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Fowlers End: Gerald Kersh's Comic Masterpiece
"One of the great comic novels of the century." - Anthony Burgess
Set in the bleakest corner of London during the Great Depression, Fowlers End delivers a Rabelaisian comedy that has earned its place among the finest English novels of the 20th century. Gerald Kersh's 1957 masterwork combines the grotesque humor of Dickens with the satirical edge of The Beggar's Opera, creating an unforgettable portrait of desperation, cunning, and revenge.
The Story
Daniel Laverock, starving and nearly penniless, accepts the only job available: managing the Pantheon Theater, a dilapidated silent cinema in Fowlers End, one of London's most godforsaken neighborhoods. His employer, Sam Yudenow, initially appears to be an amusing old fool but reveals himself as an incorrigible swindler and one of English literature's great comic grotesques. When Yudenow's schemes cross the line, Laverock and his co-worker Copper Baldwin devise their own grand plan to teach him a lesson, with hilarious and unpredictable consequences.
Critical Acclaim
"[A]n exuberant romp with a parcel of grotesques in a truly horrible nor'-nor'-easterly suburb of London . . . great fun." - Manchester Guardian
"Rabelaisian, vigorous, readable, inventive and bizarre." - Simon Raven
"The very best of his works." - Harlan Ellison
About This Edition
This Valancourt Books edition features an introduction by award-winning novelist and longtime Kersh admirer Michael Moorcock. Published in paperback format, it brings this underground classic back to readers who appreciate dark comedy, social satire, and literary fiction that captures the essence of mid-century London.
Why Read Fowlers End?
Gerald Kersh (1911-1968) crafted a novel that remains one of the funniest works of English fiction and one of the best books ever written about London. With echoes of Rabelais and Dickens, Fowlers End offers vigorous prose, inventive plotting, and memorable characters that have made it a cult classic among readers who value sharp social observation wrapped in irresistible humor.
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