'The Third Man'

Graham Greene actually wrote this novella before writing the screenplay to the film starring Orson Welles.

Later, the novella was actually released. So, this book has the distinction of being a film before it was a book, so I don't feel as bad about watching the film before I read the book. Although, I do hate watching the film before reading the book. I kind of feel the book is less intriguing. All the suspense, I think, is gone when the film is already seen. Although, Welles' character's speech in the ferris wheel is still pretty awesome.

Greene was fond of films, or so his career would suggest. He began as a journalist doing film reviews. He eventually did a number of screenplays -- including The Third Man -- and later appeared in Francois Truffaut's Day for Night.

Greene also appeared to be quite the commentator on the human condition and human rights. In The Third Man, he builds his plot around a seemingly "ordinary" guy who sells tainted medicine to children, who die. In other books, he chronicles atrocities and lifestyles of people around the nation in downtrodden conditions.