Journey to the Border

by Edward Upward

Edward Upward’s acclaimed and partly autobiographical novel – printed here in a newly revised version – was originally published by Leonard and Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press in 1938. It relates the growing disillusionment of a politically-committed tutor who is attached to the household of a philistine and reactionary country gentleman. His revulsion at the behaviour of his employers and their friends leads him to the brink of madness, from which he is saved only by his resolve to contribute to the movement for social revolution. Stephen Spender, in his enthusiastic introduction, applauds Upward’s achievement, describing him as ‘a visionary of wonderful language and extraordinary power.’

Genres: Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1938

About the author

Edward Falaise Upward was a British novelist and short story writer and, prior to his death, was believed to be the UK's oldest living author.

Reviews

[Jordan West · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5; a sort of orthodox Marxist Pilgrim's Progress by way of L. Ron Hubbard's Fear, this reads like the work of a man in the process of Stockholm Syndrome-ing himself; while it contains visionary passages reminiscent of his earlier short stories, these are eventually explained away or dismissed outright, and overall the novel, while rather fascinating as the psychological self-portrait of someone rewiring themselves via ideology, is ultimately a sad reminder of what could have been, the last gasp of a self-sacrificed talent.

[Forest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting existential socialist novel about a young British tutor's day at the horse races. Highly symbolic with many surreal/absurd touches, but also comes dangerously close to being socialist propaganda. Maybe what you would get if you combined Fitzgerald, Joyce and Upton Sinclair? Author was a school friend of Christopher Isherwood and will appeal to fans of Lions and Shadows, in which he appears, though it's about three times as ambitious. worth checking out.

[Chris Sulavik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky, quaint, and a nice window into Marxist minds. Especially intriguing given that it was published by Hogarth Press, founded by Virginia Woolf and her husband Leonard in their house in Richmond on the Thames--which I was lucky enough to visit.

[Saina Tarverdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow comparable to Kafka's works, but the ending was not what I expected. It's simplistic to count it as a socialist propaganda-though some passages do sound like it! I enjoyed this book very much!

[Ingmar Weyland]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Upward
Портрет старейшего английского писателя Эдварда Апворда - https://www.svoboda.org/a/457646.html