Gormenghast

[catherine at cator-manor.demon.co.uk]

Yes, it is the self same Stephen Fry.  Gormenghast is based on the 
trilogy by Mervyn Peake.  In order, the books are:
Titus Groan
Gormenghast
Titus Alone

They are basically a kind of Gothic fantasy.  Quite dark, full of 
very strange, eccentric characters, superb descriptions of the 
castle/kingdom.  I have always found Peake's style a little too dense 
and at the same time idiosyncratic for my taste, but don't not read 
it on my recommendation.  For some reason I have always found a 
similarity between the Gormenghast books and Dylan Thomas' Under Milk 
Wood.  Can anyone shed any light on this?

The TV adaptation I thought was excellent - visually very 
imaginative, if a little stylised.

Hope this helps,
Catherine


--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "Denise R." <gypsycaine at y...> wrote:
> Comic actor Stephen Fry (Jeeves and Wooster on ExxonMobil 
Masterpiece
> Theatre), a longtime fan of the novels ("I think they're funny"), 
plays the
> narcoleptic Professor Bellgrove.
> 
> http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/010620/01028427_2.html
> 
> Is this the self-same Stephen who does the audios?
> 
> Btw, I've never heard of Gormenghast before.
> 
> Anyone want to take a stab at a novice's explanation?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Dee
> 
> 
> 
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