Mervyn Peake's Blog

Exhibition of paintings and drawings

A particularly-fine exhibition of Mervyn Peake's work which includes characters from Gormenghast is now on show at the Viktor Wynd Gallery in East London. The exhibition continues until September 2019.

Mervyn Peake, Son of Sark

Stephen Foote has collaborated with Christian Peake and produced the most informative book about Mervyn Peake's life on Sark. It's fascinating to see just how much the island influenced Peake and his work. I'd recommend this book to anyone who's interested in that period of his life - which, of course included much of the writing of Gormenghast. He also lived there in his twenties when he was part of the art collective, The Sark Group.

Copies are available from the publisher, Blue Ormer.

Mervyn Peake, at the British Library

On Friday 2 November the British Library are presenting an evening devoted to Mervyn Peake, celebrating his achievements, fifty years after his death. The panel will include Fabian Peake, Neil Gaiman, Chris Riddell, Liz Jensen and Miranda Richardson. Starting at 7.30, tickets available from 3rd September.

Captain Slaughterboard exhibition

The illustrations for Captain Slaughterboard are to be exhibited at the Kunstmuseum in Luzern. It's a fascinating angle too. Once again, Mervyn Peake was working on ideas before they had become so mainstream..

"The British author and draftsman Mervyn Peake (1911-1968) created a figure with Yellow Creature already in 1939, which in every drawing between woman and man, animal and man 'changiert' and while still faithful above all remains faithful to itself. Yellow Creature is therefore the title for the group exhibition, which focuses on the relationship between gender and genres." 

A new German edition of "Captain Slaughterboard Drops Anchor" will be available from the museum.

The Mervyn Peake Awards

Sebastian Peake worked with Parkinson's UK to set up an annual art and photography competition for people with Parkinson's, the disease which, of course, affected his father's life so tragically. Next year will see the 15th year of the awards, and next month an awards exhibition of all the 2016 entries will be held at the prestigious gallery@oxo on South Bank, London.

Entries for next year's competition are now invited, and more information can be found here.

A new exhibition

Sebastian would have been delighted to know that his father's work was to be hung alongside work by Gunter Grass and Alasdair Gray. And there's just such a show at the Last Tuesday Society now. More information here.

Boy in Darkness

Gareth Murphy's powerful performance at the Blue Elephant Theatre in Camberwell, is an absolute must for any Mervyn Peake fans. He is a truly inspired actor and has scrutinised the story and worked closely with the director, John Walton, to bring it to today's audience. The whole play is utterly absorbing, and every aspect of the production contributes to make this truly compelling.

There's also a fascinating exhibition of Lewis Peake's work in the bar. It's a great combination.

Book tickets here.

"A physical theatre gem." The Stage

(Photographs by Lidia Crisafulli)

Ride a Cock Horse

The British Library have produced a stylish new edition of Mervyn Peake's book of nursery rhymes, Ride a Cock Horse, which was first published in 1940. Who can resist these, for instance? Old King Cole, Rub-a-dub-dub, and Doctor Foster went to Gloucester? It's available direct from the British Library.

Boy in Darkness, at the Blue Elephant Theatre

A Boy wanders into darkness, a land of broken things.There he meets a goat, a hyena and a lamb with diabolical schemes.
The Boy escapes the oppressive Castle of his birthright on his fourteenth birthday. As he ventures into the unknown, his rebellion leads him on a descent to ancient alchemy and present danger. He must call on his wits to escape - or be trapped forever.
Storytelling and physical theatre intertwine in a bold, new stage interpretation of Mervyn Peake's novella 'Boy in Darkness', performed as a solo show by Gareth Murphy. Capturing a chilling adventure in the teenaged years of Titus Groan, hero of the celebrated Gormenghast trilogy, Boy in Darkness is a gothic fairytale underpinned by Peake's rich and powerful language.
The Blue Elephant continues to bring the work of one of the twentieth century's greatest writers to the stage with this original adaptation, following the world stage premieres of Mervyn Peake's plays The Cave and Noah's Ark.
"But it is extraordinary: a howl, an imperfect and painful philosophical struggle, part of a remarkable artist's testament. Honour to the little theatre."Libby Purves, The Times on The Cave
13th March to April 4th, 2015 (Wednesdays and Saturdays)More information from Blue Elephant Theatre

Stuff and Nonsense in Portsmouth

Mervyn Peake's nonsense poetry will form part of an evening comedy performance at Portsmouth's Guildhall tomorrow night, 28th January 2015. This has been organised by Max Olesker and it will be a fund raising event for research into Parkinson's. 
More information on the Guildhall website.