British author Graham Greene (1904–1991), a major figure in twentieth-century literature, was a prolific writer whose work is known for the Roman Catholic religious themes he often weaves into the plots.

Travels with My Aunt was published in 1969 and is a comedic novel of travel adventure and self-discovery, which was adapted and made into a film in 1972. Greene commented that Travels with My Aunt is "the only book I have ever written for fun." Although the novel does contain some references to Roman Catholicism, they are interspersed occasionally and not part of what drives the plot.

Protagonist Henry Pulling, a retired bank manager in his fifties, narrates the story in first person. Henry has never married, and his only hobby is growing dahlias. At his mother's funeral, he meets up with his Aunt Augusta, an outrageous woman in her seventies whom he has not seen in half a century. Henry gets to know her, and together they travel the world and have wild adventures.

Aunt Augusta is as opposite from conventional as one can get. She has led a life driven by her passions and need for excitement. She has worked as a prostitute and has been involved in swindles. Clearly Aunt Augusta's lifestyle is something of a shock to Henry, but he discovers that deep down, he is more like her than he could have imagined. He discovers, in fact, that she is not really his aunt but his birth mother.

Widely acknowledged as an entertaining and engaging novel, Travels with My Aunt has readers laughing out loud while also wondering what it means to engage fully in life.