Product Description

Joyce Cary wrote two trilogies, or triptychs as he later preferred to call them. The first comprises: "Herself Surprised", "To Be a Pilgrim" and "The Horse's Mouth". "The Horse's Mouth" is a portrait of an artistic temperament. Its principal character, Gulley Gimson, is an impoverished painter who scorns conventional good behaviour. He may be a bad citizen, but he is a good artist, so wholly preoccupied with his art that he is willing to endure any privation for its sake. Such is his contempt for orthodox mores, he takes a delight in cocking a snook at them. For him there is only one morality: to be a painter. 'Mr Joyce Cary is an important and exciting writer; there's no doubt about that. To use Tennyson's phrase, he is a Lord of Language ...if you like rich writing full of gusto and accurate original character drawing, you will get it from "The Horse's Mouth"' - John Betjeman, "Daily Herald".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #138868 in Books
• Published on: 2009-06-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 298 pages

About the Author
In the words of his biographer, Alan Bishop, Joyce Cary (1888-1957) was 'a prolific, independent, wide-ranging writer with a place in three literatures (English, Irish, Nigerian) difficult to categorize because his writing integrates the traditional and experimental.' He was difficult to categorize which probably explains why his reputation is not more secure. However he was undoubtedly a major novelist of the twentieth century, and in acknowledgement of that Faber Finds is reissuing twelve of his works - Mister Johnson, Herself Surprised, To Be a Pilgrim, The Horse's Mouth, A Prisoner of Grace, Except the Lord, Not Honour More, Castle Corner, Charley is My Darling, A House of Children, The Moonlight and A Fearful Joy. The Horse's Mouth remains Joyce Cary's most famous novel but this extensive reissue programme will demonstrate to readers this is only one of many equally successful, challenging but entertaining works in his canon. Although never fashionable, Joyce Cary has always had his admirers: 'This novelist has exemplified the rule that when a writer dies, he or she may suffer a lapse in attention. You say to someone "Joyce Cary" and they say "Who?". Amazing! He was a marvellous writer, fresh, funny and popping with life.' Doris Lessing 'A splendid writer' John Updike 'Whenever I am idle I choose a Cary novel in the way that I might seek a friend's company, and it is not long before I am encouraged, inspired to write.' Paul Theroux 'To find a novelist who saw more deeply and conveyed more truly you have to go back to Dostoievsky and Tolstoy, Balzac and Goethe, Mann and Hesse ... What makes him a life enhancer is the overwhelming sense the reader gets from him that the universe, for all its horrors and inexplicabilities, makes sense - obvious and glorious sense.' Bernard Levin

Customer Reviews

A great re-read
I first read this book years ago, and at the time decided it was one of the best books I had ever read. A recent re-read confirms this, and I'm disappointed it didn't make the top 100 books in a recent "Great Reads" list I saw - it should have! This is a terrific tale of an artist at work, and is unusual in that Gulley Jimson goes into great detail about the creative process that inspires him. His descriptions of London are wonderful, and his story is funny, sad, and never dull - it races along, and the unpredictable twists and turns are always entertaining. Highly recommended.

One of the best novels of the century
Joyce Cary's novel is well known amongst academics as one of the finest novels ever written about the creative instinct. To the public at large, however, it is relatively unknown. Originally written as part of a trilogy which looked at events from the point of view of three different characters, The Horse's Mouth, a comic novel, is the most successful. The protagonist, Gulley Jimson, is an artist, and nothing else matters to him but the pursuit of his art. He will lie, cheat, steal - anything to get his hands on some canvas, or a wall, and some paint. Carey's prose is beautifully poetic, with painterly descriptions of london, interspersed with quotations from the artist's beloved Blake. Reading this novel really gives you a sense of what it might be like to inhabit the mind of a genius, or indeed anyone who is possessed by an all-encompassing obsession. That said, this is a comic novel, and there are laughs throughout the book. The laughter is often tragic, and the jokes are often profound. I really cannot recommend this book highly enough.

A difficult read
I found the dense and whimsical style convoluted and over blown. I couldn't settle to him,and found myself skimming. Over-done is my conclusion