Mervyn Peake: The Man and his Art

by Sebastian Peake, G. Peter Winnington (Editor), Alison Eldred (Compiler)

In this highly illustrated new paperback edition, Peake's son Sebastian Peake has collaborated with Alison Eldred and G. Peter Winnington, author of an highly acclaimed biography of Mervyn Peake, to compile a stunning collection of illustrations, paintings, photographs, letters, notebook pages and other material much of which has never been published to produce a unique memoir of the artist s life and work. Contributors who discuss various aspects of his literary and visual output include the writers Michael Moorcock and Joanne Harris, Langdon Jones, editor of Titus Alone, artists John Howe and Chris Riddell, David Glass and John Constable, creators of the stage version of the Gormenghast trilogy, and Estelle Daniels, producer of the BBC dramatization. The book includes sections on Peake's upbringing as the son of a missionary in China, his development as an illustrator, artist and writer, marriage and fatherhood, his wartime experiences, creation of the Titus trilogy, Mr Pye and other literary works, and his tragic decline as illness overcame him, resulting in early death.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Biography

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2006

Reviews

[Cecily · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful, lavishly illustrated, insight into Peake and his works.

Despite the title, it is almost as much about Peake's words as his life and art, though all seen in relation to his art; as Anthony Burgess said, Peake's novels are "aggressively three dimensional", so it's a good pairing. The book is split into themes, which are largely chronological, and each is written by someone who closely identifies with that theme.

John Howe sums up the man's works brilliantly:

"Few other modern authors have opened up such a kingdom to wander in. Few authors have painted in such a vivid landscape, and fewer still have created a genre that they alone occupy. Peake paints in words... There are no words that are right to describe Peake's words; only images will do."

China

I already knew that Peake lived in China till he was twelve, and it's easy to see Chinese influences in Gormenghast, but I hadn't realised that his missionary doctor father had visited the Forbidden City shortly after Pu Yi's abdication and written about that and life in China more generally, complete with photos. It is also delightful to see some of Peake's own earliest published writings and illustrations. Michael Moorcock points out that from childhood, Peake was fascinated by ritual, but also suspicious of it.

Family

It also covers Peake's family (Maeve and children), time in Sark, teaching art, as an illustrator and war artist, as a writer and includes details and photos of a stage adaptation and storyboards from the TV series. It ends by discussing "Titus Alone" and how, contrary to popular perception, the inconsistencies and quirks of the originally published version were more to do with poor editing than Peake's Parkinson's disease.

Beautiful Grotesques

A common theme is the boundary between beauty and grotesque. Michael Moorcock says that in Titus Alone "Mervyn was confronting and trying to reconcile his faith in human goodness with his personal experience of grotesque and brutal human evil" (in Belsen) and G Peter Winnington says that "what makes his work so special is his intense awareness of the borderline between beauty and ugliness".

Peake’s Importance

The book makes a strong case for the importance of Peake as an artist and a writer. As an author, Joanne Harris is particularly insightful about his writing. She accepts that the Gormenghast books have a fantastic element, but points out that there is no trace of the supernatural and that they are "imbued with a profound sense of realism. Some of this comes from the hallucinatory attention that Peake gives the smallest details." She also explains how the Gormenghast books appeal across a wide range of ages: teens loving the detail and rebellion, while older readers see parallels with Jung and Kafka, and parents have another angle again.

A more surpising fan was Elizabeth Bowen (another favourite author of mine, but very different from Peake). But the beauty of the book and its contents are Peake's strongest advocate.

All My Peake Reviews

All my Peake/Gormenghast reviews (including biographies/memoirs and books about his art) are on a shelf,
HERE.

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of the life and work of Mervyn Peake with plenty of his illustrations and writing throughout.

[Eric Orchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful exploration of Peake's work in illustration,novels,play writing and poetry as well others interpretations of his work.Very generously illustrated with some amazing war time art I'd never seen before which recalled Kathe Kollewitz for me. His Alice in Wonderland illustrations are a revelation, just beautiful.The one major flaw of this book is it's defensive tone, I felt like the writers were trying to sell Peake to me.

[Domhnall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully and lavishly illustrated with images of Peake's work over his lifetime, a series of short, readable and often pleasing discussions of his biography, his writing and his development as a visual artist provide a lot of insight and I think successfully add to our enjoyment and appreciation of the work itself. Certainly, for the Gormenghast Trilogy it does help to be aware of a childhood in China with missionary parents, military service in Germany at the end of WW2 including the opening of Belsen concentration camp, and the impact of Parkinson's Disease - and the horrible medical treatments of the time - in the writing of Titus Alone. But is no less the case that his drawings and illustrations on diverse material from Bleak House to Treasure Island can be examined far more intently and with more delight after addressing the technique employed to make these startling images. (As an aside, I can confirm from my own stumbling learning process that Peake's 19 page guide to drawing technique is in some ways sufficient guidance for at least a full year's tuition.) This book has persuaded me to respect Mervyn Peake as a far more substantial figure than I had previously appreciated and so, I am sure, it serves its intended purpose to perfection.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is a wonderful overview of the life and work of Mervyn Peake, richly illustrated with a large sampling of his paintings and drawings. Given that his lasting reputation is built on the Gormenghast novels, there is plenty of relevant material herein, but the book really does consider his career as a whole, and shines a light on much significant work that is not nearly as well known as his most famous creation.

This book is not really a good place to start for someone that is new to Peake's work (for that, proceed directly to Titus Groan), but for someone who has already fallen under Peake's spell, this beautiful volume really helps to build out the picture of the complete artist.

[aegruam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars because much of the writing done in this book is lackluster, but it was enlightening and seeing so many new illustrations by such a talented individual as Mervyn Peake was a lovely experience. I am in awe of the man, and I am in awe of Maeve Gilmore. I was a little disappointed that in the section on Maeve, the writer describes her wondrous paintings, particularly those that represent her inner turmoil in the last years of her husband’s life, and yet we do not get to see them. I will have to hunt for those.

Regardless, it gladdens me that Mervyn Peake and his work, both literary and visual, seems to have garnered the respect and praise it always deserved. And that is something to be grateful for.

[Jaiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I was this cool and talented

[Ivan Monckton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb book on the life, art and writing of an enormously gifted and generous man.

[Jukka]

Mervyn Peake: The Man and His Art - compiled by Sebastian Peake and Alison Eldred

Mervyn Peake is a favorite for me. It's really great to see such a wide collection of his graphic art in one place.

The collection of various biographical texts included here are quite good too. Go take a look.

Note to my book club: This book contains an essay by Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat.

[Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you like Peake and you don't have this, buy it for yourself. you know you're worth it.....