The Vodi (1959)
John Braine
With a new introduction by Janine Utell
Book Description
As a child, Dick Corvey discovered the existence of the Vodi, a race of ferret-faced creatures with luminous eyes responsible for all the misfortune and suffering in the world. Now fully grown, Dick lies in a sanitorium, suffering from untreatable tuberculosis. Unable to leave his hospital bed and convinced that the Vodi will win its ultimate triumph with his fast-approaching death, he spends his time remembering the many failures in his life that have led him to this point. But when an attractive nurse, Evelyn Mallaton, is transferred to Dick’s ward and takes an interest in his recovery, Dick begins to believe in the possibility of regaining his health and defeating the Vodi once and for all. . . .
The hero of John Braine’s smash bestseller Room at the Top (1957) was a man determined to succeed at all costs; in his second novel, The Vodi (1959), Braine depicted a very different type of character: a man who seems resigned to failure. This edition of The Vodi, which M. John Harrison has called “the defining moment of an as-yet-unreported genre, kitchen sink gothic,” is the first-ever American reprint of the novel and includes a new introduction by Janine Utell.
John Braine
With a new introduction by Janine Utell
Book Description
As a child, Dick Corvey discovered the existence of the Vodi, a race of ferret-faced creatures with luminous eyes responsible for all the misfortune and suffering in the world. Now fully grown, Dick lies in a sanitorium, suffering from untreatable tuberculosis. Unable to leave his hospital bed and convinced that the Vodi will win its ultimate triumph with his fast-approaching death, he spends his time remembering the many failures in his life that have led him to this point. But when an attractive nurse, Evelyn Mallaton, is transferred to Dick’s ward and takes an interest in his recovery, Dick begins to believe in the possibility of regaining his health and defeating the Vodi once and for all. . . .
The hero of John Braine’s smash bestseller Room at the Top (1957) was a man determined to succeed at all costs; in his second novel, The Vodi (1959), Braine depicted a very different type of character: a man who seems resigned to failure. This edition of The Vodi, which M. John Harrison has called “the defining moment of an as-yet-unreported genre, kitchen sink gothic,” is the first-ever American reprint of the novel and includes a new introduction by Janine Utell.
reviews
“A gifted and skilled writer . . . His prose is at its best extremely vivid.” - Richard Hoggart, The Guardian
“Triumphantly underlines the point that Room at the Top was no flash-in-the-pan. He alone, of the generation that has achieved celebrity in the last five years, is a genuine novelist in the great tradition.” - Yorkshire Post
“A valid and important human situation . . . The book is vivid with the characteristic Braine sights and smells.” - Kenneth Allsop, Daily Mail
“The work of a real writer.” – Peter Green, The Telegraph
“Once again Mr. Braine shows his great capacity for a tearaway narrative, for crisp dialogue and stark emotion . . . The Vodi increases his stature.” – London Times
“Triumphantly underlines the point that Room at the Top was no flash-in-the-pan. He alone, of the generation that has achieved celebrity in the last five years, is a genuine novelist in the great tradition.” - Yorkshire Post
“A valid and important human situation . . . The book is vivid with the characteristic Braine sights and smells.” - Kenneth Allsop, Daily Mail
“The work of a real writer.” – Peter Green, The Telegraph
“Once again Mr. Braine shows his great capacity for a tearaway narrative, for crisp dialogue and stark emotion . . . The Vodi increases his stature.” – London Times
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BOOK DETAILS
ISBN: 1939140404 ISBN-13: 978-1939140401 $15.99 US, 222 pp. Trade paper Published 2013 |
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Due to copyright restrictions, this title is only available to U.S. customers. |
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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
John Gerard Braine was born in Bradford, Yorkshire in 1922. He sprang to immediate fame in 1957 with publication of his first novel, Room at the Top, which was a critical success and a major bestseller in England and America and was adapted for the screen in an Oscar-winning 1959 film starring Simone Signoret and Laurence Harvey. His second novel, The Vodi (1959), met with mixed reviews and a disappointing reception, but was Braine’s favourite of his own works. His next book, Life at the Top (1962), a sequel to Room at the Top, sold well and was filmed in 1965.
Braine, who was commonly associated with what the British media dubbed the ‘Angry Young Men’ movement of working-class writers disenchanted with the traditional British class system, continued writing until his death in 1986, though as of 2013, all his works were out of print. Recently, there has been renewed interest in Braine’s work, with Valancourt Books’ reissues of Room at the Top and The Vodi, and a 2012 BBC miniseries adaptation of Room at the Top.
Braine, who was commonly associated with what the British media dubbed the ‘Angry Young Men’ movement of working-class writers disenchanted with the traditional British class system, continued writing until his death in 1986, though as of 2013, all his works were out of print. Recently, there has been renewed interest in Braine’s work, with Valancourt Books’ reissues of Room at the Top and The Vodi, and a 2012 BBC miniseries adaptation of Room at the Top.