When the Aurora is torpedoed, all on board must abandon ship. Curtain, a sailor, finds himself stranded in a lifeboat on the open sea. On board with him are four men, one of them an old priest. The differences in the strength and weakness of character of the five men, their relations with one another, and their private thoughts and dreams are explored as the days pass, the water runs low, the priest's health fades, and no sign of rescue appears. James Hanley presents human frailty in the face of the demoralizing power of the sea in this beautifully written, grim masterpiece.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
This little-known but prolific English writer's story of survival on the ocean has resounding spiritual implications. After the explosion of the passenger ship Aurora, five men are left in a tiny boat tossing on the open sea, with only each other and their own longing to keep them company. Curtain, a rugged sailor, focuses his attentions on steering the boat to safety. Gaunt is crazed with misery over the loss of his wife. Stone is a teacher from Somerset, who misses his job and girlfriend. Burton is a younger man, unable to handle the challenges posed by the maelstrom. Petty squabbles among these men keep life on the boat as turbulent as the ocean itself. Hanley describes their inner turmoil through a stream-of-consciousness allowing for a complex interplay of symbols, and with a poetic vocabulary and phrasing combining the passion of Joseph Conrad with the repetitive focus of Gertrude Stein. More than just an adventure tale, the novel traces the shaky path of human survival. The sailors gradually grow weaker and weaker, until the story comes to a mysterious conclusion, both uplifting and subtly ominous. This reissued novel, originally published in 1941, should bring renewed attention to Hanley's work. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"The late James Hanley was in fact a modernist master . . . It would be fitting indeed if the majority of his courageous oeuvre were restored to print before the century that he despaired of and 'sang' so hauntingly has run its course." -- Kirkus Reviews
"There is a richness and depth that reveals the endless subtleties and consistencies of characters and the magic of the private worlds they create." -- The Times Literary Supplement
"There is a richness and depth that reveals the endless subtleties and consistencies of characters and the magic of the private worlds they create." -- The Times Literary Supplement
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