Titus Groan - Paperback

by Mervyn Peake (Author), Anthony Burgess (Introduction by)

Dreamlike, macabre, and richly atmospheric, Mervyn Peake's extraordinary novel Titus Groan--first in the Gormenghast Trilogy--is one of the most astonishing works of gothic and literary fantasy in modern fiction.

As the novel opens, Titus, heir to Lord Sepulchrave, has just been born. He stands to inherit the miles of rambling stone and mortar that form Gormenghast Castle.

Meanwhile, far away and in the kitchen, a servant named Steerpike escapes his drudgework and begins an auspicious ascent to power. Inside Gormenghast Castle, all events are governed by ancient rituals whose origins are lost in time--and the castle is peopled by dark characters in half-lit corridors.

Introduction by Anthony Burgess

Praise for the Gormenghast Trilogy:

"[Peake's books] are actual additions to life; they give, like certain rare dreams, sensations we never had before, and enlarge our conception of the range of possible experience." --C. S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia

"There is nothing in literature like Mervyn Peake's remarkable Gormenghast novels . . . They were crafted by a master, who was also an artist, and they take us to an ancient castle as big as a city, with heroes and villains and people larger than life that are impossible to forget." --Neil Gaiman

"His inventiveness, his ingenuity, and his humor are astonishing." --San Francisco Chronicle

Author Biography

Mervyn Peake (1911-1968) was an English novelist, poet, artist, illustrator, playwright, and designer whose singular imagination made him one of the most influential writers of fantasy literature. Best known for the acclaimed Gormenghast series--Titus Groan, Gormenghast, Titus Alone, and the posthumously completed Titus Awakes--Peake created one of the most richly atmospheric and original worlds in modern fiction. A gifted visual artist as well as a writer, he illustrated many of his own works, bringing a unique depth and detail to his storytelling. Though often compared with other giants of fantasy literature, Peake's blend of gothic imagery, dark humor, poetry, and psychological insight remains entirely his own. His novels continue to inspire generations of readers, artists, and writers around the world.