Guilty: The Lost Classic Novel (Peter Owen Modern Classics) [Paperback]

Anna Kavan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Peter Owen Modern Classics | Publication Date: January 28, 2008

British author Kavan (1901-1968) plays with the confusion of reality and unreality in this understated posthumous novel set in a nebulous time and place. When Mark, the somewhat unstable and unreliable narrator, is young, his war-hero father treasonously converts to pacifism and is forced to abandon him. Further isolated by a gradual separation and distancing from his mother, Mark is fully cast adrift by his parents' deaths, for which he blames himself, in an enemy bombing during his last year at boarding school. The similarities between Kavan's work (Ice) and Kafka's quickly become evident when Mark, now an adult, must contend with a hostile and uresponsive government bureaucracy. He's also torn between the powerful and mysterious Mr. Spector, whom he sees as both protector and nemesis, and the enigmatic love interest, Carla, who remains tantalizingly near but remote. Kavan's ability to penetrate psychological tangles with startling acuity is in full force in this powerful journey conducted by a very troubled mind."" -Publishers Weekly 11/12/07 ""Guilty is one of Kavan's best works."" --Rain Taxi

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British author Kavan (1901–1968) plays with the confusion of reality and unreality in this understated posthumous novel set in a nebulous time and place. When Mark, the somewhat unstable and unreliable narrator, is young, his war-hero father treasonously converts to pacifism and is forced to abandon him. Further isolated by a gradual separation and distancing from his mother, Mark is fully cast adrift by his parents' deaths, for which he blames himself, in an enemy bombing during his last year at boarding school. The similarities between Kavan's work (Ice) and Kafka's quickly become evident when Mark, now an adult, must contend with a hostile and unresponsive government bureaucracy. He's also torn between the powerful and mysterious Mr. Spector, whom he sees as both protector and nemesis, and the enigmatic love interest, Carla, who remains tantalizingly near but remote. Kavan's ability to penetrate psychological tangles with startling acuity is in full force in this powerful journey conducted by a very troubled mind. (Jan.)
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About the Author

Anna Kavan was one of the greatest unsung enigmas in 20th-century British literature. Born Helen Ferguson, a fraught childhood and two failed marriages led her to change her name to that of one of her characters. Despite struggling with mental illness and heroin addiction for most of her life, she was still able to write fiction that was as powerful and memorable as any English female writer of the last 150 years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 189 pages
• Publisher: Peter Owen Ltd (January 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 072061287X
• ISBN-13: 978-0720612875
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,177,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Guilty is a Pleasure, June 15, 2008

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D. Glasser (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Guilty: The Lost Classic Novel (Peter Owen Modern Classics) (Paperback)

I was so very pleased to learn that this book had been published. I bought it as soon as I found out. I absolutely love Anna Kavan's darkly beautiful use of language, and Guilty did not disappoint. I already own close to a dozen of her books so this one felt very familiar; with her ever present large automobiles, stifling bureaucracies, ice-cold relationships, etc. A wonderful addition my collection. Thank you Peter Owen.