''Boy in Darkness'' is a novella by English writer

Mervyn Peake Mervyn Laurence Peake (9 July 1911 – 17 November 1968) was an English writer, artist, poet, and illustrator. He is best known for what are usually referred to as the '' Gormenghast'' books. The four works were part of what Peake conceived ...

. It was first published in 1956 by

Eyre & Spottiswoode Eyre & Spottiswoode was the London-based printing firm that was the King's Printer, and subsequently, a publisher prior to being incorporated; it once went by the name of Spottiswoode, Ballantyne & co. ltd. In April 1929, it was incorporated as E ...

as part of the anthology ''Sometime, Never: Three Tales of Imagination'' (with other stories by

William Golding Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a British novelist, playwright, and poet. Best known for his debut novel ''Lord of the Flies'' (1954), he published another twelve volumes of fiction in his lifetime. In 1980 ...

and

John Wyndham John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris (; 10 July 1903 – 11 March 1969) was an English science fiction writer best known for his works published under the pen name John Wyndham, although he also used other combinations of his names ...

). A "corrupt" version of ''Boy in Darkness'' (a typist had misread Peake's handwriting in some places) was published both in an anthology, ''The Inner Landscape'' (published in 1969 by

Allison & Busby Allison & Busby (A & B) is a publishing house based in London established by Clive Allison and Margaret Busby in 1967. The company has built up a reputation as a leading independent publisher. Background Launching as a publishing company in Ma ...

, edited anonymously by

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has worke ...

), and separately in 1976 (by educational publisher Wheaton & Co.) with an introduction by Peake's widow,

Maeve Gilmore Maeve Patricia Mary Theresa Gilmore (14 June 19173 August 1983) was a British painter, sculptor and writer, and the wife of author Mervyn Peake. Early life Gilmore was born in 1917 and brought up in Brixton, south London, where her father, ...

. Referring to the corrupt text, she wrote that "although the Boy in ''Boy in Darkness'' is assuredly Titus Groan, eakedid not call him so by name"; however, adding the name Titus was one of the specific changes that Peake made between writing and publishing his novella. The correct text has recently become available again in an anthology entitled ''Boy in Darkness and Other Stories'', with a foreword by

Joanne Harris Joanne Michèle Sylvie Harris (born 3 July 1964) is an English-French author, best known for her novel '' Chocolat'' (1999), which was adapted the following year for the film '' Chocolat''. Early life Harris was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, t ...

and a preface by Peake's son Sebastian, as well as Maeve Gilmore's uncorrected introduction from 1976. Upon publication of the work in 1956, a ''

Glasgow Herald ''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...

'' reviewer called it "completely hair-raising". Edwin Morgan referred to ''Boy in Darkness'' as a "very different" piece, "a nouvelle, a sinister epic incident, a reflection in miniature of ''Titus Groan'' and ''Gormenghast''." The story is one of Mervyn Peake's last prose works. After this he wrote only ''

Titus Alone ''Titus Alone'' is a novel written by Mervyn Peake and first published in 1959. It is the third work in the Gormenghast trilogy. The other works are ''Titus Groan'', and '' Gormenghast''. With the trilogy, a fourth work, the novella '' Boy i ...

'' (1959); by the time it was published, dementia had made writing almost impossible for him, although he continued to draw, intermittently, for several more years.

Plot summary

''Boy in Darkness'' is an episode in the

Gormenghast series ''Gormenghast'' is a fantasy series by British author Mervyn Peake, about the inhabitants of Castle Gormenghast, a sprawling, decaying, Gothic structure. Originally conceived as a single on-going novel, the series was ended by Peake's death an ...

when

Titus Groan ''Titus Groan'' is a novel by Mervyn Peake, first published in 1946. It is the first novel in the ''Gormenghast'' series. Plot introduction The book is set in the huge castle of Gormenghast, a vast landscape of crumbling towers and ivy-filled ...

, referred to as "the Boy" in the story, is a young teenager – placing it during the period covered by the second novel in the series, '' Gormenghast''. Yearning for freedom from his ceaseless duties as 77th

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particula ...

of Gormenghast, he escapes the ancient castle and encounters the nightmare world outside.

Adaptations

''Boy in Darkness'' was made into a short film in 2000. Created by the BBC Drama Lab, it utilized computer generated imagery and was set in a virtual world. The film starred Jack Ryder (of '' EastEnders'' fame) as Titus, with

Terry Jones Terence Graham Parry Jones (1 February 1942 – 21 January 2020) was a Welsh comedian, director, historian, actor, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy team. After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English, Jones and ...

(of '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'') narrating. ''Boy in Darkness'' was adapted for the stage by theatre company Curious Directive and performed at the 2009 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, at Zoo Venues. ''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

'' heralded it as a "Must See" saying the production was "Dark, haunting and uniquely inventive... Curious Directive’s adaptation of Mervyn Peake's story is nothing short of phenomenal". ''Boy in Darkness'' was again adapted and performed for the stage by Gareth Murphy and produced by the Blue Elephant Theatre, London, in 2015 to great acclaim. It was a solo performance which ''The Stage'' described as "A physical theatre gem".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boy In Darkness 1956 British novels 1956 fantasy novels British horror novels Gormenghast Novels by Mervyn Peake British novellas Eyre & Spottiswoode books British novels adapted into films British novels adapted into plays Weird fiction novels