''Berg'' (1964) was the first novel by the British experimental writer

Ann Quin Ann Quin (17 March 1936 – 27 August 1973) was a British writer noted for her experimental style. The author of ''Berg'' (1964), ''Three'' (1966), ''Passages'' (1969) and ''Tripticks'' (1972), she died by drowning in 1973 at the age of 37. Life ...

Writing and publication

Quin wrote the novel while working as a secretary. She then had a nervous breakdown, suffering from hallucinations, but received treatment from a psychiatrist and soon after she recovered, the novel was accepted by publisher John Calder. Calder was a leading figure of the literary avant-garde of the time, publishing Samuel Beckett,

Alexander Trocchi Alexander Whitelaw Robertson Trocchi ( ; 30 July 1925 – 15 April 1984) was a List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist. Early life and career Trocchi was born in Glasgow to Alfred (formerly Alfredo) Trocchi, a music-hall performer of I ...

William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultur ...

, and others. It slipped out of print in the 1970s, before being reissued by Dalkey in 2001.

Plot and style

Above are the book's first lines, which have been called one of the greatest openings of any book. ''Berg'' is set in the English seaside town of Brighton, which was also where Quin grew up, and her home for most of her life, until her death by suicide in 1973; the action takes place in winter when the resort was empty and desolately atmospheric. The plot has echoes of Oedipus and Freudian theory, involving a romantic triangle between a man, his father, and the father's mistress Judith. The son attempts to murder the father, but ends up mutilating a ventriloquist's dummy and dragging it around town convinced it is his father's corpse. Events are resolved with an almost circular ending. The novel is written in a kind of

internal monologue Intrapersonal communication is the process by which an individual communicates within themselves, acting as both sender and receiver of messages, and encompasses the use of unspoken words to consciously engage in self-talk and inner speech. Intr ...

by Berg/Greb, which mingles description, speech, and thoughts, without clearly distinguishing them, and filtering everything through the central character's viewpoint. Much of the novel takes place under the influence of alcohol, which adds to the confusing, dream-like atmosphere. However, Quin also includes elements of British spy fiction and the crime novel, in the melodramatic way the son stakes out his father's flat and tries to kill the old man;

Giles Gordon Giles Alexander Esmé Gordon (23 May 1940 – 14 November 2003) was a Scottish literary agent and writer, based for most of his career in London. Early life and education The son of Esmé Gordon (1910–1993), an architect and Honorary Sec ...

detected the influence of

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

Reception

Upon release, ''Berg'' received considerable attention from reviewers. John Coleman gave it a mixed review in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', finding an "unusual, rather funny story" hidden beneath Quin's challenging prose, which he criticised for "self-indulgence" but praised for her descriptions and brutal dialogue. Mary Conroy in the ''Sunday Times'' called it "Beckett minus his humour and variety"; although she found the childhood scenes vivid, she complained about Quin's recourse to sexual violence and the confusing style. More recently ''Berg'' has been praised for introducing to British fiction the techniques of the European experimental novel, the nouveau roman of

Alain Robbe-Grillet Alain Robbe-Grillet (; 18 August 1922 – 18 February 2008) was a French writer and filmmaker. He was one of the figures most associated with the '' Nouveau Roman'' (new novel) trend of the 1960s, along with Nathalie Sarraute, Michel Butor and ...

and

Nathalie Sarraute Nathalie Sarraute (; born Natalia Ilinichna Tcherniak ( rus, Ната́лья Ильи́нична Черня́к); – 19 October 1999) was a French writer and lawyer. Personal life Sarraute was born in Ivanovo-Voznesensk (now Ivanovo), 300&n ...

. However at the time of ''Berg'', it is not clear if Quin had read any of their writing. Writer

Lee Rourke Lee Rourke (born 1972) is an English writer and literary critic. His books include the short story collection ''Everyday'', the novels ''The Canal'' (winner of '' The Guardian’s'' Not The Booker Prize in 2010), ''Vulgar Things'', and ''Glitch ...

has variously called it "one of the great British novels", "beautiful", "dark, esoteric, haunting", and "the best novel ever set in Brighton". While critics have bemoaned ''Bergs lack of influence on later British literature, it did have some followers, inspiring works such as

Stewart Home Kevin Llewellyn Callan (born 24 March 1962), better known as Stewart Home, is an English artist, filmmaker, writer, pamphleteer, art historian, and activist. His novels include the non-narrative ''69 Things to Do with a Dead Princess'' (2002), an ...

's experimental novel ''

69 Things to Do with a Dead Princess ''69 Things to Do with a Dead Princess'' is an experimental novel by the British writer Stewart Home, first published by Canongate in 2002. It tells the story of a suicidal man investigating a conspiracy theory about the death of Diana, Princes ...

''.

Movie

''Berg'' was adapted into the 1989 film

Killing Dad Killing Dad is a 1989 British black comedy film adapted from Berg, a 1964 novel by the British experimental writer Ann Quin. It stars Richard E. Grant as Alistair Berg, a man who travels to a seaside town intending to murder the father who ab ...

, written and directed by Michael Austin and starring

Richard E Grant Richard E. Grant (born Richard Grant Esterhuysen; 5 May 1957) is a Eswatini, Swazi-English actor and presenter. He made his film debut as Withnail in the comedy ''Withnail and I'' (1987). Grant received critical acclaim for his role as Jack Hoc ...

as the son,

Denholm Elliott Denholm Mitchell Elliott, (31 May 1922 – 6 October 1992) was an English actor, with more than 125 film and television credits. His well-known roles include the abortionist in '' Alfie'' (1966), Marcus Brody in ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' (19 ...

as the father, and

Julie Walters Dame Julia Mary Walters (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a B ...

as the mistress, Judith. ''The Times'' commented "nothing is funny" but predicted "better things beckon" for Austin. ''Time Out'' was also critical, saying Austin's "caricatures go through the motions of an Oedipal murder plot in perfunctory fashion", and complaining about the lack of compassion. Walters' and Elliotts' performances were praised, though Grant was less impressive due to an odd wig and unconvincing accent.

References

Lee Rourke
"Who cares about Ann Quin?"
The Guardian (UK), 8 May 2007 Lee Rourke

The Independent (UK), 27 August 2010 Evenson, Brian; Howard, Joanna. "Ann Quin". ''Review of Contemporary Fiction''. Summer 2003, Vol. 23 Issue 2, p50-75 Stewart Home/Playground Magazine
"Stewart Home Gives You Better Orgasms! An Interview With Playground"
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817233005/http://stewarthomesociety.org/blog/archives/4706 , date=2017-08-17 , February 25, 2012 Geoff Brown, "Lightweight material over-stretched by transatlantic flight; Cinema", The Times, August 31, 1989
Time Out Film Guide Coleman, John, "A Long Island Electra: New Novels", The Observer (UK); Jun 28, 1964 "Ann Quin" (Obituary), The Times (London, England), Thursday, Sep 06, 1973; pg. 18; Issue 58880. Mary Conroy, "Significant, Whimsical, Wild", Sunday Times ondon, England14 June 1964: 39. 1964 British novels British novels adapted into films Novels set in Brighton Calder Publishing books