Our Man in Havana

Graham Greene’s Our Man in Havana, a 1958 satirical spy novel, evokes the political atmosphere in Cuba on the cusp of the Communist takeover and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Relevant and well-received, the novel has been adapted into a film, a play, and an opera. Greene was himself a member of M16, the United Kingdom’s Secret Intelligence Service, and his background allowed him to portray both accurately and comically the behind-the-scenes espionage antics that make up much of the novel’s plot.

Plot Summary

James Wormold, a middle-aged English vacuum cleaner salesman living in the heart of Havana, Cuba has very little going for him. Business is slow, his wife has left him, and his 16-year-old daughter, Milly, is difficult and demanding. She is pious and religious, yet materialistic and superficial, and nothing Wormold does seems to make her happy.

One night at the local bar, a man named Hawthorne approaches Wormold offering a position as a spy in Havana for M16, Britain’s Secret Service. Wormold is a terrible fit for the job, but since he is desperate for money, he signs on.

However, Wormold, now known by his code name 59200/5, does not complete a single mission.