Capital

by Maureen Duffy

A lone Londoner maps the city, hearing beneath its surface the urgent whispers of the past. As he listens he grows convinced they are predicting London's future.

Meepers, homeless and dishevelled, yet an enlightened and mystically knowing amateur archeologist, seeks to understand the destruction of London in the Dark Ages, hoping to predict the capital's future. Emery, a university historian, writes to his absent wife as he prepares for the start of term. He once rejected for publication a 'crackpot' article by Meepers, and is alarmed to find he has appeared at his first lecture. And now he seems to be following Emery everywhere he goes.

In a dazzling mixture of contemporary life and period speech, London is illuminated through the voices of Neanderthal man, Saxon kings, anonymous invaders, the flea that spread the Black Death and the transsexual King Elizabeth.

Genres: Fiction, London, Novels

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Maureen Patricia Duffy (born 21 October 1933) is a contemporary British novelist, poet, playwright, nonfiction author and activist.

Duffy's work often uses Freudian ideas and Greek mythology as frameworks.[1] Her writing is distinctive for its use of contrasting voices, or streams of consciousness, often including the perspectives of outsiders. Her novels have been linked to a European tradition of literature which explores reality through the use of language and questioning, rather than through traditional linear narrative.[2] James Joyce in particular, and Modernism in general, are significant influences on her fiction, as is Joyce Cary.[3] "Duffy has inspired many other writers and proved that the English novel need not be realistic and domestic, but can be fantastical, experimental and political."[1] Her writing in all forms is noted for her 'eye for detail and ear for language'[4] and "powerful intense imagery".[5]

Reviews

[S̶e̶a̶n̶ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A homeless WWII veteran named Meepers is obsessed with finding out exactly what happened to London when the Romans left, as he believes this knowledge will predict how the city will survive the future. His connection to a history professor named Emery begins when the professor rejects a paper Meepers submitted to a historical journal Emery edits. The text rotates between sections following Meepers, letters written by Emery to his partner/wife who has departed mysteriously to America, and short interludes describing figures greater and lesser throughout London's history. The lives of Meepers and Emery gradually become more intertwined as the narrative progresses, and the historical interludes move forward through time, inching closer to the present day. The book is kind of a sleeper. I almost abandoned it multiple times but it's a case where just enough mystery lingers on the pages to propel the reader forward. However, the characters and their individual fates ultimately play second fiddle to the greater riddle of London as a historical cipher, slumbering beneath a contemporary veneer of frenetic activity, waiting for someone or something to decode its secrets.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

It drives me UP THE WALL that people (like in the summary blurb) say the historian's name is Emery. Mr. Emery is the head porter, Meeper's boss at the university, and the historian is (I'm sure significantly) unnamed.

This book is so allusive and packed with striking images. I got so much more out of it now than when I last read it five (!?) years ago.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A breathtaking showreel of London’s history, places and people. It took me several pages to grasp the novel’s structure, as the focus alternates between remote historical periods and contemporary lives, those of Meepers and the unnamed university lecturer. Once I got that, each scene came together to give a cyclical view of London’s life, in the manner of Peter Ackroyd’s “London - a biography” - only fictional, and far more succinct.

The historical scenes are brought to life by both real and imagined figures, tracing a timeline that stretches from pre-history, to the post-war migrations into and from London. London itself is the true protagonist, holding everything together, and richly evoked through an exciting, almost stream-of-consciousness writing style.
Some sections race along like a page-turner, while others call for side research and careful re-reading, to unpack Duffy’s erudite references. Either way, it’s a rewarding and worthy read.

Beware of the annoyingly misleading summary blurb, on the Harvill Press edition. As other reviewers have noted, the university lecturer remains unnamed, while Emery is in fact the head porter at the university - a minor character.

Can’t wait to read more Maureen Duffy!

[Janet Bird · Rating 3 out of 5]

My cup of tea for sure, need to read this again.

[Laurane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't really know what to think of it. I liked it, sure, but it was quite hard to understand yet highly immersive. If I had to narrow it to a single word: interesting.