The Scapegoat
Published on 5. October 2017
Book
Paperback/Softback
124 pages
978-1-5098-5583-4 (ISBN)
Description
When Duncan Cameron's mother dies, he is sent to live with his Uncle Gerald on a remote farm in Kent. What follows is a hypnotic tale of psychological suspense as this boy on the cusp of manhood enters his only living relative's ultra-masculine world of; a dark, erotically charged landscape in an England teetering on the brink of the Second World War.
Originally published in 1948, The Scapegoat was Jocelyn Brooke's first novel and, as with many of his other works, occupies a fascinating space between fiction and autobiography. Described by novelist Peter Cameron as 'almost unbelievably subversive and kinky', this unjustly neglected classic of gay fiction offers a quiet depiction of a childhood adrift in silence and despair, and a beautifully wrought exploration of masculinity.
"He is subtle as the devil" - John Betjeman
"Jocelyn Brooke is a great writer. . . . If you care enough for literature, seek out The Scapegoat" - Elizabeth Bowen
"It could not have been written more delicately or sensitively" - Sean O'Faolian
"Exceptionally well-written"- Desmond MacCarthy
Originally published in 1948, The Scapegoat was Jocelyn Brooke's first novel and, as with many of his other works, occupies a fascinating space between fiction and autobiography. Described by novelist Peter Cameron as 'almost unbelievably subversive and kinky', this unjustly neglected classic of gay fiction offers a quiet depiction of a childhood adrift in silence and despair, and a beautifully wrought exploration of masculinity.
"He is subtle as the devil" - John Betjeman
"Jocelyn Brooke is a great writer. . . . If you care enough for literature, seek out The Scapegoat" - Elizabeth Bowen
"It could not have been written more delicately or sensitively" - Sean O'Faolian
"Exceptionally well-written"- Desmond MacCarthy
Reviews / Votes
He is subtle as the devil -- John Betjeman Exceptionally well-written -- Desmond MacCarthy It could not have been written more delicately or sensitively -- Sean O'Faolian The author succeeds brilliantly in his task of creating an atmosphere of intense imaginative unease * The Listener * I can think of few books that are as erotically and dramatically charged -- Peter Cameron Jocelyn Brooke is a great writer. . . . If you care enough for literature, seek out The Scapegoat. -- Elizabeth Bowen Brooke marked out his magical, personal kingdom, different from any other writer -- Anthony PowellMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pan Macmillan
Target group
Interest Age: From 18 years
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 133 mm
Thickness: 7 mm
Weight
151 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5098-5583-4 (9781509855834)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Jocelyn Brooke was born in 1908 on the south coast and educated at Bedales and Worcester College, Oxford. He worked in London for a while, then in the family wine-merchants in Folkestone, Kent. In 1939, Brooke enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and reenlisted after the war as a Regular. The critical success of The Military Orchid (1948), the first volume of his autobiographical Orchid trilogy, provided the opportunity to buy himself out, and he immediately settled down to write, publishing some fifteen titles between 1948 and 1955, including the successive volumes of the trilogy, A Mine of Serpents (1949) and The Goose Cathedral (1950). His other published work includes two volumes of poetry, the novels The Image of a Drawn Sword (1950) and The Dog at Clambercrown (1955), as well as some technical works on botany. A perceptive reviewer, Brooke wrote critiques of Aldous Huxley, Elizabeth Bowen, Ronald Firbank, and John Betjeman. He also introduced and edited the journals and published works of Denton Welch. Jocelyn Brooke died in 1966.