Breakfast in the Ruins

Karl Glogauer

by Michael Moorcock

Breakfast in the Ruins: A Novel of Inhumanity mixes historical & speculative fiction. It was 1st published in the UK by the New English Library. The novel centres on Karl Glogauer, the protagonist of Moorcock's Nebula Award winning novella, Behold the Man, his homosexual exploits with an unnamed man from Nigeria, & his fantasies of the past & lives he could have led.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Time Travel, Science Fiction Fantasy

172 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Michael John Moorcock is an English writer primarily of science fiction and fantasy who has also published a number of literary novels.

Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1956, at the age of sixteen, and later moved on to edit Sexton Blake Library. As editor of the controversial British science fiction magazine New Worlds, from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States. His serialization of Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron was notorious for causing British MPs to condemn in Parliament the Arts Council's funding of the magazine.

During this time, he occasionally wrote under the pseudonym of "James Colvin," a "house pseudonym" used by other critics on New Worlds. A spoof obituary of Colvin appeared in New Worlds #197 (January 1970), written by "William Barclay" (another Moorcock pseudonym). Moorcock, indeed, makes much use of the initials "JC", and not entirely coincidentally these are also the initials of Jesus Christ, the subject of his 1967 Nebula award-winning novella Behold the Man, which tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a time-traveller who takes on the role of Christ. They are also the initials of various "Eternal Champion" Moorcock characters such as Jerry Cornelius, Jerry Cornell and Jherek Carnelian. In more recent years, Moorcock has taken to using "Warwick Colvin, Jr." as yet another pseudonym, particularly in his Second Ether fiction.

Reviews

[mark monday · Rating 3 out of 5]

an extravagantly, outrageously depressing experience. the novel is experimental in form. nearly each of its 19 short chapters is structured like so:

- Karl Glogauer and a Nigerian he has met talk ambiguously with each other, in between bouts of gay sex.
- that is followed by a short story, or more precisely, a vignette featuring an incarnation of Karl. his identity varies, but he is essentially either oppressed or an oppressor; for example, a prisoner in a concentration camp, or a child refugee, or a murderous anarchist, or a slaughter-happy soldier in the Vietnam War. sometimes he is killed, other times he kills. each story is beautifully written; each is an illustration of the tragedy and pointlessness of life. the stories may either be empathetic or cynical, but they are always, inevitably, nihilistic. ruins indeed!
- then follows more dialogue between mercurial Karl and the mysterious Nigerian
- and finally a scenario posed as the question "What Would You Do?" these scenarios are a Morton's Fork, a false dilemma. they are cruel questions along the lines of You have three children and must choose one of them to die. Which would you choose?

this formula repeats itself across 17 of Karl's lives. the opening and closing chapters differ from the formula in that they detail the meeting and parting of Karl and the Nigerian. the latter may be an incarnation of Moorcock's Eternal Champion. or not! who knows? this is Moorcock at his most impenetrable. by the end of the book, white Karl is now black and the black Nigerian is now white. I think? maybe. who knows? this is Moorcock at his most provocative.

I don't particularly enjoy being provoked, so I didn't particularly enjoy the chapters and interludes focusing on Karl and his new weekend hookup buddy. but those 17 stories were very impressive. the compassion and the cruelty on display was often breathtaking. I'd read this book again if only to reread those 17 lives. what was their purpose though? to provide a portrait of humanity's many failings? to point an angry, accusing finger at humans - the tragic architects of their own despair? perhaps! I don't love that though.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breakfast in the Ruins is one of Moorcock's least accessible or comprehensible books. It was rather shocking when it appeared for its depiction of an ongoing homosexual relationship and later cannibalism, so the story itself tended to be overlooked as a secondary consideration by the critics of the time. The main character is Karl Glogauer (Carl on the cover flap, leading one to wonder how carefully the publisher studied the manuscript), who was previously in Behold the Man, though the time travel in this one appears to be imaginary... or something. Some of the other multiverse characters appear as well, though we can't be sure what version of them appear, or even in what context. Each of the eighteen segments is followed by a "What Would You Do?' page, an attempt to more fully engage the reader in which a tense and difficult situation is described and the reader is tasked with answering the question. It does have some interesting parts, particularly for Moorcock enthusiasts (for example there's an "introduction" which simply states that Michael Moorcock died last year and we don't know the current whereabouts of Karl Glogauer), but I can't believe it can simply be enjoyed as a normal novel entertainment. This is an odd volume, even for Moorcock.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I kept waiting for this book to make sense, but it never did.

[Erik Graff · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is sort of a sequel to a much more successful novel, Behold the Man, as it has the same protagonist and involves time travel--though here only in the imagination. One gets the impression that Moorcock was fed up with humanity and put these vignettes together to vent his spleen.

[Multiple Galerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been starting to read this over and over again since about 1985 but get distracted by some or other idea that the text brings up and end up losing my place. If publishers would restore the practice of including a bookmark ribbon this would never have happened.

[Amie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breakfast in the Ruins was a quirky and bizarre read, but I really enjoyed it. Moorcock weaves a clever, shifting narrative that blends past, present, and imagined lives into something strange yet thoughtful. It follows Karl Glogauer as he experiences multiple versions of himself across history, each life reflecting different forms of human cruelty and survival. The structure is unconventional, but it works—offering sharp commentary on violence, identity, and fate. Definitely a weird but clever book!

[Chiefdonkey Bradey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incendiary Moorcock

[iambehindu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Admittedly, I was a bit bewildered about where to start with Moorcock, so I grabbed this standalone novel off the shelf. The goal here was simply to get a taste of Moorcock’s prose before attempting to tackle his Eternal Champion universe.

Breakfast in the Ruins is a fractured storyline in which a continuous series of reincarnations propel Karl Glogauer (who also appears in Behold the Man) through the most unsavory corners of world history, predominantly focused on the 20th century.

It’s probably unfair to judge this as a traditional novel, as it feels more like a series of vignettes or slices of life that turbulently fold in and out of one decade to the next. Furthermore, it doesn’t seem like the strongest basis to judge Moorcock’s prowess as a writer. That said, the longest entry in the novel, entitled “London Sewing Circle: 1905,” is fantastically realized. It’s a deeply upsetting tale of wartime, centering on a young boy aiming to collect money for his family. It’s undoubtedly the high point of the novel and the most immersive. In hindsight, just read that story and move on.

Overall, it’s not clear what the book is trying to say, and the fractured correspondence between Karl and his lover is difficult to pin down.

If you’re not a fan of short stories, I’d pass on this one.

[Jon Padgett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a new favourite book.

I first encountered this novel as a 12 year old. I had just read my first Moorcock novel (Elric of Melnibone) courtesy of the school library. It had been deemed too adult and was languishing in the 6th Form library, but being a librarian had some advantages. I was captivated by its doom laden sword & sorcery tale so I eagerly looked for more. In the town library I found a hard back copy of Breakfast In The Ruins. Expecting more fantasy & demon swords I bounced off the novel hard. Even today I'm not sure what this is about, but its definitely NOT fantasy.

Now, almost 40 years later, I have finally attempted to read it again. This time something clicked and it all fell into place. I've been a fan of Moorcocks ever since I first read Elric. He has his pulp books (Corum, Elric). He has his Literary books (Condition of Muzak, Mother London). Then there is this study of inhumanity set amongst some of the more dangerous hotspots of the last 150 years. This is his best work.

[Isabel (kittiwake) · Rating 3 out of 5]

In different places and times, we are shown scenes from the life of various incarnations of Karl Glogauer, citizen of the multiverse, growing up in a harsh world. Always at least partially of German Jewish origin, he usually finds himself in the midst of war or revolution. These scenes are linked by the story of an adult Karl in London in 1971 and there are also moral dilemmas (of the Sophie's Choice variety) at the end of each section, which I suppose are meant to make the reader think more carefully about the dilemmas Karl faces in his life/lives.

Karl Glogauer is the protagonist of another Moorcock book, "Behold the Man", which I preferred. I found Breakfast in the Ruins was interesting rather than enjoyable. It is not a book to read if you are feeling down; death stalks Karl throughout the multiverse.

[James Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breakfast in the Ruins: A Novel of Inhumanity is a work of historical and speculative fiction. The novel centres on Karl Glogauer, who is also the protagonist of Moorcock's Nebula Award winning novella, Behold the Man, It concerns his homosexual exploits with an unnamed man from Nigeria, and his fantasies of the past and lives that he could have led.
The novel is divided into nineteen chapters, the first of which is set in the 'present' (1971), the next seventeen spaced out at roughly ten year intervals from 1871 through to 1990, with the last chapter set once again in the present. The chapters begin and end in the present, with a short scene involving Glogauer and the man, which vary from philosophical discussion to sex involving dominance and submission. It is unusual but intriguing and further evidence of the wonderful imagination of Michael Moorcock.

[MichaelK · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of often grizzly and depressing historical vignettes featuring alternate versions of Karl Glogauer (the protagonist of Behold the Man) across time and place, interspersed with a frame narrative about a 1970s Karl Glogauer having a night of sexual adventure with a Nigerian businessman and undergoing a transformative experience.

Bit different.

[Clive Wheeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less a novel and more a series of short stories or vignettes linked by a one night stand that takes its participants through a range of experiences and emotions. The vignettes place the same character in different locations and times that are all linked by the danger and inhumanity enacted during this time and at this place.

I think Michael Moorcock is asking the reader to acknowledge the darker side of humanity and then to challenge it. This thinking is encouraged by the thought experiments under the title What Would You Do?

[Gareth Farrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this one of the more obscure stories my Micheal Moorcock. Having read most of his works and enjoyed them all, this is a kind of an exception. I felt like I was reading it just to complete a collection. It wasn't that enjoyable. Thankfully the story was short which is typical of this author. Saying all that I did think it was very well written and it did make me think. So decent enough but most certainly not near the best Moorcock can offer.

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

A ‘sequel’ to Behold the Man.

Barely coherent. Plot missing, presumed dead. Presumably Moorcock wrote it whilst stoned out of his gourd. At the end of the nonsensical gibberish that this novel consists of there was a further reading section so you can read a load of stuff to interpret the book and understand what was going on, which is the ultimate sign that the entire shebang is so far up itself that it’s not worth bothering. Don’t waste your time.

[Stuart Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I didn't enjoy this as much as a lot Moorcock's other books I still have a certain fondness for it in that it showed me that a writer from a commercial background could still produce challenging work.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another New Wave Moorcock book that I liked more than I expected to. The individual vignettes in this book are powerful early on, though they get to be a bit rudimentary as the book progresses. The conflict between innocence and victimhood is what makes the book particularly intriguing.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like a lot of people, I had read Moorcock's Behold the Man and was interested in more with Karl Glogauer. Unfortunately, this story seems only the slightest bit related. Like, maybe that the main character has the same name as that other one.
This Karl Glogauer encounters and enters into a sexual escapade with an African visitor to England. During the course of their liaison, Karl imagines himself as many different people living in the midst of important historical events. Each vignette is told in italics between descriptions of the present-day action.
I....kind of didn't get it? I didn't really see a thread or theme running through the stories. The ending was completely mystifying. I'm no prude, but some of the sexual stuff wasn't pleasant to read about. There also seemed to be an unseemly racial undercurrent that also didn't come off as particularly thematic or edifying. This was really disappointing after the total brilliance of Behold the Man. Seriously, read that twice, and skip this entirely.

[David Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Experimental, and somewhat confusing, as our white protagonist has a homosexual encounter in the present (1971) with a Nigerian, lives out 18 imagined (?) lives in the past, and gradually trades places, or races, with his partner. Even if I didn't entirely understand it, it was never less than interesting.

[Roland COMTE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very bizarre book by a strange novelist. This is not science-fiction no fantasy but a curious and mainly harsh serie of uchronic short stories. I liked and disliked... But I must recognize it's an interesting piece of literature.

[Ben Shakey · Rating 3 out of 5]

WTF !?!

[Arthur B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although not as immediately gripping as the other Karl Glogauer novel (Behold the Man), this remains an interesting character study of a man who's not so much a flawed hero as he is a could-have-been-flawed-hero, had he but the moral fibre to step up and act like one. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/201...

[Keith]

I removed the following rambling, spoiler-laced review from the default description of this work where it did not belong. I retain it here for the record; the words are not mine, and the author is perfectly welcome to repost them as their own review.


The novel is divided into 19 chapters, the 1st of which is set in '71, the next 17 spaced out at roughly ten year intervals from 1871 thru 1990, with the last chapter set once again in '71. The chapters begin & end in '71, with a short scene involving Glogauer & the man, which vary from philosophical discussion to sex involving dominance & submission. The chapters are each also followed, except for the 19th, by a short section entitled What would you do?, which presents sadistic choices, a Morton's Fork, such as:
“You have three children.
One is eight years old. A girl.
One is six years old. A girl.
One is a few months old. A boy.
You are told that you can save any two of them from death, but not all three. You are given five-minutes to choose. Which one would you sacrifice?"
The novel begins in London, with Karl Glogauer going thru Kensington to the Derry & Tom's Roof Gardens. On a bench in the Spanish Gardens, he fantasises about the past, trying to put "his mother, his childhood as it actually was, the failure of his ambitions" out of his head with ideals of Regency-era London politics, gambling, women & duelling.
His imaginings are interrupted by a "deep, slightly hesitant, husky" voice, a "Good afternoon" from a dark-skinned man who's never named. He asks if he may join Glogauer on the bench, then goes on to explain he's merely visiting, & that he hadn't expected to find such a place in the middle of London. Glogauer wrongly assumes him to be a rich American tourist, annoyed to have been disturbed from his reverie.
The man then asks Glogauer if he may photograph him. Flattered, he assents. Doing so, the man explains he's from Nigeria, attempting to convince the UK government to buy copper at a higher price. Glogauer says he's an illustrator. The man then invites Glogauer to have tea, & Glogauer, feeling guilty, &, despite recalling his mother's words to not have anything to do with people who make you feel guilty, agrees.
After journeying thru the Tudor & Woodland gardens, they dine at the restaurant. During the meal, Glogauer attempts to introduce himself. The man doesn't respond, merely offering Glogauer a sugar bowl. He then asks Glogauer to "come back with me", to which Glogauer agrees.
The 2nd chapter, introducing a format followed by subsequent chapters, excluding the last, begins, in italics, with a short scene in the man's hotel suite. Glogauer has disrobed & lies naked on the bed. The man touches his head, then his shoulders. Glogauer closes his eyes, blocking reality out, & begins a fantasy, similar to that interrupted by the man earlier. The ending of the chapter is also another scene, in italics, set in the present.

[Stephen Gracia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A follow up, of sorts, to Behold the Man, Breakfast in the Ruins, focuses on the past lives of protagonist Karl Glogauer. It certainly doesn't equal Behold the Man, but it is excellent speculative fiction in its own right.

[The P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shocking to tears, to say the least. I thought to detect some mashup technique; a mixture of historical horrors, distress triggers and taboo breakers, dexterously weaved. Definitely would like to read much more of him.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bought used from a local bookstore due to interesting premise and cover. Turns out only the framing story of the one night stand was actually interesting. The vignettes would have been good, but they neither increased in intensity or relevance as they went on, making them more and more of a chore.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The entire text is available for free at RevolutionSF.
Link: [http://www.revolutionsf.com/article.h...]

[Joe Stamber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Features the same character as "Behold the Man", but not as good.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like a historical fiction version of If on a Winter's Night, a Traveler, but not really.