The Art of Mervyn Peake.
Aug. 8th, 2007 11:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sechan19Did Mervyn Peake ever do anything that wasn't just supremely bizarre?
The answer to that question, is no.
For those not in the know, Mervyn Peake was the author of the Gormenghast novels. A trilogy of tales roughly contemporary with J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and considered to be one of the English language's definitive works of imaginative fiction. They are also intensely strange - centering on Castle Gormenghast, its madness-riddled ruling family, and the struggles between the heir to the throne, Titus Groan, and the Machiavellian Steerpike (one of the most brilliant villains in the history of fantasy writing, I believe). The first two novels in the trilogy were made into a stunning mini-series by the BBC for anyone interested in a well-handled "Reader's Digest" style version of the tale.
At any rate, Peake's primary career was that of illustrator, and his work illustrating the The Rime of the Ancient Mariner has just been purchased by the Wordsworth Trust. (Kudos to the Peake family for offering them to the trust at below-market value, thus enabling the institution to keep these works in the public eye.) The seven pieces are whimsical, morose, haunting, and oh-so-peculiar. And who could expect anything less, really?
The answer to that question, is no.
For those not in the know, Mervyn Peake was the author of the Gormenghast novels. A trilogy of tales roughly contemporary with J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and considered to be one of the English language's definitive works of imaginative fiction. They are also intensely strange - centering on Castle Gormenghast, its madness-riddled ruling family, and the struggles between the heir to the throne, Titus Groan, and the Machiavellian Steerpike (one of the most brilliant villains in the history of fantasy writing, I believe). The first two novels in the trilogy were made into a stunning mini-series by the BBC for anyone interested in a well-handled "Reader's Digest" style version of the tale.
At any rate, Peake's primary career was that of illustrator, and his work illustrating the The Rime of the Ancient Mariner has just been purchased by the Wordsworth Trust. (Kudos to the Peake family for offering them to the trust at below-market value, thus enabling the institution to keep these works in the public eye.) The seven pieces are whimsical, morose, haunting, and oh-so-peculiar. And who could expect anything less, really?
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Date: 2007-08-08 08:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-08 09:21 pm (UTC)