Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Avon Books (Mm) (1981), Paperback, 706 pages
Description
Earthly Powers traces eighty- one years in the life of a Somerset Maugham- type writer and lapsed Catholic called Kenneth Toomey. A popular, second- rate novelist/playwright, he spends a lifetime unsuccessfully trying to reconcile his homosexuality with his faith. This is also the story of Carlo Campanati, an earthy Italian priest linked with Toomey through family ties. With dazzlingly inventive narrative spanning six decades, Burgess draws in major events and characters of the century while exploring themes of universal significance.
Media reviews
New York Times
Burgess sees artistic creation as man’s only god-like act, which is appropriate in a book whose twin themes are art and evil. Toomey, of course, is the most sterile kind of artist – pretentious and pitifully transparent – and Burgess has great parodic fun with his efforts: lush period epics,
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doomed libretti, catchy doggerel for stage musicals, a sentimental homosexual rewrite of the creation myth, even a theological work on the nature of evil (written in collusion with his relative Carlo Campanati, a Vatican high-up who later ‘makes Pope’). As Toomey begins the act of creation, he experiences a divine confidence; as the work takes shape, he feels himself already falling short, as earthly compromise and contingency closes in on the pristine dream. What is intended as radical and pure becomes tainted and familiar.
In a sense, though, Earthly Powers belongs to Toomey as well as to Burgess, It is a considerable achievement, spacious and intricate in design, wonderfully sustained in its execution, and full of a weary generosity for the errant world it recreates. As a form, the long novel is inevitably flawed and approximate; and this book contains plenty of hollow places beneath its busy verbal surface. But whatever its human limits it shows an author who has reached the height of his earthly powers. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member michaelmacfarlane
Possibly the best book I have ever read. When I was younger I read clockwork orange and was so gripped i read it in one afternoon, although a completely different book in style size and context, the one thing they do share in common is a brillianty compelling first person narrative. The size of the
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novel is due to the amount of time it covers (about six decades) so despite being an epic, it is economically written and makes some brilliant and hilarious anecdotal references to Hemingway James Joyce, Ford Maddox Ford and other early 20th century luminaries. It deals with a wide range of subject matters: sexuality, catholicism, excorcism, anthropology, good and evil. It is one of those rare books that can change the way you will look at some of these themes in real life. The genius of the book lies in the way it is both light hearted and profoundly emotional. It took a lot longer than clockwork but was just as compelling and intense. Show Less
LibraryThing member augustusgump
Not much to add to all the reviews already here. This is a truly great book - thought-provoking, challenging, amusing. Those who complain at the use of obscure vocabulary are missing out on the fun.
LibraryThing member jwhenderson
"It was the afternoon of my eighty-first birthday, and I was in bed with my catamite when Ali announced that the archbishop had come to see me."
Earthly Powers is the linchpin of Anthony Burgess' novel-writing career. It is a massive work that compares favorably with similar tomes of twentieth
Earthly Powers is the linchpin of Anthony Burgess' novel-writing career. It is a massive work that compares favorably with similar tomes of twentieth
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century literature. What sets Burgess apart from other authors is his linguistic playfulness combined with an exceptional narrative style. Although this style is here somewhat less obviously experimental than that of Burgess’s other novels of this period, his use of a professional story teller as a first-person narrator allows him to call into the question the nature of authority in fictional texts. The narrative becomes a retrospective account of a life spent as an outsider. Within that account, Burgess locates his protagonist,Toomey, at some key moments of twentieth century history in order, it seems, to comment on those issues which consistently surface in all of Burgess’s fiction, particularly the nature of evil and its presence in the physical world. The novel attempts to address issues of belief, and the role of religion in late twentieth century culture, using a broad cast of characters, fictional and real; it is not, however, a roman à clef. Though often mentioned in reviews of this novel, the identification of Toomey with Somerset Maugham fails to recognise that Toomey is a portmanteau of many characters. He contains hints of Maugham, certainly, but there are suggestions of, to name a few, Alec Waugh in the precocious young novelist; of P. G. Wodehouse in the broadcaster from Berlin; of W. H. Auden in the rescuer of a Nobel laureate’s offspring; and of Burgess himself, the author of a real Blooms of Dublin. Burgess ability to meld this amalgam of characters into his protagonist reminds me of another favorite novel, The New Confessions by William Boyd, in which the author uses a similar technique to create a tremendously exciting and interesting protagonist. Throughout the novel, the emphasis is on the debate about the nature of evil rather than on the accuracy or otherwise of the references to twentieth century figures. The novel examines at length the nature of belief, the way in which people cope with an imperfect world, and the operation of evil and suffering. In doing so it succeeds in presenting a distinctive and compelling view of the twentieth century through the life of Toomey. It is both a challenging and rewarding read that I would recommend to all. Show Less
LibraryThing member Telute
My favourite burgess novel. An eighty year old author writes the story of his life (and that of the 20th century) to spite his secretary. The story is also that of a famous Pope who is to be sainted. The narrative weaves in out of great historical events, combining them with delicate family scenes
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and the narrators own observations. A book about evil, and religion that doesn't answer questions but creates a debate. A completely enthralling read. Show Less
LibraryThing member beebothezeebo
Awesome piece of literature, wonderful novel, one of the most powerful authors of our time
LibraryThing member PERROT
A wonderful book and a kick in the gonads for the humourless. This is a comic high point in literature. Can there be any one out there who has not fallen off the chair laughing at this book? Unfortunately yes, but they are probably the type who need an instruction manual when copulating to let them
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know they have had an erotic exoperience. Show Less
LibraryThing member richardderus
One of my nearest and dearest sent me her old mass-market copy years ago in one of her purging moods. And, in a deeply unusual act, I've read it twice!
I see lots of breakdowns of this story's alleged core, the Problem of Evil that besets monotheistic religions. In my own opinion, Burgess's point
...you know, come to think of it, I can't figure out a non-spoilery way to review the book...one can't explain the power dynamic that undergirds every single decision and shapes every attitude in the men's long, untangential involvement without being either coy or obscurantist. So what can one do to discuss it? I believe my enduring puzzlement at the impossibility of writing a satisfying review has been puzzled out.
I see lots of breakdowns of this story's alleged core, the Problem of Evil that besets monotheistic religions. In my own opinion, Burgess's point
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was less simple, as the Problem of Evil is easily resolved (you're wrong, there is no gawd so there is no problem): How, when a man is inextricably linked to another, "superior" or "better" man in the public's awareness, does one contextualize the richness of either's soul in simple material terms?...you know, come to think of it, I can't figure out a non-spoilery way to review the book...one can't explain the power dynamic that undergirds every single decision and shapes every attitude in the men's long, untangential involvement without being either coy or obscurantist. So what can one do to discuss it? I believe my enduring puzzlement at the impossibility of writing a satisfying review has been puzzled out.
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LibraryThing member wirkman
This is one of Burgess's most accessible fictions, and obviously his Big Effort. I consider it a great, fun romp through the 20th century and Anthony Burgess's own personal and philosophical obsessoions. In this book the lapsed Catholic takes on the modernization of the Church, stacking the deck
Once again, Burgess finds a way to attack trendy goody-two-shoeisms as a form of the Pelagian Heresy.
And hey: the book has a boffo first sentence, and never really lets up until the end. My favorite Burgess novel.
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against Catholicism in an amazing way, implying that one of his chief characters, a liberal pope, is, well, of the devil.Once again, Burgess finds a way to attack trendy goody-two-shoeisms as a form of the Pelagian Heresy.
And hey: the book has a boffo first sentence, and never really lets up until the end. My favorite Burgess novel.
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LibraryThing member briandarvell
I chose Earthly Powers as my introduction to Anthony Burgess only because I found this novel on my parent's bookshelf. Little did I know that this book was considered by many to be Burgess' pinnacle novel in the form of fiction. Published in 1980, Earthly Powers is a novel which basically outlines
Earthly Powers heavily discusses the impact and reaction of homosexuality in society during these years. There is serious discussion upon the development and political stances of the Catholic Church and also how these positions affected people. This religious theme was contrasted with further contemplation upon the development of atheism in the heavily catholic families of France and Italy. Burgess also slips in a lot of his own opinions on some of the 20th century's greatest literary figures such as James Joyce, Rudyard Kipling and H.G. Wells and how and why these men were raised into sublimity.
The only quality this novel displays which many people might find a hindrance is the heavy use of pretentious vocabulary. There was extensive use of words of which I had no understanding of and had never seen used and although this is good in moderation, when used excessively it becomes quite a disturbance for some people. I would definitely recommend those who decide to read this novel to have a good quality dictionary nearby.
To finalize I would state that this book portrays a very original and educational approach to societal development during these seminal years of modern culture and I would recommend this novel to most people who have an open mind about such matters.
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the historical situation of western society in the early half of the 20th century and although most of the characters in the novel are fictitious, a lot are based upon real-life people.Earthly Powers heavily discusses the impact and reaction of homosexuality in society during these years. There is serious discussion upon the development and political stances of the Catholic Church and also how these positions affected people. This religious theme was contrasted with further contemplation upon the development of atheism in the heavily catholic families of France and Italy. Burgess also slips in a lot of his own opinions on some of the 20th century's greatest literary figures such as James Joyce, Rudyard Kipling and H.G. Wells and how and why these men were raised into sublimity.
The only quality this novel displays which many people might find a hindrance is the heavy use of pretentious vocabulary. There was extensive use of words of which I had no understanding of and had never seen used and although this is good in moderation, when used excessively it becomes quite a disturbance for some people. I would definitely recommend those who decide to read this novel to have a good quality dictionary nearby.
To finalize I would state that this book portrays a very original and educational approach to societal development during these seminal years of modern culture and I would recommend this novel to most people who have an open mind about such matters.
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LibraryThing member jburlinson
Massive and massively entertaining. Clearly based on the life of Somerset Maugham, the book even includes vignettes that could easily pass for some of Maugham's better tales, such as a nifty little voodoo story about half-way through. The "fate & futility" motif is a little heavy-handed, especially
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the Jonestown parallel. But, on the whole. a very enjoyable read. Show Less
LibraryThing member leowillemse
Very funny and "erudite" novel about a pope who looks like John 23rd.Gives an insight in the 20th century, which lasts forever.For instance, the opening scene in which, very matter of fact, the then Bishop is put down as a homosexual.
LibraryThing member libraryhermit
I grew up in a religious environment where corruption in a church was regarded as almost next to impossible. That is, it would never happen close to home. When a story came on the news about a corrupt churchman in the United States, or a Catholic Church sinner from earlier centuries in Europe, this
Of course this whole construct was an illusion, and a dangerous one at that. Because we all know that corruption in a church can happen anywhere and at any time. Close to home, or far from home. Maybe even in your (our) very own church, even in a member of your (my) own family, or maybe even in you (or me.) Reading this book by Anthony Burgess helped to bring that truth home. Still, not being a European always makes an account written by a European seem somehow remote. I am glad that I have never had to deal directly with the church as a source of decadence. Probably the decadence is there, but it is just (comfortably) under wraps--at least for the present. And that is because churches have the ability to hush, hush the scandal when it does come to light.
What would I do in the circumstance of a scandal breaking, I have no idea. So I guess I still have not learned anything from the book.
I think the net effect of the poison in one church is to cause the experience of all church people to be poisoned by it, if only by association. I am going to read all the other reviews of this book as soon as I complete this and see if there is any consensus on this question.
I think the moral lesson that I took away from this book is that elevated positions within the religious authority structure do not guarantee holiness. The more exalted a person becomes, the easier it is hide behind a cloak of piety. For some reason, we love to revel in our organizational structures, and in the halos of the leaders within them. How great the organization is within our minds is how great we believe the leaders to be and vice versa. So that when one takes a fall, it pulls down the other with it. Every saint is also a sinner. Every sinner has saintly qualities. If you ever focus on one end of the spectrum and ignore the other, you are going to make an error. The spectrum is complete within one individual, sometimes even on the same day. Denying the truth of this is fatal.
Anthony Burgess, just like all of the other great moralist authors, shows human shortcomings with a sure eye, and a witty pen.
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seemed to help to distance us from this real, but comfortably remote, possibility.Of course this whole construct was an illusion, and a dangerous one at that. Because we all know that corruption in a church can happen anywhere and at any time. Close to home, or far from home. Maybe even in your (our) very own church, even in a member of your (my) own family, or maybe even in you (or me.) Reading this book by Anthony Burgess helped to bring that truth home. Still, not being a European always makes an account written by a European seem somehow remote. I am glad that I have never had to deal directly with the church as a source of decadence. Probably the decadence is there, but it is just (comfortably) under wraps--at least for the present. And that is because churches have the ability to hush, hush the scandal when it does come to light.
What would I do in the circumstance of a scandal breaking, I have no idea. So I guess I still have not learned anything from the book.
I think the net effect of the poison in one church is to cause the experience of all church people to be poisoned by it, if only by association. I am going to read all the other reviews of this book as soon as I complete this and see if there is any consensus on this question.
I think the moral lesson that I took away from this book is that elevated positions within the religious authority structure do not guarantee holiness. The more exalted a person becomes, the easier it is hide behind a cloak of piety. For some reason, we love to revel in our organizational structures, and in the halos of the leaders within them. How great the organization is within our minds is how great we believe the leaders to be and vice versa. So that when one takes a fall, it pulls down the other with it. Every saint is also a sinner. Every sinner has saintly qualities. If you ever focus on one end of the spectrum and ignore the other, you are going to make an error. The spectrum is complete within one individual, sometimes even on the same day. Denying the truth of this is fatal.
Anthony Burgess, just like all of the other great moralist authors, shows human shortcomings with a sure eye, and a witty pen.
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LibraryThing member hugh_ashton
A book I have read many times, and one I would love to have written myself. A real tour de force of the Western literary scene since WWI as well as a multi-layered story full of mysteries.
LibraryThing member hbergander
Tour de force through the up and down of arts and culture, through war and peace in the ungodly world of the twentieth century.
LibraryThing member buendia
Perhaps the most pretentious, self satisfied book it has ever been my misfortune to read. A big book with small ideas.
LibraryThing member nkmunn
i have recommended this book several times since reading it. There's plenty of the world here and a lot of history too, but most of all there's a lot about human nature and the way time passes and the way we look at fate and morality.
LibraryThing member mimal
bookshelves: booker-longlist, gr-library, vatican-city, italy, winter-20132014, published-1980, lit-richer, those-autumn-years, books-about-books-and-book-shops, glbt, religion, christian, catholic, malta, art-forms, dodgy-narrator, historical-masturbation, historical-fiction
Recommended to
Read from February 02 to 10, 2014
Dedication: To Liana
Opening: It was the afternoon of my eighty-first birthday and I was in bed with my catamite when Ali announced that the archbishop had come to see me.
William Foster Harpsichord
Chapter Four: 'On the walls of my study I had a Willelm de Kooning female in mostly red crayon and one of the first sketches Picass had done for Les Demoseilles d'Avignon...'
Flaunt out O sea your separate flags of nations!
Flaunt out visible as ever the various ship-signals!
But do you reserve especially for yourself and for the soul of man one flag above all the rest,
A spiritual woven signal for all nations, emblem of man elate above death,
Token of all brave captains and all intrepid sailors and mates,
And all that went down doing their duty,
Reminiscent of them, twined from all intrepid captains young or old,
A pennant universal, subtly waving all time, o'er all brave sailors,
All seas, all ships.
Walt Whitman: I. A Song for all Seas, all Ships. Book XIII: Song of the Exposition
The fictional Pope Gregory XVII bears a certain resemblance to Pope Paul VI, what with the dates and the inclusion of Mussolini, that said however, all dates, and the characters peopling events, must be taken with a pinch of salt. One could go nuts trying to pin down a definitive, trust me. All further investigations either to blind alleys or to loose fits that are so baggy that one could be accused of making the scant facts fit the way this reader wants it to evolve.
Excellent language, as one would expect; this is one hell of a class act, however if you simply must have someone in a story to like, there will be disappointment. For all his arrogance, name-dropping and snobbery I came to have a soft spot for Mr Toomey in the same way the selfish, arrogant Charles Arrowby of Iris Murdoch's 'The Sea, The Sea' got under my skin by the end.
✮✮✮✮½
Recommended to
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☯Bettie☯ by: LauraRead from February 02 to 10, 2014
Dedication: To Liana
Opening: It was the afternoon of my eighty-first birthday and I was in bed with my catamite when Ali announced that the archbishop had come to see me.
William Foster Harpsichord
Chapter Four: 'On the walls of my study I had a Willelm de Kooning female in mostly red crayon and one of the first sketches Picass had done for Les Demoseilles d'Avignon...'
Flaunt out O sea your separate flags of nations!
Flaunt out visible as ever the various ship-signals!
But do you reserve especially for yourself and for the soul of man one flag above all the rest,
A spiritual woven signal for all nations, emblem of man elate above death,
Token of all brave captains and all intrepid sailors and mates,
And all that went down doing their duty,
Reminiscent of them, twined from all intrepid captains young or old,
A pennant universal, subtly waving all time, o'er all brave sailors,
All seas, all ships.
Walt Whitman: I. A Song for all Seas, all Ships. Book XIII: Song of the Exposition
The fictional Pope Gregory XVII bears a certain resemblance to Pope Paul VI, what with the dates and the inclusion of Mussolini, that said however, all dates, and the characters peopling events, must be taken with a pinch of salt. One could go nuts trying to pin down a definitive, trust me. All further investigations either to blind alleys or to loose fits that are so baggy that one could be accused of making the scant facts fit the way this reader wants it to evolve.
Excellent language, as one would expect; this is one hell of a class act, however if you simply must have someone in a story to like, there will be disappointment. For all his arrogance, name-dropping and snobbery I came to have a soft spot for Mr Toomey in the same way the selfish, arrogant Charles Arrowby of Iris Murdoch's 'The Sea, The Sea' got under my skin by the end.
✮✮✮✮½
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LibraryThing member alpin
A monumental novel, currently out of print, that has stuck in my mind for thirty years as an all-time favorite but needed to be reread to remind me why. An octogenarian British writer, asked to attest to a miracle that will support canonization of a Pope writes his memoirs, giving us a personal
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tour of the 20th-century through his life as a homosexual, lapsed Catholic, successful but mediocre writer, and exile. Examines morality, the nature of evil, the role of religious belief and more. Linguistically playful, the novel features one of the best opening lines in literature, and is funny, painful, thought-provoking, entertaining, challenging and rewarding. Thoroughly magnificent. Show Less
LibraryThing member dbsovereign
My favorite Burgess book, this one is a faux mega-blockbuster. It allows Burgess to tell the story of the 20th Century from the point of view of a very naughty man who is caught in most of the major crosshairs of our time. Supposedly (and very loosely) based on the life of W. Somerset Maugham, this
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book deals with the relationship between love and lust, homosexuality/gay rights, censorship, and euthanasia [among other themes]. Show Less
LibraryThing member billycongo
I think it's a book out of time. It had it's time, and now it seems a bit outdated. Attitudes towards religion and sexuality change, so it could be seen as a time capsule. I think the themes and ideas of 'A Clockwork Orange' are a bit more universal.
LibraryThing member stillatim
I'm unsure if I'll remember this as fondly in a few years as I do now. The second quarter of the book was extremely dull, and the narrative 'technique' is silly (bad novelist travels to a dozen or so countries in order to pick up royalties cheques through the twentieth century--necessary because
The narrator's friend, Carlo Campanati, is the intellectual center of the novel. He will be elected after Pius XII, as Pope Gregory, in place of the real world's John XXIII and Paul VI. He is, more or less, semi-Pelagian, obsessed with ecumenism, and insists on dragging the church into modernity; he's also charmingly human, stands against fascism and is an orphan. In the middle of the book, he asks the narrator to publish a book of ecumenism and semi-Pelagian theology under the narrator's name, and 'Earthly Powers' then becomes an extended meditation on freedom, predestination, grace and how much or how little human beings can contribute to their own salvation.
All of which is enough for me, but those of you who don't revel in obscure theological controversies (or even fairly well known ones) might prefer to think about this through the narrator, Kenneth Toomey, and his sexuality: he insists that he didn't 'choose' to be gay. If he didn't choose his sexuality, however, that's ipso facto evidence against the freedom that his friend the Pope insists (against the traditional doctrines of the church) we possess. Toomey wanders through the twentieth century, generally doing things despite himself. So whereas Carlo/Gregory shows what's possible for a human being who (acts as if he) was entirely free, Toomey shows how life can equally well be understood as nothing more than one contingent event after another (e.g., he 'accidentally' saves Goebbels' life). At the center of all this is a miracle performed by Carlo/Gregory, and the question arises there, too: how much credit does he deserve?
In addition to all this kind of thing Burgess piles on the laughs with groan-worthy puns, literary in-jokes (Toomey meets many of modernism's most important figures, despite being decidedly unmodernist), and occasional thoughts on the unreliability of memory and therefore of first person narrations... like that of Earthly Powers, which of course twists history in important ways to show something like the truth of the twentieth century.
Burgess's prose is clever, sometimes excessively so, and sometimes pointlessly. But I'd far rather read that than yet more sub-Hemingwayan blandishments for the undemanding reader.
For some reason, this stays with me: "He had a compassionate face: he would be compassionate while supervising human liquidation: this liquidates me more than it does you."
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there were such restrictions on currency movement). These two problems almost, almost destroy the book's excellent qualities. But then it more or less comes together. The narrator's friend, Carlo Campanati, is the intellectual center of the novel. He will be elected after Pius XII, as Pope Gregory, in place of the real world's John XXIII and Paul VI. He is, more or less, semi-Pelagian, obsessed with ecumenism, and insists on dragging the church into modernity; he's also charmingly human, stands against fascism and is an orphan. In the middle of the book, he asks the narrator to publish a book of ecumenism and semi-Pelagian theology under the narrator's name, and 'Earthly Powers' then becomes an extended meditation on freedom, predestination, grace and how much or how little human beings can contribute to their own salvation.
All of which is enough for me, but those of you who don't revel in obscure theological controversies (or even fairly well known ones) might prefer to think about this through the narrator, Kenneth Toomey, and his sexuality: he insists that he didn't 'choose' to be gay. If he didn't choose his sexuality, however, that's ipso facto evidence against the freedom that his friend the Pope insists (against the traditional doctrines of the church) we possess. Toomey wanders through the twentieth century, generally doing things despite himself. So whereas Carlo/Gregory shows what's possible for a human being who (acts as if he) was entirely free, Toomey shows how life can equally well be understood as nothing more than one contingent event after another (e.g., he 'accidentally' saves Goebbels' life). At the center of all this is a miracle performed by Carlo/Gregory, and the question arises there, too: how much credit does he deserve?
In addition to all this kind of thing Burgess piles on the laughs with groan-worthy puns, literary in-jokes (Toomey meets many of modernism's most important figures, despite being decidedly unmodernist), and occasional thoughts on the unreliability of memory and therefore of first person narrations... like that of Earthly Powers, which of course twists history in important ways to show something like the truth of the twentieth century.
Burgess's prose is clever, sometimes excessively so, and sometimes pointlessly. But I'd far rather read that than yet more sub-Hemingwayan blandishments for the undemanding reader.
For some reason, this stays with me: "He had a compassionate face: he would be compassionate while supervising human liquidation: this liquidates me more than it does you."
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LibraryThing member robfwalter
In a way this book serves as an indictment of the last thirty years of gay literature. If a story could be published in 1980 featuring a man who was openly gay from World War One right through the rest of his life, why are we still subjected to so many narratives in which characters spend most or
As well as courage, this book is full of wit, style, insightful characterisation and intellectual challenge. It's something of a shame that a portion of this intellectual challenge failed to really engage me as it focuses on questions regarding the role of the Catholic church, Christianity and religion in the modern world. As an atheist born and raised, I am comfortable with my answers to these questions (none, none and none), but I did find stimulation in many other ideas relating to family, sexuality, art and purpose.
The reader is effortlessly and repeatedly charmed and then pushed back to arms length using all of the tools of the postmodern first person narrator. This is a finely balanced and dangerous trick, of course, and while passages of this book are absolutely wonderful - simultaneously playful and affecting - there are also some passages that I found flat, unnecessary or irrelevant, particularly in the latter half of the book. It is definitely at its best in the first third when the story is at its most preposterous and the narrator is at his most combative and frank.
This will go on the list of my favourite four star books - not quite sublime, but dearly loved.
Oh, and without wanting to sound pedantic, the Amazon Kindle edition of this book is a bit of a dog's breakfast. It has clearly been scanned from the text and many of the mistakes of the software remain (joining "ci" and "cl" into d, so that I'm not sure you ever see "clothes", only "dothes"; extraneous commas that the author could never have intended; etc). The consequence of this is that a reader is never quite sure whether an irregularity (eg. two words joined together) is for stylistic reasons or just as a result of technology failure.
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all of their time in the closet? Although not all writers can be expected to have the courage of Burgess, I look forward to the day when gay writers move on from regarding coming out as the peak gay experience.As well as courage, this book is full of wit, style, insightful characterisation and intellectual challenge. It's something of a shame that a portion of this intellectual challenge failed to really engage me as it focuses on questions regarding the role of the Catholic church, Christianity and religion in the modern world. As an atheist born and raised, I am comfortable with my answers to these questions (none, none and none), but I did find stimulation in many other ideas relating to family, sexuality, art and purpose.
The reader is effortlessly and repeatedly charmed and then pushed back to arms length using all of the tools of the postmodern first person narrator. This is a finely balanced and dangerous trick, of course, and while passages of this book are absolutely wonderful - simultaneously playful and affecting - there are also some passages that I found flat, unnecessary or irrelevant, particularly in the latter half of the book. It is definitely at its best in the first third when the story is at its most preposterous and the narrator is at his most combative and frank.
This will go on the list of my favourite four star books - not quite sublime, but dearly loved.
Oh, and without wanting to sound pedantic, the Amazon Kindle edition of this book is a bit of a dog's breakfast. It has clearly been scanned from the text and many of the mistakes of the software remain (joining "ci" and "cl" into d, so that I'm not sure you ever see "clothes", only "dothes"; extraneous commas that the author could never have intended; etc). The consequence of this is that a reader is never quite sure whether an irregularity (eg. two words joined together) is for stylistic reasons or just as a result of technology failure.
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LibraryThing member simplicimus
This novel is considered a forgotten masterpiece by many. Maybe it's because of my lack of erudition, but I simply found it slightly contrived and exceedingly boring.
LibraryThing member therebelprince
In 2019 and beyond, you will either like Burgess or you will very much not like Burgess. I tire easily of many of the verbose old anti-establishment-but-really-part-of-the-establishment white men of late 20th century fiction (Amis, for instance, sometimes Roth, even Pynchon). But then there are
Still, I am a member of my generation, and can't fully pretend that the length and precocity of the novel are justified! A piece of worth, but which nevertheless has been overvalued.
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others like Mailer whom I adore. Burgess must fit into the latter category.Still, I am a member of my generation, and can't fully pretend that the length and precocity of the novel are justified! A piece of worth, but which nevertheless has been overvalued.
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Subjects
Awards
Booker Prize (Longlist — 1980)
Prix Baudelaire (1981)
Meilleur livre étranger (1981)
Yorkshire Post Book Award (1980)
Language
Original publication date
1980
Physical description
706 p.; 6.8 inches
ISBN
0380569035 / 9780380569038
Local notes
OCLC = 1967
Other editions
Earthly powers / Anthony Burgess by Anthony (1917-1993) Burgess (Hardcover)