November 17, 1968

Mervyn Peake, (July 9, 1911 to November 17, 1968) writer and painter, has been described as a master of "dark fantasy," This was manifested in books, the most famous being Gormenghast (1950 ) which is part of a series. The mother of the hero is the Countess Gertrude, and she is, among other things,"cat-mad." His books have have grown in popularity since his death, and been adapted for the screen.

This may be one of the Countess's cats:




According to Marcus Sedgwick:

...[T]here is such splendour to be found in Peake's most important work; there is darkness, yes, but there is also gentleness, humour, pathos, beauty, tragedy and a love of the written word, and how it can elucidate human nature, that means Peake deserves a wider readership.