A Book of Nonsense: The Centenary Edition (Peter Owen Modern Classic) - Softcover

Peake, Mervyn

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151 ratings by Goodreads

9780720613612: A Book of Nonsense: The Centenary Edition (Peter Owen Modern Classic)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0720613612 ISBN 13: 9780720613612

Publisher: Peter Owen Publishers, 2011

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Showcasing another quirky side of the author best known for his monumental fantasy trilogy, Gormenghast, this collection contains pieces recently discovered by the Peake family From the macabre to the brilliantly off-beat, Mervyn Peake's nonsense verse can, like marzipan, be enjoyed by young and old alike. This collection of writings and drawings has been selected by his widow, Maeve Gilmore, and it introduces a bewitching gallery of characters and creatures rivalling the best of Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear—creatures such as the Dwarf of Battersea and Footfruit. Also included are never-before-seen illustrations to the poems not in previous editions. This treasure trove will delight new and old fans alike with its deceptively goofy, actually quite complex verse—it's quirky and comical, occasionally alarming, but always magical.

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About the Author:

Mervyn Peake (1911–1968) was an English modernist writer, artist, poet, and illustrator who is best known for his pioneering Gormenghast series, which have become classics in the literary fantasy genre. He was also a noted illustrator of classic children's books including Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Treasure Island.

Review:

"Peake deserves a place among the eccentrics of the English tradition alongside Sterne, Blake, Lear, Carroll and Belloc." —Times Literary Supplement

"He can try on the strangest clothes without losing his own strange identity . . . a genuinely haunted imagination which stamps everything he wrote or drew." —Guardian

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