Robert M. (shotokanchef) reviewed Getting to Know the General: The Story of an Involvement on + 813 more book reviews
The celebrated English novelist and world traveler is invited to Panama by General Omar Torrijos. His 1976 visit is during the negotiation of the Canal treaty and is the beginning of a friendship terminated by the generals death in 1981. It is also the history of the strife throughout the surrounding Central American countries. Despite a hot and heavy political clime, Greene manages to do his share to boost liquor consumption. Barely a hint of drugs in this one though. Unless you are a devotee of Greene, there is little to gain from this account: it is too dated politically.
Synopsis
In 1981 the author was preparing for his fifth visit to Panama when the news came of the death of General Omar Torrifos Herrera. His small plane had crashed leaving no survivors. This book is Graham Greene's account of a five-year personal involvement with Omar Torrijos, ruler of Panama from 1968-81. The author presents a portrait of a man who might have carried through a credible solution to many of the political and economic problems of one of the world's most troubled areas.
In 1981 the author was preparing for his fifth visit to Panama when the news came of the death of General Omar Torrifos Herrera. His small plane had crashed leaving no survivors. This book is Graham Greene's account of a five-year personal involvement with Omar Torrijos, ruler of Panama from 1968-81. The author presents a portrait of a man who might have carried through a credible solution to many of the political and economic problems of one of the world's most troubled areas.
