Wells hosts tribute to Mervyn Peake

AN evening featuring the life and work of artist, writer and poet Mervyn Peake takes place in Wells later this month.The Granary Theatre in Staithe Street will host a talk by his son Sebastian, presented by poetry group Poetry-next-the-sea, which takes place at 7.

AN evening featuring the life and work of artist, writer and poet Mervyn Peake takes place in Wells later this month.

The Granary Theatre in Staithe Street will host a talk by his son Sebastian, presented by poetry group Poetry-next-the-sea, which takes place at 7.30pm on Thursday, January 29.

Peak (1911-1968), artist, illustrator, writer and poet is famous for his Gormenghast trilogy of novels. Son Sebastian Peake is giving an illustrated talk about a true 20th century original. Tickets cost �7 and can be booked in advance by phoning 01328 855545, or purchased on the door.

Carcanet Press published Peake's Collected Poems last year , marking the 40th anniversary of his death. The poems reveal him as a compelling poet, passionately engaged with current events, from unemployment in the 1930s to the horrors of the London Blitz.

Peake was also a fine artist, and an illustrator of his own writing, and that of others. As an illustrator, his range extended from drawings for children's books, to the images produced for the Gormenghast trilogy.

The talk is part of Poetry-next-the-Sea's programme of literary events.