賮賷賴 廿賱賶 丕賱氐乇丕毓 丕賱賲毓鬲丕丿 亘賷賳 丕賱丿賷賳 賵丕賱毓賱賲 賵丕賱匕賷 賳卮亘 賮賷 丕賱賯乇賳 丕賱孬丕賲賳 毓卮乇 賲毓 亘丿丕賷丞 賲丕爻賲賷 亘毓氐乇 丕賱毓賯賱 .乇賵夭 丕賱賮鬲丕丞 丕賱卮丕亘丞 丕賱賷鬲賷賲丞 丕賱丨丕卅乇丞 亘賷賳 丨亘賷亘賴丕 賲丨丕囟乇 丕賱賮賱爻賮丞 丿賷賳賷爻 丕賱賵氐賷 毓賱賷賴丕 丕賱賲賱丨丿 丕賱匕賷 賷丐賲賳 亘兀賮賰丕乇 賮乇賵賷丿 毓賳 丕賱睾乇賷夭丞 賵丕賱噩賳爻 賵賷鬲賵乇胤 賲毓 乇賵夭 賮賷 毓賱丕賯丞 噩爻丿賷丞 賲賴賲丞 賵兀爻乇丞 賵丕賱丿丞 乇賵夭 丕賱賰丕孬賵賱賷賰賷丞 丕賱賲賱鬲夭賲丞 賵丕賱鬲賷 賱賲 賷鬲夭賵噩 兀賷 賲賳 兀賮乇丕丿賴丕.噩賷賲爻 丕賱賰丕賴賳 丕賱賲賯毓丿 賲賳匕 毓卮乇賷賳 毓丕賲丕 賵丕賱匕賷 賷乇賲夭 賱賴 噩乇賷賳 亘毓丿賲 賯丿乇丞 丕賱丿賷賳 毓賱賶 鬲賮爻賷乇 丕賱毓丿賷丿 賲賳 丕賱丨賵丕丿孬 丕賱鬲賷 鬲爻鬲毓氐賷 毓賱賶 丕賱毓賯賱 丕賱賯丕氐乇 賵賱丕賳賰鬲卮賮 丕賱丨賰賲丞 廿賱丕 亘毓丿 賲乇賵乇 丕賱賵賯鬲 賵賴賷賱賷賳 丕賱賲鬲夭丕賲賳丞 丕賱鬲賷 鬲賱鬲夭賲 賱馗賵丕賴乇 丕賱兀賲賵乇 賵賯丿 鬲賰匕亘 賵鬲鬲噩爻爻 賮賷 爻亘賷賱 兀賴丿丕賮賴丕 賵鬲禺丕賮 賲賳 丕賱賲賵鬲 賵鬲亘孬 賮賰乇丞 睾賱賯 兀賷 睾乇賮丞 賲賳 睾乇賮 丕賱賲賳夭賱 丕賱鬲賷 賷賲賵鬲 賮賷賴丕 兀賷 賮乇丿 賲賳 兀賮乇丕丿 丕賱賲賳夭賱 賲賲丕 鬲爻亘亘 賮賷 鬲亘丿賷賱 睾乇賮 丕賱賲賳夭賱 賲賲丕 賷噩毓賱 丕賱賲賳夭賱 賲乇鬲亘 亘卮賰賱 賲賯賱賵亘 賮睾乇賮丞 丕賱賲毓賷卮丞 賴賷 賲丕鬲亘賯賶 .丕噩賲賱 賲丕賮賷 丕賱賲爻乇丨賷丞 丨賵丕乇丕鬲 噩賷賲爻 賵丿賷賳賷爻 丕賱賮賱爻賮賷丞 賵鬲賳鬲賴賷 丕賱賲爻乇丨賷丞 亘丕賱丨賷乇丞 丕賱賲毓鬲丕丿丞 賲毓 賵賮丕丞 乇賵夭 賲賳鬲丨乇丞.丕賱毓賲賱 乇丕卅毓 賲毓 丕禺鬲賱丕賮賷 賮賷 賵噩賴丕鬲 賳馗乇 丕賱賰丕鬲亘
March 21, 2024
This doesn't seem to be a particularly notable work in the Graham Greene oeuvre, but I was really impressed by it! The central staging idea, of a house with most of its rooms boarded up by death or the fear of death, works as an elegant symbol for both of the dueling ideologies in the work: psychology and theology. To the Freudian, the closed rooms are repressed areas of the subconscious. For the Christian, to paraphrase Bede, the human condition is like a swallow flying swiftly into the front door of a great hall and then out the other side, coming out of the dark night, existing for an instant in the warmth and light, and then passing out again into darkness. The "living" room, like life itself, is pressed in and overshadowed by all the closed rooms that are explicitly equated with death. They represent the realms which, to a Catholic, are the most substantive part of the metaphorical "house," yet are accessible only by death.
February 2, 2025
I didn't think it was that good. A professor in 40's takes up with 19-year-old orphan, the daughter of a recently departed friend. Her crazy extended family and his depressed wife disapprove. Either the lovers can be happy by making a group of unhappy people even more unhappy, or they can also become unhappy. Which will it be?
Sands' delivery is exceptionally flat.
The afterword, an interview with Greene's biographer, Norman Sherry, is quite good.
Sands' delivery is exceptionally flat.
The afterword, an interview with Greene's biographer, Norman Sherry, is quite good.
June 15, 2021
Such a strange nest of premises, on a strange premises. The uncle is my favorite character, even if the uncle-father in this is just one of the many strange folk in this strange house.
The interview after this in the LA Theatreworks version was very good.
The interview after this in the LA Theatreworks version was very good.
February 14, 2023
I don't know whether to give this three stars or four. I think the story was good, so the play is probably good, but the performance I listened to was quite stilted and self conscious. I would have preferred it as a novel.
March 10, 2024
Listen for bonus
Lively and at times amusing production of this rather odd book by Graham Greene, rather enjoyable. The best part was the bonus material at the end (keep listening!) with his official biographer, Norman Sherry.
Lively and at times amusing production of this rather odd book by Graham Greene, rather enjoyable. The best part was the bonus material at the end (keep listening!) with his official biographer, Norman Sherry.
January 7, 2023
Yaaawwn
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