Synopses & Reviews
The profoundly creative works of Mervyn Peake have fascinated readers for decades. His
Gormenghast sequence of novels, recently serialized to great acclaim by the BBC, stands as one of the great imaginative accomplishments of twentieth-century literature.
In The Voice of the Heart, G. Peter Winnington, the worlds foremost expert on Peake, explores his subjects well-known fiction alongside the poetry, plays, and illustrations for which Peake is equally lauded. He traces recurrent motifs through Peakes works and examines in detail his long-neglected play, The Wit to Woo. Through close readings of all these elements of Peakes oeuvre, Winnington ultimately offers unparalleled insight into one of British literatures most vibrant imaginations.
Synopsis
The works of Mervyn Peake have fascinated readers for sixty years. His Gormenghast sequence of novels - recently serialized to great acclaim by the BBC - stands as one of the great imaginative accomplishments of twentieth-century literature. In The Voice of the Heart, G. Peter Winnington, the world's foremost expert on Peake, sets his subject's fiction in context with the poetry, plays and book illustrations which are less well known. He traces recurrent motifs through Peake's works (islands, animals, and loneliness, for example) and explores in detail Peake's long-neglected play, The Wit to Woo. Through close readings of all these elements of Peake's oeuvre, Winnington is ultimately able to offer unparalleled insight into one of British literature's most vibrant imaginations.
About the Author
G. Peter Winnington teaches English at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. He is the editor of the journal Peake Studies and the author of Vast Alchemies: The Life and Work of Mervyn Peake.