Editors Reads Verdict
Greene's masterpiece — the whisky priest is the most complex and fully realised figure of compromised faith in 20th-century fiction. The novel's argument that grace operates through the unworthy is conducted with extraordinary formal control.
What We Loved
- The whisky priest is one of 20th-century fiction's most fully realised characters — a coward, a drunk, and a genuine vessel of grace
- The cat-and-mouse structure between priest and lieutenant is formally perfect — the pursuit is both thriller and theological argument
- Greene renders the Mexican landscape — heat, poverty, muddy rivers — with extraordinary physical precision
Minor Drawbacks
- The Catholic theological framework is so central that readers outside that tradition may find the priest's self-assessment opaque
- The pace is deliberately slow in sections — this is not a thriller in the conventional sense
Key Takeaways
- → Grace is not conditional on the worthiness of its instrument — the whisky priest administers real sacraments despite his real failures
- → The lieutenant's atheism is as sincere as the priest's faith — Greene respects both and does not resolve the argument
- → Cowardice and sanctity are not opposites — the priest's cowardice is part of his humanity, and his humanity is part of his holiness
| Author | Graham Greene |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Penguin |
| Pages | 222 |
| Published | January 1, 1940 |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Literary Fiction, Classic |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Best For | Readers of Catholic literary fiction and serious religious novels, and anyone interested in Greene's theological imagination at its most concentrated. |
The Priest
He has no name. He is the last functioning priest in his Mexican state, where the revolutionary government has outlawed religion and hunted down the clergy. The other priests have fled or renounced their vows or been shot. He remains, moving from village to village, saying Mass in secret, hearing confessions, baptising children.
He is also a drunk. He has a daughter, Brigitta, by a village woman — a product of a night when the loneliness became too great. He knows he is in a state of mortal sin. He knows he is a coward. He keeps going anyway, because the villages still need the sacraments and there is no one else to give them.
The Lieutenant
The police lieutenant who hunts him is not a villain. He is an idealist — a man who hates the Church because the Church kept the poor poor, and who wants the revolution to build schools and clinics and a world without supernatural consolation. He is, in his way, as dedicated as the priest. Their final encounter is one of the great scenes in modern fiction.
Greene wrote The Power and the Glory after visiting Mexico in 1938 and witnessing the anti-clerical persecutions. The Catholic Church initially condemned the novel; it was later praised by Pope Paul VI. It was awarded the Hawthornden Prize in 1941.
Our rating: 4.4/5 — Greene’s greatest novel; the whisky priest belongs among the 20th century’s most unforgettable characters.
Reading Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "The Power and the Glory" about?
Mexico in the 1930s: religion has been outlawed, priests are hunted, and the last priest in a southern state is a wanted man. He is also a drunkard who has fathered a child and abandoned his vows. Pursued by a mestizo informer and a dedicated police lieutenant, he continues to administer sacraments he believes himself unworthy to give. Greene's greatest theological novel.
Who should read "The Power and the Glory"?
Readers of Catholic literary fiction and serious religious novels, and anyone interested in Greene's theological imagination at its most concentrated.
What are the key takeaways from "The Power and the Glory"?
Grace is not conditional on the worthiness of its instrument — the whisky priest administers real sacraments despite his real failures The lieutenant's atheism is as sincere as the priest's faith — Greene respects both and does not resolve the argument Cowardice and sanctity are not opposites — the priest's cowardice is part of his humanity, and his humanity is part of his holiness
Is "The Power and the Glory" worth reading?
Greene's masterpiece — the whisky priest is the most complex and fully realised figure of compromised faith in 20th-century fiction. The novel's argument that grace operates through the unworthy is conducted with extraordinary formal control.
Ready to Read The Power and the Glory?
Check the current price on Amazon.
Check Price on Amazon (paid link)Prices and availability are subject to change. See Amazon for current price.
Review last updated: