- Paperback: 115 pages
- Publisher: Vintage Books; Reprint edition (July 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0679747451
- ISBN-13: 978-0679747451
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13 x 1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,598,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Review
'More chills in its little length than in a whole shelf of bestsellers.' STEPHEN KING 'At once moral fable, cautionary ghost story and inspired attack on the whole hellbent drift of modern letters, this is a splendid tale, splendidly told, which Ford or Henry James would have been glad to have written.' Robert Nye, Guardian 'This novel delighted and terrified me as it must terrify writers, showing them a pit of hell.' Ruth Rendell, Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year 'Judd's creation is perfect in itself: totally true, totally "real", totally right. And superbly written.' Mary Hope, Financial Times
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
A story of literary possession, of a writer who is possessed by a literary spirit. On his death it passes on to another. No explanations are offered other than the continuing presence of an apparently ageless woman who attaches herself to these unlucky and eventually desperate men.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Alan Judd, author of four previous novels, including the outstanding spy trilogy - A Breed of Heroes, Legacy and Uncommon Enemy- has created an outstanding work of of fiction with The Devil's Own Work. Judd has written a terrifying tale of a young author's pact with what seems to be the devil in order to become famous. The novel, narrated by an unnamed friend of the author who eventually learns of the bargain his friend had made, tells the tale of young author, Edward, who meets O. M. (Old Man) Tyrrel, a world-famous literary figure, at his home in the South of France. Tyrrel relates to Edward that he has been under the control of a mysterious and ancient handwritten manuscript. Edward is puzzled by what he is told, but he accepts the gift of the manuscript. After the transfer of the manuscript has been made, Tyrrel suddenly dies, and Edwards tale of creative woes begins, and a subtle, terrifying tale is told with great aplomb.
Judd makes the point in the novel that an author does himself a disservice if he sacrifices himself for the sake of a literary style that is in vogue at the time. The author seems to be arguing against "art for art's sake." There must be an underlying truth or honesty to a creative work for it to stand the test of time. Judd tells us how flashy or pretentious work that possesses little or no substance will be soon forgotten. In The Devil's Own Work Judd has written an intriguing tale about the perils of an author who does not write with the integrity of his convictions. Although a slim novel, it speaks volumes to the nature of the creative process.
Judd makes the point in the novel that an author does himself a disservice if he sacrifices himself for the sake of a literary style that is in vogue at the time. The author seems to be arguing against "art for art's sake." There must be an underlying truth or honesty to a creative work for it to stand the test of time. Judd tells us how flashy or pretentious work that possesses little or no substance will be soon forgotten. In The Devil's Own Work Judd has written an intriguing tale about the perils of an author who does not write with the integrity of his convictions. Although a slim novel, it speaks volumes to the nature of the creative process.
"All my books have been taken from one text...from one great manuscript that contains them...
9 May 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Winner of the 1992 Guardian Fiction prize, this beguiling and very short book (96pp) tells the story of a Faustian pact by which material success is ensured as one famous writer at the end of his career passes a manuscript to his successor.
The manuscript, you see, is the devil's work, and his acolyte, who never loses her perfect poise or her good looks, comes with the deal. But Edward, the recipient, hankers to write his own novels, though it seems he cannot. Though this exchange has happened many times before, with some, it seems, the process does not run smooth and Edward will never quite relinquish the conviction that he could write, untutored by the devil.
This take on Faust is witty, charming and implacably horrifying as the end approaches. The book's narrator is a man who speaks from the wings, not close to Edward, yet able to discern: "...the stillness of near-catatonic frenzy, the quiet of near-total despair." A man who learns the hard way that: "the reality of evil is that it is the opposite of real."
The manuscript, you see, is the devil's work, and his acolyte, who never loses her perfect poise or her good looks, comes with the deal. But Edward, the recipient, hankers to write his own novels, though it seems he cannot. Though this exchange has happened many times before, with some, it seems, the process does not run smooth and Edward will never quite relinquish the conviction that he could write, untutored by the devil.
This take on Faust is witty, charming and implacably horrifying as the end approaches. The book's narrator is a man who speaks from the wings, not close to Edward, yet able to discern: "...the stillness of near-catatonic frenzy, the quiet of near-total despair." A man who learns the hard way that: "the reality of evil is that it is the opposite of real."
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Devil's Own Work is a little jewel of a novella: polished, enticing, and beautifully crafted. A modern Faustian tale narrated by the friend of a famous writer, it is at once a straightforward mystery and a moral parable on writing and success. The plot is best left a surprise; its patient unfolding is what makes the novella irresistible. Indeed, this is a remarkably effective work considering its neglect of characterisation, for which it hasn't space. Perhaps this has something to do with Judd's writing which, stylish without wasting words, is pointed, vivid and insightful.
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