Mervyn Peake & Maeve Gilmore memoir ETA?

[Anonymous]

Any further potential estimates/guesses on the publishing date of 'Love - a Mervyn Peake & Maeve Gilmore memoir'

[Michael Moorcock]

I've already written some chapters of the book but have had to set it aside while I do the final revisions on The White Wolf's Son and The Vengeance of Rome. Also, the contract for the book has taken the longest to prepare that I know. I had heard it was ready about two weeks ago, but I still haven't had it! I'm also working on a book which is a 'collaboration' with Mervyn Peake. It will be published by Denoel in France, using unpublished Peake drawings and a text by me. The title at the moment is The Extraordinary Life and Adventures of Captain William
Crackers. In the 40s on Sark, Mervyn drew regular comic drawings for his sons. These are the drawings we'll be using. Although scheduled for autumn of next year, I'm not entirely sure it will be ready in time for publication until spring 2006. This has been somewhat frustrating for me. Poor health (most of which is thankfully behind me) and completing Vengeance has slowed me down a bit!

[Anonymous]

Many thanks for posting this update.

I'm looking forward to reading both books and seeing the unpublished drawings.

...and I'm also very pleased that your health is improving.

Kind regards and very best wishes.

Norman Glover

[Doc]

Will your "collaboration" with Peake be published in French or English? The French publisher made me consider the possibility...

[Michael Moorcock]

French. Which is why I'm not writing verse for that edition!

[Governor of Rowe Island]

Will there be an English translation or edition, Mr. M? I know it's to my eternal shame that I can't read French (well, I can read it, I just can't understand it), but I know I'm not the only one who is sadly lacking in this department.

[Michael Moorcock]

At this stage I can only say 'I hope so'. My guess is that an English language edition (which I'll probably do in verse) will find a publisher once the French guys do the colour separations and so on.

[Governor of Rowe Island]

Thanks again, Mr. M. I posted a simiar enquiry on another thread and you answered that as well so can I take the opportunity to say thank you for going to the trouble of answering all our enquiries with the graciousness that you do. Lord knows what rumours we'd be hearing otherwise. To mix a couple of metaphors - you have to speak to the organ grinder not the monkey if you want to hear it from the horse's mouth!

[Michael Moorcock]

Always surprises me that people don't bother to ask me something directly, when I'm not exactly hard to find! A friend tells me that the latest Hawkwind book is full of mistakes which could have been easily verified by asking me direct, for instance. Of course, I can't always remember everything I've done or am supposed to be doing... But in that case John Davey usually can!

[Governor of Rowe Island]

I can't understand why researchers might not approach you for information, but as a fan of your work, I, for one, find it hard to ask questions of you without the worry that mine might be the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. We wouldn't want to pester you with our enquiries to the point that you didn't want to answer any more!

[Michael Moorcock]

Fair enough, but anyone who has met me (at conventions or signings, for instance) knows that when I'm tired of answering questions, I say so, apologise and ask the questioner to wait for another opportunity. Goes for everyone on this site. When I'm tired of answering your questions or the volume gets impossible to cope with, I'll let you know!

[Typhoid_Mary]

I've already written some chapters of the book but have had to set it aside while I do the final revisions on The White Wolf's Son and The Vengeance of Rome.

Well, according to Amazon.co.uk not only have you finished the book, it's also been published and has now become 'hard to find'.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0413773256

And The Skrayling Tree was first published on December 31 1939, when you were... what, two week old? Talk about precocious...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743461150

[Michael Moorcock]

While I am now back to working on the memoir, I have yet to sign a contract with the publisher! This is the slowest contract I've ever known.
Apparently it's taking everyone a long time to reach agreement.
My mother was amazed when my little fingers started flying over the keys of her manual Underwood... :)