Mervyn Peake

clovis-man

Prehistoric Irish Cynic
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This is a British writer, illustrator and poet of whom I know virtually nothing. I picked up a compilation of his "Gormenghast" trilogy today. At well over a thousand pages, I'm not going to jump right in before asking those who are more knowledgeable to provide an opinion for me of his worth as a novelist. Some seem to compare him with Poe and Tolkien. Not sure if that's warranted, especially if I've never heard of him.;)
 
I have the first book of the trilogy sitting on my TBR pile. From what I read about the books, the third book was released in a few different editions. Some with drastic edits which confused the story. So, I'm not sure what version is the best to buy. Here's a good link about the trilogy itself:

http://www.sfsite.com/depts/bbc04.htm
 
He's not at all like Tolkien. A little bit like Poe if Poe had written 1000 page trilogies. (Although Peake did write shorter things, too.)

He was an amazing writer, but his prose is extremely dense and descriptive. Titus Groan and Gormenghast proceed at a snail's pace. Needless to say, his writing is not to everyone's taste. But for imagination, use of language, and originality, he has few, if any, equals. There are passages in the Gormenghast trilogy that I'll read again and again, the metaphors are so apt or the images so striking.

As for the fact you've never heard of him ... I sometimes come across a name that I've never heard before and suddenly there are references to it everywhere. I wonder, how could I have not heard of this person until now? I think that now that Peake has come to your attention you'll find yourself stumbling over his name pretty often around here.
 
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Peake is indeed nothing like Tolkien, but he was writing at around the same time, and has been compared to him - not because their styles were similar but because the subject matter of both was deemed to be similar. In my opinion it is not.

As Teresa has said his prose is rambling, and very in depth, pages can be used to describe a single wall, very evocative but very hard going.

I read the books a good few years ago now, working my way through the Gormenghast trilogy. The first book, Titus Groan was really hard going, but the second Gormeghast was almost poetical in form, a beautiful telling of a castle in a state of perpetual decay, the people lost in the passage of time. The characters are some of the most interesting I've read with names like Steerpike, Mr. Flay and Lord Sepulchrave. Although there is a lot of fantasy out there not much touches on it in this style, and the first two books are truly wonderful. I also have to say that I did not feel this when I was reading them, but now looking back they are truly magnificent.

The last book is a bit of a let down, Titus Alone is almost science fiction in nature and not really anything like the previous two novels.

Two other nothes - there is a story of Peake fizzing in anger ofter a journalist turned up on his doorstep as king to speak to the second best writer of fantasy (the first being Tolkien).

And the BBC did an adaptation a few years ago, that was actually okayish!
 
Ah, Peake. He is very collectible these days. In addition to the Ghormenghast Trilogy (of which, I agree, the third is disappointing, but only if you were expecting something similar to the first two) he wrote poetry and illustrated many books, including an edition of Alice in Wonderland and a very nice Hunting of the Snark. He was featured in an issue of F & SF magazine. I have a number of Peake first eds. and a few ephemera in my collection, a piece of manuscript, some sketches etc.

He was a war artist, and some of the grimness of his outlook may date back to his illustrations of Belsen.

A brilliant writer, in my opinion. Yes, you have to be in it for the long haul, but the evil characters in Ghormenghast are hard to beat. His output was of excellent quality, and he had little enough reward for it in his relatively short lifetime.
 
The last book is a bit of a let down, Titus Alone is almost science fiction in nature and not really anything like the previous two novels.
Titus Alone is indeed a very different novel from the two earlier books, not least in part due to Peake's deteriorating mental and physical state. Peake developed Parkinson's in the mid-late 1950s, and this - coupled with at least one severe mental breakdown - certainly had an impact on the structure and confused feel of Titus Alone (as did a certain amount of sloppy editing in early editions). It probably also had something to do with the length of the novel, as Peake found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on his work for long periods.

For what it's worth, I think the first two books are marvellous. As previously mentioned, they're somewhat dense in places, but they're also brilliantly crafted and completely engaging. His characters - the machiavellian Steerpike and the terse, rigid traditionalist Flay in particular - are wonderful creations, and I've always found Gormenghast itself to be one of the best pieces of world-building in modern literature.

Oh, and I quite like the novels. Just in case you hadn't guessed.:D:p
 
The publication I have of all three novels was released in 1995. The Titus Alone title shows as being copyrighted originally in 1959 and then again by the family estate in 1970. Do you think that would have any bearing on which version this represents, i.e., early or revised?
 
I don't believe that's the revised (or, rather, corrected, returning to Peake's original intent) version, as (iirc) that wasn't released until the 1980s (I have both versions). In either case, it's a distinctly different sort of book from the previous two -- but these weren't intended as the only books about Titus. He originally envisioned more, as I understand it, and it was only his illness and death which prevented him from developing that. Even with its flaws, Titus Alone is often a fascinating book, and I'd put Muzzlehatch right up there with some of Peake's greatest characters....

One thing about the style in the first two books: Gormenghast itself is such a massive place, it is nearly a planet of its own; it is also rooted (one might well say petrified) in tradition, and the sheer weight of the place distorts and mangles the characters -- something the style drives home magnificently, as reading this book, one feels Gormenghast as something almost as solid and substantial as it is to the characters themselves.

For those used to fast-paced stories with plenty of action, these books are not likely to please. But for anyone who savors prose at its best, a magnificent and quirky imagination, and sheer brilliance of vision, these are definitely a must!
 
Let me also recommend...

Letters From A Lost Uncle
Peake's Progress - Writings and drawings.
 
If you've got patience, you'll love the Gormenghast books.

Gormenghast castle is one of my all-time favorite locations in all of sf/f literature. Hell, in all of fiction, period.

Settle into Peake when you have time to read it slowly and absorb it. I'd be surprised if you don't come away very pleased and moved, with some absolutely unforgettable new literary memories.
 
I have read the first book and am planning to get around to reading the others soon, I found his style slow ponderous but utterly absorbing, I found I had to be in the mood but when I was it transported me to a world of great darkness and beauty. He describes things in great detail but those descriptions are quite fascinating.

A re read soon, I think.
 
My to-be-read pile has definitely gotten out of hand. But I will be adding this omnibus trio to those set aside for the winter, when I can likely commit some uninterrupted time to it. Thanks for all the comments.

Of course, I may have to watch the BBC films also.;)
 
Peake is a very strange author: his characters are a little like Dickens' in places, the setting is full-on gothic and much of the prose veers towards free poetry. However, unlike much fantasy his work is character-driven (Steerpike's character) and he is able to move from horror to comedy fluidly. I would also warn that there are no monsters or other Tolkeinesque fantasy creatures, and no armies depicted. The people are so grotesque monsters aren't needed!

A good comparison might be to say that it's a bit like intrigue in the Imperial Palace in Dune. Personally, I think his eye for detail and character is far in advance of Tolkein's, but they are two writers doing completely different things. Gormenghast castle is a world in itself.

Re the third book: this is effectively notes for a larger work Peake was unable to do. It seems there were plans to create a number of other stories - only one, Boy In Darkness, exists (and does have monsters, perhaps hinting at a nuclear war). A chap called Langdon Jones edited the later edition, which I'm told is the better one.
 
If you put in the time and energy and stay the course, Peake is absolutely riveting. His prose is compelling, and the imagery second to none.

As many have said, Titus Alone is not quite on the same level, unfortunately.

I have never seen the BBC adaptation, but given the longevity of the images in his books I have always thought that a decent screen adaptation could be stupendous. Note the 'could' - I don't actually want it to happen, as the chances of it being as good as it could be are probably in the region of a million to one.

So, read, savour, and enjoy!

:)
 
I have never seen the BBC adaptation, but given the longevity of the images in his books I have always thought that a decent screen adaptation could be stupendous. Note the 'could' - I don't actually want it to happen, as the chances of it being as good as it could be are probably in the region of a million to one.

A fair bet. I have to confess that I got the BBC production via Netflix and watched it a couple of days ago. I don't feel I have spoiled the potential read because I pretty much knew what was going to develop, story-wise, from reading all the blurbs about it online.

I have to say that I can only imagine that the books will be much better. The characterizations on the screen seemed two-dimensional and somewhat overwrought. The only portrayals that I thought might be what the author had in mind were the twin sisters. I could be totally wrong, but the thoughts expressed on this thread give me hope that the actual reading will be quite rewarding by contrast.
 
The characterizations on the screen seemed two-dimensional and somewhat overwrought.
I agree. They seemed to have confused "grotesque" with "pantomime". That said, I can understand the changes they made: in its original form Gormenghast is a book that wouldn't appeal to a lot of people, and many of its characters don't quite fit the roles they would seem to have in a written-for-TV show. I can see why they changed Steerpike from a villain to a flawed hero, although it's wrong (and I think the guy who plays him is terrible). It would work better as an animation.

I did think they got Gertrude about spot on, though.
 
I didn't watch the adaptation as, for me, it's one of those works best carried in your imagination. Several decades ago I did my 6th Year English dissertation on 'Symbolism In Mervyn Peake' - being exposed to his work at an impressionable age probably explains a lot!

The first two books in the trilogy are Gothic novels, the third is indicative of his mental state at the time and should be taken in isolation.

And Steerpike is a bad ******* from the get-go.
 
I've never watched the adaptations. I did start reading the second book trilogy a while back but was advised to read in order. Have to say its one of those books that lets your imagination run riot. The castle, the tree etc I don't feel film or TV could picture them to my vision. Steerpike I took a dislike to from the beginning.
 

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