New Gormenghast title in the works

The Gormenghast series, written by Mervyn Peake in the 1940s and '50s, ended when the author died in 1968, leaving behind plans for at least two more novels.
The Telegraph reports that Peake's widow Maeve Gilmore completed an additional Gormenghast title,
Titus Awakes, and Gilmore's family is now planning to get the book published. 

Coming in at 210 pages, the book was apparently based on a page and a half of fragmented notes Peake left to his wife detailing how he might have continued the story. The Peake family discovered the manuscripts in the family home.

The Gormenghast series followes the character of Titus Groan from his birth in a medieval castle to his discovery of a futuristic society of advanced technology. The film was adapted for television in the UK and Australia and has also inspired several stage productions.

Peake's books include Titus Groan (published in 1946), Gormenghast (1950), and  Titus Alone (1959). In 1960, while becoming increasing ill with Parkinson's disease, Peake wrote his notes imagining the story's continuation.

According to The Telegraph, Vintage, which currently publishes the Gormenghast series, and three other publishers are interested in the new title.

If published, Titus Awakes will follow a current trend of posthumous publications. Michael Crichton's final thriller, written by another author based on extensive notes the author kept, is due out in 2010, as are several English translations of works by late Chilean author Roberto Bolaño. The final title in Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy is making its way to US shelves, and David Foster Wallace's unfinished novel The Pale King, which the author was working on at the time of his death, is set to be published in 2011.

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Career Services

Day In a Page

For men only: A pilgrimage to Mount Athos in Greece

For men only: A pilgrimage to Mount Athos

On a secluded peninsula in north-east Greece lies an enclave that's way off the tourist map, especially for women...
48 Hours In: Faro

48 Hours In: Faro

More than just the gateway to the Algarve, this city has much to tempt you off the beach.
Here, the coast is always clear: Celebrating sixty years of Pembrokeshire's National Park

60 years of Pembrokeshire's National Park

Mick Webb reveals a land of puffins, tanks and Hollywood blockbusters.
Free Range: Meet the designers of tomorrow

Free Range

Meet the artists of the future
Feeding a hungry world – or meddling with laws of nature?

Feeding a hungry world – or meddling with laws of nature?

As scientists at Rothamsted's GM trials plead with activists not to sabotage their work, Michael McCarthy visits the battle field
Monkey meat that could be behind the next HIV

Monkey meat that could be behind the next HIV

Deep in Cameroon's rainforests, poachers are killing primates for food. Evan Williams reports from Yokadouma on a practice that could create a pandemic
Catcalls, whistles, groping: just another day for a young woman

Catcalls, whistles, groping: just another day for a young woman

Government urged to take abuse more seriously as London study shows 41 per cent are harassed
Jailing of Maori separatists stirs colonial-era resentment

Jailing of Maori separatists stirs colonial-era resentment

Militant Tuhoe tribe members defiant amid claims race relations had been set back 100 years
Fatal crashes are cyclists' fault, says Boris

Fatal crashes are cyclists' fault, says Boris

Mayor condemned for saying that two-thirds of riders killed on the road were at fault in accidents
Move over Brangelina, this night belongs to Kingston Bagpuize

Move over Brangelina, this night belongs to Kingston Bagpuize

Unlikely community movie beats the stars to get prized Leicester Square premiere
Solved after 33 years? Case of first missing boy shown on milk carton

Solved after 33 years?

Case of first missing boy shown on milk carton
Like mamma used to make: Pizza Pilgrims is proving a word-of mouth sensation

Pizza Pilgrims: Like mamma used to make

A van dispensing purist pizzas is proving a word-of mouth sensation
The supper on its uppers: Why we need to learn to entertain lavishly for less

Supper on its uppers: Entertain lavishly for less

Dinner parties are buckling under the pressures of food snobbery and belt-tightening...
The 10 best summer cookbooks

The 10 best summer cookbooks

From Claudia Roden's The Food of Spain to The Art of Cooking with Vegetables by Alain Passard...
Gorgeous Georgian: Now we can enjoy the cuisine of Russia's fiery neighbour nearer home

Gorgeous Georgian cuisine

The food of Russia's fiery neighbour is among the world's most inventive and original