Boy in Darkness and Other Stories [Paperback]

Mervyn Peake (Author), Sebastian Peake (Editor), Joanne Harris (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2, 2008

A selection of long out-of-print short stories, and never before published illustrations, by one of England's most unique and multi-talented artists. 'Boy in Darkness', the centerpiece of this collection, will be of special interest to fans of the Gormenghast books, as it comprises a chapter in the life of Titus Groan that unfolds beyond the pages of Peake's monumental trilogy. Overwhelmed by the pomp and grueling ritual of life in Gormenghast, Titus braves an escape from his hereditary gaol. Beyond the castle walls, Titus wanders into a sinister and soulless land, where he is captured by the grotesque henchmen of an evil master intent on claiming young Titus's soul. A disturbingly atmospheric tale, told with the force and simplicity of allegory, 'Boy in Darkness' distils the strange logic of the Gormenghast trilogy into a story of pith and mystery, which bears comparison with Kafka and Poe. A treasury of classic literature, highly recommended."" The Midwest Book Review ""This compelling new edition of artist-writer Peake's short fiction is decorated with 40 drawing and paintings in both Peake's principal manners: gorgeously romantic...and grotesquely energetic...Does anybody else write like this and so well?"" --Booklist

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This compelling new edition of artist-writer Peake’s short fiction is decorated with 40 drawings and paintings in both Peake’s principal manners: gorgeously romantic, as in the figureless landscapes here, and grotesquely energetic, as in the illustrative figure drawings that fit the stories so well, whether or not conceived to do so. Reproduced in color, even when that color is only that of the paper on which an image is drawn, these add to the body of readily available work by an illustrator of the caliber of Goya, Cruikshank, Tenniel, Daumier, Doré, and Cocteau. Still, don’t just look at the pictures. Read the long title story, in particular, to enjoy one of the most sensuous and mysterious English writers, a fantasist so concerned with color, sound, and light that they become actors in the fiction. Does anybody else write like this and so well? The other five short pieces, though often as much literary essay a la Lamb as story, alloy the burnished strangeness of Peake at his best with subtle, rather dour humor. --Ray Olson

About the Author

Mervyn Peake was the author of The Glassblowers, Gormenghast, The Rhyme of the Flying Bomb, Shapes and Sounds, Titus Alone, and Titus Groan. He was awarded the W. H. Heinemann Foundation Prize by the Royal Society of Literature in 1950.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Peter Owen Ltd (July 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 072061306X
• ISBN-13: 978-0720613063
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,282,533 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A treasury of classic literature, May 4, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boy in Darkness and Other Stories (Paperback)

Boy in Darkness and Other Stories assembles works of fiction by author Mervyn Peake (1911-1968), who is perhaps best known for his trilogy of Titus novels set in the decaying castle of Gormenghast. The novella "Boy in Darkness" was originally conceived during that trilogy, and features an unnamed fourteen-year-old boy, most likely Titus Groan himself, in a dream-like adventure that stretches beyond his rigidly ritualistic home. As he wanders a bleak landscape, he is captured by the malevolent Goat and Hyena, the henchmen of an implacable evil seeking to steal his soul. The five other tales in the anthology are resurrected after being out of print for many years; they range from a grim ghost story to tongue-in-cheek character studies. They are "The Weird Journey", "I Bought a Palm-tree", "The Connoisseurs ", "Danse Macabre", and "Same Time, Same Place". Further enhancing this collection are a selection of original drawings and paintings by the author, most in black-and-white but a very few in color. A treasury of classic literature, highly recommended for personal reading lists as well as public and college library collections.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely prose, but not illustrated stories, September 29, 2010

By 

Dock Miles - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boy in Darkness and Other Stories (Paperback)

It's important to know these are not illustrated versions of the stories. Peake's sketches and dashed-off watercolors have been selected by his relatives to decorate the tales, and these are fine enough, but anyone expecting Peake's precise and graceful rendition of his timeless monster The Lamb, for instance, will be sorely disappointed.