The Caves of Alienation (Library of Wales)

The life of well-known writer Michael Caradock has ended violently on an isolated Welsh island. The circumstances of his death are mysterious, but then his whole life and work are subjects of controversy. Are his work and death connected, and if so, on what level? In The Caves of Alienation, first published in 1977, Stuart Evans, displays the accomplished hand of a master craftsman in verse and prose, and produces a Welsh novel of outstanding technical brilliance and intellectual power. The Caves of Alienation is a story of unfolding revelation about the difficult, fascinating character of Caradock. His family made their fortune from the industry of Wales, but his cosseted childhood in the Welsh valleys only fuelled his desire to leave, and his efforts to escape are explored through the multi- voiced narrative. Then there are his crucial first encounters with sex, his literary success in London and his final withdrawal to Wales. But it is the riveting manner of the telling which gives The Caves of Alienation its virtuosity. It is told from a variety of viewpoints, some conflicting, all interrelated. Friends and enemies, literary rivals, lovers, critics, the official biography even television and radio documentaries jostle each other in the narrative with their own (sometimes feigning) fragments of truth. All this makes for an exhilarating, kaleidoscopic read, funny and profound by turns, yet never flinching in its portrayal of Caradock and his deepest preoccupations. The phrase tour de force is a tired one, but it has seldom been more justified than in the case of this exceptional novel. A story of unfolding revelation, this multi-voiced narrative examines the difficult, fascinating character of Caradock, whose family made its fortune from the industry of Wales, but whose childhood in the Welsh valleys only fueled his desire to leave. Chronicling his efforts to escape, the novel recalls his crucial first encounters with sex, his literary success in London, and his final withdrawal to Wales. Told from a variety of viewpointssome conflicting, all interrelatedthe narrative shifts from friends and enemies, literary rivals, and lovers to critics and even television and radio documentaries, all of which juggle fragments of truth. Caradock's own novels and essays play a vital part in the story. All this makes for an exhilarating, kaleidoscopic read, funny and profound by turns, yet never flinching in its portrayal of Caradock and his deepest preoccupations. Presents the story of Michael Caradock, a writer whose life has ended violently on an isolated Welsh island. This book follows his protected Welsh childhood, his crucial first encounters with sex, his literary success in London and his final withdrawal to Wales. Foreword......Page 11 1......Page 19 2......Page 60 3......Page 123 4......Page 178 5......Page 240 6......Page 301 7......Page 356 8......Page 424 9......Page 485 10......Page 523 APPENDIX: Detailed Synopsis of Caradock’s Work......Page 582