Writers mark Greene centenary

Famous names from the world of literature will gather at the former school of novelist Graham Greene today to mark the centenary of his birth.

Sir John Mortimer and Professor David Lodge will be among the guest speakers at the event at Berkhamsted Collegiate School, Hertfordshire.

It follows the publication of the final instalment of a biography of Graham Greene, also timed to coincide with the centenary.

Written by English author Norman Sherry, it is the third volume in a project started almost 30 years ago.

Called The Life of Graham Greene, it reveals the novelist`s penchant for prostitutes and includes a list of Greene`s 47 favourite call girls.

When the novelist authorised Sherry to write his biography he predicted that he would not live to see its completion.
Volume three of the autobiography charts the last 36 years of Greene`s life, following his journeys through Cuba, the Belgian Congo, Haiti, Nicaragua and Panama.

Graham Greene was born on October 2, 1904 in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire.

For details of next year's festival see The Graham Greene Birthplace Trust www.grahamgreenebt.org