Vast Alchemies: The Life and Work of Mervyn Peake

This biography is the result of twenty-five years' research into Peake by one of the world's best authorities. It follows Peake, the son of missionary parents, from China to art school in London and to an artist's colony in the Channel Islands. It covers in detail his time in the army during the Second World War, a stressful period which coincided with his writing of Titus Groan; the huge influence that his visit to the concentration camp at Belsen had on his work; and the next ten years of his life, which were without doubt his most productive. Winnington examines all of Peake's work -- the novels, poems, the illustrations, and the plays -- and emphasizes his struggle with poverty, ill health, and his premature death. Vast Alchemies draws heavily on the writings and reminiscences of those who knew Peake, as well as Peake's correspondence with his publishers, and includes many never-before published photographs.