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Cover of The Quiet American by Graham Greene

The Quiet American

by Graham Greene

A weary journalist watches an idealistic American turn certainty into danger in colonial Vietnam.

Published
1955
Setting
Vietnam
Shelf rating
4.4

About Graham Greene

Illustrated portrait of Graham Greene
Graham Greene

3 books shelved

The story, briefly

Spoiler-free

In colonial Vietnam, a British journalist becomes entangled with a young American whose political innocence proves more dangerous than it first appears.

Why we recommend it

  1. Foreigners who misunderstand where they are

    Greene shares Bowles’s control, damaged relationships, and skepticism toward Western certainty abroad.

What this book explores

Book editions

Paperback edition cover
Paperback
ISBN-13
9780143039020

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Recommended alongside The Heart of the Matter.

Also recommended in books like The Sheltering Sky.

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References

References

The sources below include the primary text, editions, scholarship, archival materials, and other records that informed this page. They document The Quiet American, its publication, and its place in literary history.

  1. 1The Quiet American — Open Library ISBN catalogue

    Official record
    Open Library, Internet Archive
    Used for

    Open Library ISBN catalogue used to verify the title, ISBN, and publication metadata.

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  2. 2The Quiet American — Google Books edition record

    Official record
    Google Books
    Used for

    Google Books catalogue record used to cross-check the title and edition metadata.

    View source
  1. 3The Quiet American — Internet Archive ISBN catalogue

    Official record
    Internet Archive
    Used for

    Internet Archive ISBN catalogue used to cross-check the edition and its availability in library holdings.

    View source
  2. 4The Quiet American — Library of Congress books catalogue

    Official record
    Library of Congress
    Used for

    Library of Congress books catalogue used to cross-check the bibliographic record by ISBN.

    View source
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Why these sources are here

The primary text is the baseline reference for every book page. Additional references document publication history, interpretation, and historical context where that evidence is available.

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