Under the Volcano
| Under the Volcano | |
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 US 1st edition |
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| Author(s) | Malcolm Lowry |
Under the Volcano is a 1947 semi-autobiographical novel by English writer Malcolm Lowry (1909–57). The novel tells the story of Geoffrey Firmin, an alcoholic British consul in the small Mexican town of Quauhnahuac (the Aztec name of Cuernavaca), on the Day of the Dead.
Surrounded by the helpless presences of his ex-wife, his half-brother and acquaintances, he descends into a mescal-soaked purgatory, moving inexorably towards his tragic fate.
His self-destructiveness reflects a spiritual struggle born of wilful abnegation and passivity, a depressed, existential acquiescence to the futility of positive action.
It was adapted to radio on Studio One in 1947 and made into a film in 1984. The 1976 Canadian Documentary Volcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry was nominated for an Academy Award.
The Under the Volcano Festival of Art and Social Change takes place annually in North Vancouver, British Columbia, in the same location where Malcolm Lowry wrote the novel.
In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Under the Volcano as number 11 on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.
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[edit] Path to publication
In 1940, Lowry hired an agent, Harold Matson, to find a publisher for the manuscript, but it was rejected many times. Although he continued refining it for years, this original 1940 version was later published in 1994 under the title The 1940 Under the Volcano.
In 1944, the manuscript was nearly lost in a fire at Lowry's shack in British Columbia. His second wife, Margerie, rescued the unfinished novel, but all of Lowry's other works in progress were lost in the blaze.
The novel as it is recognized today was finally finished in 1945 and immediately sent to many publishers. In late winter, while travelling in Mexico, Lowry learned the novel had been accepted by two publishing companies: Reynal & Hitchcock in the United States and Jonathan Cape in the United Kingdom. Following critical reports from readers, Cape had reservations about publishing and wrote to Lowry on 29 November 1945 asking him to make drastic cuts. Lowry's lengthy reply, dated 2 January 1946, was a passionate defense of the book in which he sensed he had created a work of lasting greatness: "Whether it sells or not seems to me either way a risk. But there is something about the destiny of the creation of the book that seems to tell me it just might go on selling a very long time." The letter includes a detailed summary of the book's key themes and how the author intended each of the 12 chapters to work, and has been included as an introduction in some editions. [1]
There have been many editions of the book since 1947. In 1998 it was rated as number 11 on the list of the 100 best novels of the 20th century compiled by the Modern Library. TIME included the novel in its list of "100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present".[2]
[edit] Characters
Geoffrey Firmin is the alcoholic Consul living in Quauhnahuac. He is actually an ex-consul, recently resigned due to diplomatic strains between the UK and Mexico in the aftermath of President Lázaro Cárdenas's 1938 nationalization of the country's oil reserves. He wants to write a book, but his alcoholism affects all areas of his life, particularly his relationship with his ex-wife Yvonne. She has returned to Mexico after a long absence in order to rekindle their relationship. Hugh Firmin is Geoffrey's half-brother. He visits Mexico to report on fascist activity for the London Globe, and he feels incredibly guilty for not acting in the Spanish Civil War. There are frequent allusions to an earlier affair between Hugh and Yvonne, which adds to the tension between the three main protagonists.
[edit] Structure
While the story is simple, its manner of telling decidedly not: Lowry's style is dense, symbolic, allusive, the prose thick with resonance, and the structure complex, with flashbacks, abrupt shifts, and a gradual accumulation of information – it is a book that is often cited as needing reading and then rereading, for its pattern and subtleties reveal themselves slowly.
[edit] Films
John Huston directed the 1984 film adaptation, Under the Volcano, with Albert Finney, Jacqueline Bisset, Anthony Andrews and Katy Jurado. It received Oscar nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Albert Finney) and Best Music, Original Score.
Volcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry (1976) is a National Film Board of Canada documentary produced by Donald Brittain and Robert A. Duncan and directed by Brittain and John Kramer. It opens with the inquest into Lowry's "death by misadventure," and then moves back in time to trace the writer's life. Selections from Lowry's novel are read by Richard Burton amid images shot in Mexico, the United States, Canada and England.[3]
[edit] Quotations
- ¿Le gusta este jardín, que es suyo? ¡Evite que sus hijos lo destruyan! (Do you like this garden, which is yours? Make sure your children don't destroy it!)
- No se puede vivir sin amar (One cannot live without loving.)
- "Salud y pesetas." "Y tiempo para gastarlas." (Health and money. And the time to spend them.)
[edit] Music
Bob Dylan's song "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" alludes to the novel.
The novel was the inspiration for the 1974 song "The Consul at Sunset" by Jack Bruce of Cream (words by Pete Brown), as well as for the song "Back Room Of The Bar" by the Young Fresh Fellows, from their 1987 album The Men Who Loved Music.
Matthew Good, a Canadian musician, makes reference to Malcolm Lowry and Under the Volcano in his live album release Live at Massey Hall in the introduction to his song "I'm a Window".
The Bears had a song called "Under The Volcano".
Diafana Krina (Διάφανα Κρίνα, trans. Transparent Lillies), a former greek band, wrote the song "Under the Volcano" which was released on the band's first single, named "Melting Alone/Under the Volcano", in 1994.
[edit] Editions in print
[edit] Further reading
Grace, Sherrill. (2009). Strange Comfort: Essays on the Work of Malcolm Lowry. Talonbooks: Vancouver: BC. ISBN 978-0-88922-618-0.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Letters between Malcolm Lowry and Jonathan Cape about Under the Volcano, published as an introduction to the Penguin Modern Classics Edition, 1985.
- ^ Time All-Time 100 Novels
- ^ "Volcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry". Documentary film. National Film Board of Canada. 1976. http://www.nfb.ca/film/volcano. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
