Mervyn Laurence Peake was a highly talented English modernist writer, artist, poet, and illustrator. He is best known for his series of books, often referred to as the "Gormenghast books," although the more accurate title would be the "Titus books," as they follow the life of the protagonist Titus Groan from his cradle to his grave. Unfortunately, Peake's untimely death prevented him from completing the cycle, which is now commonly but mistakenly referred to as a trilogy.
Peake's surreal fiction was influenced by his early love for Charles Dickens and Robert Louis Stevenson, rather than the studies of mythology and philology of his older contemporary, J.R.R. Tolkien. In addition to his Titus books, Peake wrote poetry, literary nonsense in verse form, short stories for adults and children, stage and radio plays, and the novel "Mr Pye," which features a tightly-structured narrative and a protagonist with evangelical pretensions and a cosy world-view.
Peake first gained recognition as a painter and illustrator during the 1930s and 1940s when he lived in London. He was commissioned to produce portraits of well-known people, and a collection of these drawings is still in the possession of his family. Although Peake gained little popular success during his lifetime, his work was highly respected by his peers, and he counted Dylan Thomas and Graham Greene among his friends. Peake's works are now included in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery and the Imperial War Museum.