Mervyn Peake

G. Peter Winnington (Université de Lausanne)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Gina Lyle (University of York), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

Born 9 Jul 1911
Died 17 Nov 1968
Activity 1936-1968

Places

Born in China
Active in England

Activities

Primary

Illustrator
Novelist
Painter
Poet

Other

Children's/Young Adult writer
Playwright / Dramatist
Story-writer

Resources

Peake's Works

Save to Bookshelf

Today Mervyn Peake’s reputation rests largely on his three novels,

Titus Groan

(1946),

Gormenghast

(1950), and

Titus Alone

(1959) which became widely known after they were published as Penguin Modern Classics in 1968. Prior to that, Peake was known rather for his poems, paintings, drawings, and book illustrations. Specialists still consider the pictures he provided for

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

as one of the most powerful interpretations of the poem, and his

Alice in Wonderland

and

Through the Looking-Glass

as the most memorable illustrated edition. During the 1950s most of Peake’s energy went into playwriting, but only one of his plays reached the London stage.

The younger son of missionary parents who had met and married in China, Peake was born on 9 July 1911 in

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1721 words

Citation: Winnington, G. Peter. "Mervyn Peake". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 February 2003; last revised 21 April 2022. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3515, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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