The Late Hector Kipling
Encyclopedia
The Late Hector Kipling is a novel written by English actor David Thewlis
. The book was released in the UK in hardback on September 7, 2007 and released on paperback July 4, 2008. In the US the book was released (hardback version) November 6, 2007.
in London with one of his best friends and fellow artists, Lenny Snook, he breaks down upon seeing a Munch
, which Lenny explains as Stendhal Syndrome
. Several days later he visits his parents in his native Blackpool
with his Greek
girlfriend Eleni. Eleni is four days late, but when she and Hector have sex on the settee that night, she bleeds through, leaving a large stain on it.
Another of Hector's closest friends and also an artist, Kirk Church, is found to have a brain tumor
. Hector finds himself longing for someone close to him to die, because that would mean that Hector, as one left behind, would receive much sympathy
. When Eleni's mother Sofia is in a kitchen accident -- being burned with boiling fat and falling into the resulting fire -- Eleni heads for Crete
. Hector and Eleni are in a fight shortly before this, because Hector makes the implication that he would be glad if Sofia dies. He denies this, though, because if Eleni's mother would die, Eleni would be the one to receive all the sympathy.
Meanwhile, Hector's own father has ended up in hospital as well: Hector's mother Connie threw away the blood-stained settee and bought a second-hand one out of the paper for 850 pounds. The new settee smells of cigarette smoke and this, combined with the amount of money spent on it, is too much for Hector's father to take.
During an open poetry night at a café, Hector's eye falls on an American punk poet named Rosa Flood. The two meet again during the opening of an exhibition of Hector's large head paintings. At that exhibition, an assailant badly damages Hector's paining "God Bolton", which depicts Hector's previous neighbour Godfrey Bolton shortly after his suicide by hanging
. Rosa takes Hector home to comfort him and the two end up having sex.
The assailant meets up with Hector to apologize and introduces himself as Freddie Monger; Godfrey Bolton was Monger's father who severely abused him
. To make up for the damage done he will buy the settee off of Hector's parents' hands without letting them know Hector is behind it, so as to get Hector's father out of hospital. While he does buy the settee with Hector's money, he also robs his parents of 15,000 pounds and kills their pet dog, the remains of which are later found inside the settee.
Eleni makes an unexpected return home and announces her mother has died. She leaves again in anger when she finds Rosa in the bathtub. Monger reveals his father's death wasn't a suicide and says he only wants one thing from Hector: blood. Monger ends up killing Lenny and Rosa, however, when he mistakes Lenny for Hector who was staying at his house. Hector ends up shooting Monger with the latter's gun. He does not call the police, as he yelled out "I will kill you both" to Lenny and Rosa when they left together earlier that night while a policeman stood nearby. Instead, he heads for the Tate Britain
and paints the words "L'acte Surréaliste le plus simple est de marcher dans une peuplée avec un revolver chargé, et de tirer au hasard" on the wall with blood. He hides inside one of Lenny's artworks (a hole in the floor of the museum) for the rest of the night and jumps out in the morning when Brian Sewell
translates the words to mean "The simplest act of surrealism is to walk into a crowded street with a loaded revolver, and open the fire at random." Hector does just that and kills several art critics
who had gathered for the opening of Lenny Snook's exhibition.
From inside Wandsworth Prison Hector relates the rest of events: not only was he charged with killing the art critics, but with killing Rosa and Lenny as well. Hector has decided to let it go. Reactions to his mass murder
are varied, from outright disgust to admiration. Hector's father has died in hospital upon hearing of his son's deeds and his mother has committed suicide by throwing herself in the Irish Sea
. He has never heard from Eleni again and hopes she never learned of what he had done, because then there would be still one person in the world who loves him, even a little bit. In the end, Hector wishes for nothing but something to write with, so that he can write down his story.
David Thewlis
David Thewlis is an English actor of stage and screen. His most commercially successful role to date has been that of Remus Lupin, in the Harry Potter film series...
. The book was released in the UK in hardback on September 7, 2007 and released on paperback July 4, 2008. In the US the book was released (hardback version) November 6, 2007.
Plot summary
Hector Kipling is an artist who is famous for his ovarian paintings of big heads. When visiting the Tate ModernTate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
in London with one of his best friends and fellow artists, Lenny Snook, he breaks down upon seeing a Munch
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, printmaker and an important forerunner of expressionist art. His best-known composition, The Scream, is part of a series The Frieze of Life, in which Munch explored the themes of love, fear, death, melancholia, and anxiety.- Childhood :Edvard Munch...
, which Lenny explains as Stendhal Syndrome
Stendhal syndrome
Stendhal syndrome, Stendhal's syndrome, hyperkulturemia, or Florence syndrome is a psychosomatic illness that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to art, usually when the art is particularly beautiful or a large amount of art...
. Several days later he visits his parents in his native Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
with his Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
girlfriend Eleni. Eleni is four days late, but when she and Hector have sex on the settee that night, she bleeds through, leaving a large stain on it.
Another of Hector's closest friends and also an artist, Kirk Church, is found to have a brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
. Hector finds himself longing for someone close to him to die, because that would mean that Hector, as one left behind, would receive much sympathy
Sympathy
Sympathy is a social affinity in which one person stands with another person, closely understanding his or her feelings. Also known as empathic concern, it is the feeling of compassion or concern for another, the wish to see them better off or happier. Although empathy and sympathy are often used...
. When Eleni's mother Sofia is in a kitchen accident -- being burned with boiling fat and falling into the resulting fire -- Eleni heads for Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
. Hector and Eleni are in a fight shortly before this, because Hector makes the implication that he would be glad if Sofia dies. He denies this, though, because if Eleni's mother would die, Eleni would be the one to receive all the sympathy.
Meanwhile, Hector's own father has ended up in hospital as well: Hector's mother Connie threw away the blood-stained settee and bought a second-hand one out of the paper for 850 pounds. The new settee smells of cigarette smoke and this, combined with the amount of money spent on it, is too much for Hector's father to take.
During an open poetry night at a café, Hector's eye falls on an American punk poet named Rosa Flood. The two meet again during the opening of an exhibition of Hector's large head paintings. At that exhibition, an assailant badly damages Hector's paining "God Bolton", which depicts Hector's previous neighbour Godfrey Bolton shortly after his suicide by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
. Rosa takes Hector home to comfort him and the two end up having sex.
The assailant meets up with Hector to apologize and introduces himself as Freddie Monger; Godfrey Bolton was Monger's father who severely abused him
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
. To make up for the damage done he will buy the settee off of Hector's parents' hands without letting them know Hector is behind it, so as to get Hector's father out of hospital. While he does buy the settee with Hector's money, he also robs his parents of 15,000 pounds and kills their pet dog, the remains of which are later found inside the settee.
Eleni makes an unexpected return home and announces her mother has died. She leaves again in anger when she finds Rosa in the bathtub. Monger reveals his father's death wasn't a suicide and says he only wants one thing from Hector: blood. Monger ends up killing Lenny and Rosa, however, when he mistakes Lenny for Hector who was staying at his house. Hector ends up shooting Monger with the latter's gun. He does not call the police, as he yelled out "I will kill you both" to Lenny and Rosa when they left together earlier that night while a policeman stood nearby. Instead, he heads for the Tate Britain
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...
and paints the words "L'acte Surréaliste le plus simple est de marcher dans une peuplée avec un revolver chargé, et de tirer au hasard" on the wall with blood. He hides inside one of Lenny's artworks (a hole in the floor of the museum) for the rest of the night and jumps out in the morning when Brian Sewell
Brian Sewell
Brian Sewell is an English art critic and media personality. He writes for the London Evening Standard and is noted for artistic conservatism and his acerbic view of the Turner Prize and conceptual art...
translates the words to mean "The simplest act of surrealism is to walk into a crowded street with a loaded revolver, and open the fire at random." Hector does just that and kills several art critics
Art critic
An art critic is a person who specializes in evaluating art. Their written critiques, or reviews, are published in newspapers, magazines, books and on web sites...
who had gathered for the opening of Lenny Snook's exhibition.
From inside Wandsworth Prison Hector relates the rest of events: not only was he charged with killing the art critics, but with killing Rosa and Lenny as well. Hector has decided to let it go. Reactions to his mass murder
Mass murder
Mass murder is the act of murdering a large number of people , typically at the same time or over a relatively short period of time. According to the FBI, mass murder is defined as four or more murders occurring during a particular event with no cooling-off period between the murders...
are varied, from outright disgust to admiration. Hector's father has died in hospital upon hearing of his son's deeds and his mother has committed suicide by throwing herself in the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
. He has never heard from Eleni again and hopes she never learned of what he had done, because then there would be still one person in the world who loves him, even a little bit. In the end, Hector wishes for nothing but something to write with, so that he can write down his story.