Henry Graham Greene, born in Hertfordshire and educated at Oxford, was a prolific novelist whose life and career spanned most of the 20th century. In 1927 he married Vivien Dayrell-Browning, and although their marriage lasted a lifetime, Greene had numerous extramarital affairs and several prolonged relationships with other women. An avid traveller, Greene drew material from his excursions that formed the background of his novels. He died of leukaemia in 1991 while living in Switzerland. His journalistic background is apparent throughout his writing, as illustrated by his realistic style, characters, and settings.