Dunbar (novel)

Dunbar is a 2017 novel by British novelist Edward St Aubyn. A modern retelling of William Shakespeare's King Lear, the novel was commissioned as part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series.

Dunbar
First edition (UK)
AuthorEdward St Aubyn
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
PublisherHogarth Press
ISBN978-1101904305

Conception, development, and writing

The novel retells the Shakespeare play King Lear as part of the Hogarth Shakespeare project.[1] When his agent approached Hogarth about St Aubyn participating in the project, St Aubyn was between novels.[2] He was allowed to choose which of Shakespeare's plays he wanted to adapt from the group of plays not yet adapted by other authors.[2] The "Lear" character of the novel, Henry Dunbar, founded a media conglomerate; St Aubyn felt someone rooted in the "permafrost of power" would make a better analogue to a king than a temporarily elected official.[3] St Aubyn has denied the character has a basis in reality, saying he was not based on Rupert Murdoch, Sumner Redstone, or Donald Trump.[2]

St Aubyn began revisiting King Lear by watching Peter Brook 1971 film adaptation.[4] At the outset of writing the book, St Aubyn experienced some anxiety about the project, which abated as he continued working.[2] St Aubyn wrote the book at home, as opposed to cafés, as he had earlier works.[3] When he began writing the novel's conclusion, St Aubyn was not sure how he would end the book, but knew he wanted to avoid a happy ending as found in Nahum Tate's The History of King Lear.[2]

Reception

Critical reception

Sophie Gilbert's review in The Atlantic praised the novel, highlighting a perceived connection between St Aubyn's personal life and the subject matter of King Lear as well as the dialogue.[5] Writing for NPR, Annalisa Quinn compared the novel favorably to other entries in the Hogarth series.[6]

Dunbar received a more critical review in the Chicago Review of Books. Critic Greg Zimmerman compared it less favorably to other Hogarth books, referring to it as a "solid if not spectacular entry in the...series".[7]

References
  1. Dickson, Andrew (27 October 2017). "Dunbar by Edward St Aubyn — 'King Lear' with added gall". The Financial Times. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  2. Alter, Alexandra (28 September 2017). "Edward St. Aubyn on the Challenge of Reimagining Shakespeare (Published 2017)". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  3. Derbyshire, Jonathan (20 October 2017). "Edward St Aubyn on fiction and the complexity of truth". The Financial Times. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  4. "Edward St. Aubyn: Dunbar". Folger Shakespeare Library. 1 November 2017.
  5. Gilbert, Sophie (10 October 2017). "King Lear Is a Media Mogul in 'Dunbar'". The Atlantic. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  6. Quinn, Annalisa (5 October 2017). "'Dunbar' Is A Moving, Brutal And Apt Update Of 'King Lear'". NPR.org. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  7. Zimmerman, Greg (19 October 2017). "In 'Dunbar,' King Lear is a Media Mogul". Chicago Review of Books. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
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