Life and Times

[Michael]

A folder for discussions of Peake biographies, and of his life and times in general.

[Cecily]

Maybe, when we have enough fans, we should have a poll?

[Michael]

About which biography members think the best? Yes, a good idea :-)

[Michael]

On pages 49-50 of the edition I'm reading of A World Away: A Memoir of Mervyn Peake, Maeve talks of Mervyn's attendance as a war artist in Germany at the trial of Peter Back. She doesn't relate the nature of Back's crime, nor the verdict given by the jury of eight US Army colonels, but I found this report of the trial, which states that Back, a civilian, shot an unarmed US airman, for which he was sentenced to death for murder.

Mervyn's brief remarks about the trial include that Back's lawyer, while admitting the facts, pleaded mitigation because his client's moral conscience was warped on account of him being disabled, and therefore having to go that much further to prove himself acceptable to the ruling Nazi party. A small, but nonetheless sad and telling example of how ordinary people are corrupted by authoritarian ideology.

[Cecily]

That's a good find.

And I now notice I never commented about Peake bios in general, as this topic was intended. Of those I've read:

Mervyn Peake: My Eyes Mint Gold - A Life: scholarly but readable, including many of Peake's illustrations. 4*

Vast Alchemies: The Life and Work of Mervyn Peake: the most comprehensive of those I've read. 5*.

A World Away: A Memoir of Mervyn Peake: heartbreaking bio from the view of his wife and widow, an artist in her own right. 4*.

Under a Canvas Sky: Living Outside Gormenghast: delightful, turning tragic, by his youngest child, as he became seriously sick when she was only seven. 4*.

A Child Of Bliss: Growing Up With Mervyn Peake: more about Sebastian than his father. 2*.

Mervyn Peake: The Man and His Art: another winning Winnington bio, this one mainly about his art, rather than writing. 5*.

[Michael]

I haven't read "Vast Alchemies" or "Man and His Art", which is a terrible admission. I've not got to "Child of Bliss", either, but I did buy that this summer and will get to it soon(ish).

[Cecily]

If you do, and review it, I'll be interested to read your thoughts.