Possession: a romance (Everyman’s Library Contemporary Classics)

Very happy to receive the book. Excellent condition, as always.

One of the best contemporary literary novels one should definitely have read. it demands constant attention, it attracts literary quest, it offers the reader everything meaningful literature should offer. No need to comment on this majestic, fully enjoyable achievement. It should be read along with the books of the great masters like Henry James or Tolstoi, or Nabokov…!

This is a complex, beautiful and wonderfully written book. It is a long read but one that amply rewards the reader. This is amongst the very best pieces of work that I have come across.

I read this after watching the film version. The book itself which is a Folio society edition is beautifully made, although as someone who buys quite a lot of Folio Society books, I didn't find the illustrations in this one quite up to scratch, when comparing with the Jane Austen ones etc.. It isn't the easiest of reads, as there are huge sections of prose/poetry which some may find difficult as it does rather interrupt the flow of the story. Overall, I found the film more enjoyable than the book - to be honest, the best bit is the "Postscript 1868", which forms the very last three pages of a very long book - sorry, a bit too self-indulgent on the author's part for my liking, but it is ok!

Roland Michell is a researcher investigating the work of (fictional) Victorian poet Randolph Ash. In a library he happens upon some correspondence from Ash to a lady, whom he believes to be the (fictional) poet Christabel LaMotte. The fictional poets are loosely based on Robert Browning and Christina Rossetti.Roland pursues the subject from library to stately home, hoping to achieve an academic scoop before rival researcher Mortimer Cropper—who also pursues a literary-research relationship with Beatrice Nest—beats him to it. Roland collaborates with Maud Bailey, some relative of Christabel’s. The blossoming relationship between Roland and Maud parallels that of Ash and Christabel.Christabel is described as ‘generic Victorian lady, specific shy poetess’. She wore ‘emerald green boots’ and had ‘a hint of greenness’ in her hair, drawing a poetic comparison to the fishy-serpent-fairy Melusina, about whom she wrote an epic poem. Her poetry had apparently been received differently by subsequent generations of feminists—‘swing skirted and lipsticked in the 50s, miniskirted and trailing Indian cotton in the 60s, black-lipped under pre-Raphaelite hairbrushes in the 70s’. There is much imagery of Nimue bewitching Merlin under the hawthorn, entrapped females, ladies sleeping enchanted in glass coffins, ladies enveloped by waves.Roland and Maud discover that Ash’s and Christabel’s affair drove Christabel’s companion-maybe-lover Blanche Glover to suicide and resulted in a lovechild Ash never knew about.This Booker winner is considered a work of ‘postmodern literature’, categorised as ‘historiographic metafiction’, combining historical fiction with metafiction (which continually reminds the audience to be aware they are reading a fictional work). As such it uses frequent allusions to other artistic, historical and literary texts. There are entire chapters consisting only of Ash’s and Christabel’s wordy, erudite correspondence and other entire chapters of poems or journal entries.‘There’s a reference to almost everything in Randolph Ash, sooner or later’ is said about the fictional poet’s work, which I feel goes for Byatt’s work, too. This is--and I have been looking for one, after a slew of easy-read who-dunnits—a thoroughly grown-up book. It was very hard to get into; I’ve tried off and on to start reading it over a space of three years (and I confess, I skipped over the poems). In this quick-swipe, dumbed-down day and age, it’s hard to devote such a block of time as is required to read such a meaty work. We’ve got to keep trying, lest we forget how.

"Possession" is far above and beyond the kind of books usually labelled "romance" -- most of those are just sleazy fantasy fodder.Instead, A.S. Byatt's magnum opus is a tantalizing ode to both art and romantic love, without being too obvious about either one -- it's lushly written, with exquisite characters, great poetry and interweavings of legend and myth. In fact, it's almost the opposite of typical romance, almost chastely erotic, mysterious and dripping over with what simmers under Victorian repression.A young scholar, Roland, stumbles accidently on an old letter from acclaimed poet Randolph Ash. He soon has reason to believe that the letter was to Christabel La Monte, a lesser-known "fairy" poet -- except Ash was happily married, and La Monte was single all her life. Roland and the chilly fellow scholar Maud investigate caches of hidden letters, poems, and diaries by the lovers, wife, friends and relatives.In the past, the cordial letters of Christabel and Randolph blossomed into love and passion. They vanished for a short, blissful time together. But what happened to Christabel and Randolph's love, and why did Christabel leave England, while her lesbian companion Blanche committed suicide? And how do these events somehow involve Roland and Maude's own growing attachment?They say the pen is mightier than the sword, and in "Possession" it's a valuable historical tool. When words are hidden or read, it can change perceptions, attitudes and even lives. Byatt's own words are wonderfully lush, dreamy and vivid -- given the rather formal language and writing, it almost seems like a nineteenth-century novel, as if Byatt got so swept up in the characters that she started writing like them.In fact, Byatt has an excellent eye for the language of the era, crafting letters, poetry and fiction that have a very authentic feel. Byatt even manages to change style for different people's writing (Christabel's poetry was a bit reminiscent of Emily Dickenson's). The only problem is when the book veers into long tangents; Byatt seems to get a little off-track at times. But most of the time, the richness of Breton legend adds depth and mystery to an already beautiful novel. The sunken city of Is, the legend of Melusina, and many others are here.Byatt gives us an amazing look at the ill-fated lovers, Christabel and Randolph; you can feel their passion and love. They aren't just attracted to each other, but drawn together in the mind and spirit. The supporting characters, such as the artist Blanche and devoted, wistful Ellen Ash, are equally well-drawn; you can't dislike any of them. Roland and Maud seem a little anemic by comparison, but they are still compelling characters, caught up in a love affair from over a hundred years ago."Possession" is the kind of genuine, heartwrenching romance that you don't see much of -- meetings of minds, genuine passion and love. It's a beautiful thing, and something to be deeply treasured.

Una muy buena edición de este ya clásico contemporáneo. Por un buen precio ( 2ª mano, que no era tal en realidad), puedo disfrutar de esta cuidada edición en inglés, por esta editorial de solera.

Time, feeling and rolling as you NEVERMIND.

Several layers of Possession. Wonderful poetry and short stories within the main tale. delighted with the "redemptive" parts...