He was a man who claimed allegiance solely to his ship. Yet at the same time, he would describe in his novels and memoirs those ennobling events of the sea "that show in the light of day the inner worth of a man."įor Conrad, McFee ("The Son of the Commodore"), Tomlinson ("Gallions Reach") and Hughes ("In Hazard"), the mariner in the proper conduct of his profession was a moral man, a man of rectitude or of virtue whose withdrawal from humanity was the essence of seafaring. Conrad, for instance, in such masterpieces as "Typhoon" and "The Shadow Line," sketched a grim psychological portrait of seafaring's solitude and isolation - symbols of what he took to be the wider tragedy of existence. Tomlinson and Hughes had once held clerical jobs in tramp freighters.Īs writers, the four shared a mastery of spare, ironic, lucid prose that offered a harsh, unblinking vision of man's relationship to the sea. In one capacity or another, all had worked in ships: Conrad as mate and master in sail McFee as chief engineer in steam. And chief among its greatest modern practitioners were the late 19th and early 20th century British authors Joseph Conrad, William McFee, H.M. In its classic form it demands detachment, economy of language and a refusal to romanticize.
The novel of the sea is a peculiar literary institution. This edition is part of a new commemorative series of Ballard’s works, featuring introductions from a number of his admirers (including Robert Macfarlane, Martin Amis, James Lever and Ali Smith) and brand-new cover designs.By Carsten Jensen translated from the Danish by Charlotte Barslund with Emma Ryder ( Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 678 pages $28) While the submerged streets of London are drained in search of treasure, Dr Robert Kerans – part of a group of intrepid scientists – comes to accept this submarine city and finds himself strangely resistant to the idea of saving it.įirst published in 1962, Ballard’s mesmerising and ferociously imaginative novel gained him widespread critical acclaim and established his reputation as one of Britain’s finest writers of science fiction. Some flee the capital others remain to pursue reckless schemes, either in the name of science or profit. London is a swamp lush tropical vegetation grows up the walls of the Ritz and primeval reptiles are sighted, swimming through the newly-formed lagoons.
When London is lost beneath the rising tides, unconscious desires rush to the surface in this apocalyptic tale from the author of ‘Crash’ and ‘Empire of the Sun’, reissued here with a new introduction from Martin Amis.įluctuations in solar radiation have melted the ice caps, sending the planet into a new Triassic Age of unendurable heat.
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