Mervyn Peake: The Man and His Art - Softcover

Handsome, respectful and well organized, this book presents its complex subject in a forthright, affectionate manner, detailing Peake's childhood; his development as an artist, illustrator and writer; his domestic life; his service during WW2; the writing of many works, including the Gormenghast trilogy, followed by his tragic illness - later diagnosed as Parkinson's disease - and, after much suffering, his early death. Peake's unrestrained imagination has influenced a generation of writers. Perhaps with this book, his influence on artists will become equally profound.' --Locus Magazine

Ignored for decades, the twisted genius of Mervyn Peake is finally getting the attention it deserves --JOEL MEADOWS - Time

I was looking for something else on the library shelf and suddenly our eyes met, from across the empty aisle. Then I was clutching in my arms the most wonderful book in the world: 'Mervyn Peake: The Man and Hist Art.'...The text is fascinating. I didn't know Peake was born to missionary parents in China. Peake plus 'Treasure Island' adds up to one of my favourite books. --John Holbo: The Verve

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.