Patrick McGrath

[Stewart]

Patrick McGrath (born February 7, 1950, London) is a British novelist whose work has been categorized as gothic fiction. He is married to actress Maria Aitken and lives in New York City.

His fiction is principally characterised by the first person unreliable narrator, and recurring subject matter in his work includes mental illness, repressed homosexuality and adulterous relationships.

BIBLIOGRAPHY


Blood and Water and Other Tales (1989) [short stories]
The Grotesque (1989)
Spider (1990)
Dr Haggard's Disease (1993)
Asylum (1996)
Martha Peake: A Novel of the Revolution (2000)
Port Mungo (2004)
Ghost Town: Tales of Manhattan Then and Now (2005) [short stories]
Trauma (2008)

RELATED THREADS


The Grotesque (http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/european-literature/2879-patrick-mcgrath-grotesque.html)
Dr. Haggard's Disease (http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/european-literature/2880-patrick-mcgrath-dr-haggards-disease.html)

RELATED LINKS


Patrick McGrath on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_McGrath)
Patrick McGrath (http://www.bloomsbury.com/authors/microsite.asp?id=588) (Bloomsbury Author Page)
Interview with Patrick McGrath (http://theasylum.wordpress.com/2008/04/04/patrick-mcgrath-interview/) (from Asylum (http://theasylum.wordpress.com/))

[Stewart]

My first experience of McGrath was watching David Cronenberg's adaption of Spider, starring Ralph Fiennes. Then, on another forum, I picked up the McGrath bug - so much praise had to add up to something, and so I tried Dr Haggard's Disease, which is now one of my favourite books of all time. Sadly, it's out of print.

I've read The Grotesque, too, his first novel and while I enjoyed it, it didn't incite the sheer joy Dr Haggard's Disease did. And recently, his new novel Trauma was released in the UK (having been out in the States for a few months before) and I enjoyed that, even if I could see where this unreliable narrator was going.

What's interesting, I think, is that a number of his novels have been adapted for film (The Grotesque, Spider, and Asylum) - not interesting in itself, but because his fiction is all first person narrators who you wouldn't trust as far as you could throw them.

[john h]

I'm surprised no one has responded to this post as McGrath is very, very good. For me, "Asylum" is his best. I also liked "The Grotesque" and his most recent, "Trauma". What I like most about his stuff is the psychological slant. It all seems to come from a very deep place.

[saliotthomas]

I agree with you completly John, two third in Asylium and find it a remarquable piece of work.
It remind me of Anna Karenina in the spiral of unfaithfullness and passion that drive a woman,first out of her familly life then society and out of her mind.
Both Anna and Stella are strong and attractive women that we first admire then despise and pity.
I love the classic setting, the logic in this madness, the cold and fatalistic constrution of novel.
Another authors to add to my read all list.

[Loki]

While reading Asylum, more than once Madame Bovary instead came to my mind.


Has anyone read his short stories (Blood and Water)?
I thing my next McGrath will be either Spider or Dr Haggard's Disease.