Did Graham Greene’s late Cold War-era thriller The Human Factor (1978) contain a secret map that leads his readers below the modern townscape of Watford to the writer’s own childhood?
When, in the novel, double-agent Maurice Castle goes to meet his Soviet controller in Watford, Hertfordshire, not many miles from Greene’s birthplace of Berkhamsted, he/Greene describes an unremarkable suburban townscape with streets named after trees. RICHARD SHEPHERD wanted to see if he could replicate the walk but initially drew a blank with the streets. And then he noticed that there had once been a car park called The Shrubbery and then things began to happen … For more follow this link to Richard’s account of his Greene odyssey – ‘Our Man in Watford’.
Incidentally, Richard knows a lot about maps and trails and walking — in fact he will be leading a walk around ‘Graham Greene’s Common’ in Berhamsted on 24 September, the opening day of the 27th Graham Greene International Festival. Follow this link for full details of the that walk and all the other fantastic events awaiting you at the Festival, as well as for ticketing information.
Kevin Ruane