Under the Volcano (Penguin Modern Classics) (Paperback)

~ Malcolm Lowry (Author), Michael Schmidt (Introduction) "Two mountain chains traverse the republic roughly from north to south, forming between them a number of valleys and plateaux..." (more)
Key Phrases: poor little defenceless, walnut grower, lunar caustic, Calle Nicaragua, Mexico City, Bella Vista (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

It is the Day of the Dead. The fiesta in full swing. In the shadow of Popocatepeti ragged children beg coins to buy skulls made of chocolate...and the ugly pariah dogs roam the streets. Geoffrey Firmin, HM ex-consul, is drowning himself in liquor and Mescal, while his ex-wife and half brother look on powerless to help him. As the day wears on, it becomes apparent that Geoffrey must die. It is his only escape from a world he cannot understand. "Under The Volcano" is one of the century's great undisputed masterpieces.

About the Author

Malcolm Lowry (1909 - 1957) was raised in England and died there but lived much of his troubled life semi-nomadically - in New York, Mexico and British Columbia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (February 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141182253
• ISBN-13: 978-0141182254
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #139,961 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I love hell. I can't wait to get back there.", September 10, 2005

By	Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

Geoffrey Firmin, the former British consul to Mexico, is a prisoner of alcoholism. A victim of the shakes, he hears voices, talks to people who are not there, and hallucinates, though he is often able to hide the extent of his drinking. "True, he might lie down in the street, but he would never reel." On The Day of the Dead in 1938, his recently divorced wife Yvonne returns to Quauhnahuac, over which two smoking volcanoes loom, to try to persuade him to reconcile.

Coincidentally, Geoffrey's half-brother Hugh, with whom Yvonne apparently had a brief affair, also arrives that day, and the three share quarters, each hoping to recapture the past. When they take the bus to Tomalin to a bull-riding event, they see a wounded peasant dying beside the road, the peasant's horse with the number 7 branded on its rump, a tricky pesado, and a group of vigilantes, all of whom play a role in the climax which follows.

Rich with details, both of the external world of Quauhnahuac and the internal world of Geoffrey, the novel, first published in 1947, reflects Lowry's own experiences as an alcoholic. Geoffrey, a fully-rounded character, knows that he must stop drinking in order to function effectively, but he is unable to function at all without drinking. He both loves and despises Yvonne, wants to leave Mexico but wants to stay, and wants to find peace but creates chaos.

As Lowry reconstructs this one day in Geoffrey's life, the Day of the Dead, the pervasive symbolism adds to the feeling of overpowering doom--the smoking volcanoes ready to erupt, the "hideous pariah dog" that follows Geoffrey and Yvonne to the house, a barranca (chasm) which exists beside the house and which contains a dead dog, an Indian carrying "the weight of the past," vultures in the forest, Yvonne's release of an eagle in a cage, and sudden storms. All add weight and intensity to this powerful story of dissolution.

Despite the depressing subject matter and a frustrating main character who cannot or will not help himself during the novel's four hundred pages, the novel is breath-taking--elegant both in language and construction. Carefully plotted, filled with unique imagery, and enhanced by symbolism which brings it alive on new levels, it overwhelms the reader with its impact and approaches classical tragedy as the inevitable, doom-filled events play out. Though the novel includes peripheral political issues of the day--Mexico's instability and the philosophical conflicts between fascism and socialism--it is primarily a variation on the story of the Garden of Eden and the fall of man--full, rich, dense, and rewarding, despite its pervasive sadness. n Mary Whipple

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dense but ultimately rewarding on it's own terms., April 5, 2008

By	J. Kendall (Jarrettsville, MD United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I would like to provide my impressions on "Under the Volcano" as they relate to some of the criticisms I have read in other reviews. I found "Under the Volcano" to be an easier read than either "Moby Dick" or "Ulysses", with less lengthy digressions into the hardcore, cosmic philosophy of the former and less of the jarring transitions and (admirable) nonsense of the latter ( I admit I have yet to finish "Ulysses" despite repeated attempts). The characters in "UtV" were very well rounded and the extensive inner monologues of each made them live and breathe for me. I am not usually enamored of lots and lots of descriptions of settings, architecture, and geography, and "UtV" is literally full of it, but if you can get through it, the landscape that Lowry paints for the reader stays in the one's mind as the novel progresses and creates an immersive experience where one can "see" the action unfolding in this dense and beautiful setting. I have read some reviews that criticized the bleak subject matter, but the story of an addict killing himself with all manner of alcohol is not going to uplifting, is it? Nevertheless, the book had some darkly humorous passages that I really enjoyed;" It was already the longest day in his entire experience; a lifetime; he had already missed the bus, he would have plenty of time for more drinks. If only he were not drunk! The Consul strongly disapproved of this drunkenness." Throughout the novel, the Consul explains very convincingly to both himself and the reader his reasons and excuses for almost every drink; such a searing depiction of a true addict could only have been created by one who was very familiar with the experience of being one. The Consul is as advertised; an extremely well wrought character, both admirable and contemptible. He is the main reason to read and enjoy "UtV" and the main reason I won't forget this novel anytime soon. Recommended reading for those desiring an authentic experience that demands sustained attention from the reader.

5.0 out of 5 stars Under the Volcano (Penguin Modern Classics), September 12, 2009

By	C. Zakaluk "songbird136" (Bronx, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Here is the story of the last day in the life of Geoff, a British consul stationed in Mexico. This day happens to fall on the holiday, the Day of the Dead. Geoff is a raging alcoholic whose estranged wife has decided to come back to give their marriage one last try by inviting him to leave Mexico and start again somewhere else. Against the detailed backdrop of Mexican town, landscape and culture, Geoff, his wife and Geoff's half-brother play out the final hours of this man's tragic life.

Malcolm Lowry's language is remarkably beautiful, despite the subject of extreme dissolution. I found that to be reason enough to read this novel. One can look for Christian parallels in the book, and especially to his final hours on a kind of Calvary at the end. Hell is alluded to quite openly, as well. Some have called this the best depiction of alcoholism ever written. Others have said that this is a thinly-veiled autobiography of Lowry himself, adding to the sense of tragedy.