- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Vintage Classics; New edition edition (21 April 1994)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 009930256X
- ISBN-13: 978-0099302568
- Product Dimensions: 13 x 20 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 153,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
A Dead Man In Deptford
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Product Description
Review
`... a fast, funny, flawless recreation.'
-- The Week
-- The Week
Book Description
Murder mystery based on the infamous life and death of Christopher Marlowe.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a fascinating book, probably the best historical(-ish!) novel I've read. It's full of the feel of the period, thanks to the style and imagination with which Burgess conjures up all manner of settings and situations from the squalid to the opulent. This is a fascinating story of Marlowe's rise and demise, taking in espionage, homosexuality, poetry and finally murder. Two particular episodes stick in my mind - a gruesome execution scene which really conveys the horror of drawing and quartering; and an hilarious sex scene written in pidgin Latin. Buy this book - it's a real gem.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Once one becomes accustomed to the language, which whether reading james elroy or shakespeare always takes getting used to, Anthony Burgess takes one spiraling down into the chaotic, paranoid, hopeless elizabethan world where once denounced one was always guilty, always tortured, always drawn and quartered. I felt for the first time what it must be like to live within a framework of absolute fear, of saying, of doing, of thinking,and yet we are still able to enjoy the plays of Marlowe today. It is astounding that a man could create under those circumstances and that what he created has remained for us to enjoy these last 400 or so years. An amazing book.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Despite the frivolity of my title, Anthony Burgess's swan song novel is no light read. However, if the allure of an escape from the mundane realities of the present financial crisis is to your liking then this comes as a highly rated alternative.
Kit Marlowe, in part an often underrated dramatist having lived in the shadow of the "Great Bard", is a subject worthy of research, investigation and focus. Burgess invites the reader into an Elizabethan world which oozes reality, discomfort, brutality, poverty and unrequited love.Graphic imagery is to the fore, dialogue truly atmospheric, love of the word and the theatre take centre stage.
In this 400 year old time capsule, it is easy to forget that the novel's main plots lie in the politics of religion; the seizure of monarchical power; and the alleged spying activities of Marlowe. Intrigue combined with a hefty smattering of homosexual interludes; guarantee the reader's inclusion in a world far beyond our modern day comprehension.
Burgess' love affair with the English written word resonates within the book's covers, and for me overshadows any qualms about the possible poetic license taken by Burgess in his portrayal his protagonist.
As the book's title suggests, that Marlowe died is undisputed, but the circumstances surrounding his life invite further scrutiny.
Kit Marlowe, in part an often underrated dramatist having lived in the shadow of the "Great Bard", is a subject worthy of research, investigation and focus. Burgess invites the reader into an Elizabethan world which oozes reality, discomfort, brutality, poverty and unrequited love.Graphic imagery is to the fore, dialogue truly atmospheric, love of the word and the theatre take centre stage.
In this 400 year old time capsule, it is easy to forget that the novel's main plots lie in the politics of religion; the seizure of monarchical power; and the alleged spying activities of Marlowe. Intrigue combined with a hefty smattering of homosexual interludes; guarantee the reader's inclusion in a world far beyond our modern day comprehension.
Burgess' love affair with the English written word resonates within the book's covers, and for me overshadows any qualms about the possible poetic license taken by Burgess in his portrayal his protagonist.
As the book's title suggests, that Marlowe died is undisputed, but the circumstances surrounding his life invite further scrutiny.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Astonishingly good
The way Burgess conjures the late Elizabethan period is just amazing. This is a master at work. This is one of the best books I have ever read and has really stayed with me. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mr. G. S. Napthine
Pious Impiety
Historical novels all too easily lapse into archaic pastiche, but the masterful Burgess manages to make the book feel both escapist and relevant. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Charity
kit marlowe
My not being an "intellectual" but having a great interest in history made this book a bit of a dichotomy for me. Read more
Published on 2 Jun 2010 by S. Mcgregor
Burgess: A Dead Man in Deptford
Although Burgess liked showing off, this is a formidably well-informed novel based on his university studies and gives a fascinating insight in the Shakespearian age. Read more
Published on 28 Dec 2009 by Tanyrallt
One of the great gay novels... no, really
I don't know anything about Anthony Burgess's sex life, but A Dead Man in Deptford (and his masterpiece, Earthly Powers) are two of the most thorough explorations of homosexuality... Read more
Published on 6 Aug 2002 by Mr. Rupert J. B. Smith
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