Sunday 14 August 2011

FULLY AWAKE

A copy of the American copy of Maeve Gilmore's Titus Awakes arrives in time for the final episode of The History of Titus Groan (Radio 4, today at 15:00) which brings to a resolution the the double-narrator device that I used in the series and which was inspired by a highly personal episode in Maeve's book.

How and why did it happen that American publishers still manage to market elegantly produced books while, by comparison, their British counterparts look cheap and tawdry?

In the UK you can only get Titus Awakes as a dull-looking paperback; American readers have a hardback printed on quality paper with untrimmed page-edges and a dramatic Peake-illustrated dust-jacket...


Oh, yes, and I get my name on the cover, too!

Anyway back to the radio series: we have been wonderfully feted by the press including the Radio Times which, in its current issue, lists the concluding installment of the serial both in its PICK OF THE WEEK round-up at the front of the magazine and in the MISSED IT? section at the back ("Catch up on the best of recent TV & radio") where it is described as a RADIO GEM:
A triumphant sprawl of a dramatisation , celebrating 100 years since the birth of acute English fantasy novelist Mervyn Peake... Lavishly mounted and delivered with relish by a fine, fine cast including David Warner, Tamsin Greig, Miranda Richardson and Luke Treadaway, the series is available in full on iPlayer, ready to be binged on.
And, finally on this self-aggrandising topic, when you hear a poor unfortunate soul being subjected to some fiendish experiment in the Scientist's 'factory', the agonized scream you hear is a chilling Hitchcockian cameo by Yourstruly – and to prove it, here I am mid-scream...

Brian screaming

Photo: Islay Bell-Webb

6 comments:

SharonM said...

Ooh, you are a scream, Brian!

Chris said...

Once again, thanks for such a fantastic production. I was captivated by every episode. Your productions bring stories to life in such an incredible way. In 'Titus' I felt as if I could imagine every part of the landscape, cities etc as if I were present. I must admit I had not really discovered Peake's amazing works before. What was the island he goes to in the end and who does he meet there? Did Peake have in mind that Titus was somehow passing between dimensions in his travels?

Brian Sibley said...

Sharon – "I scream, you scream, we all scream 'Ice-cream'!"

Chris – When Peake died in 1968, his plans for a cycle of books about Titus was incomplete. The final 15 minutes of the last episode were based on the recently published Titus Awakes, a final volume written by Peake's widow, the late Maeve Gilmore, in the 1970s. You'll find more background on the book here and here. The island, though not named by Maeve Gilmore, is clearly meant to be the Channel Island of Sark where Peake lived and worked for several years. For Maeve, Titus' journey ended in his being united with – becoming one with – his creator, the writer (and artist) Mervyn Peake.

Boll Weavil said...

From a historical perspective,is this information in your blog written down anywhere ? It's all fascinating stuff and really brings the drama to life in a whole new dimension. You should do something with it !

Brian Sibley said...

Of course it's all written down – on the blog!!

BollWeavil said...

I felt the island ending was something akin to Niggle's journey in Tolkien's 'Leaf By Niggle' - a kind of 'farther up and farther in' ending. It left me with that sort of feeling. I was also left with the notion that, personal preferences aside,the whole dramatisation is going to be considered with the same regard as LOTR - I certaily would consider it on equal terms at least.