Under the Volcano
Encyclopedia
Under the Volcano is a 1947 semi-autobiographical novel by English writer Malcolm Lowry
(1909–57). The novel tells the story of Geoffrey Firmin, an alcoholic British consul in the small Mexican town of Quauhnahuac (the Aztec name of Cuernavaca
), on the Day of the Dead
.
Surrounded by the helpless presences of his ex-wife, his half-brother and acquaintances, he descends into a mescal-soaked purgatory
, moving inexorably towards his tragic fate.
His self-destructiveness reflects a spiritual struggle born of wilful abnegation and passivity, a depressed, existential acquiescence to the futility of positive action.
It was adapted to radio on Studio One in 1947 and made into a film
in 1984. The 1976 Canadian Documentary Volcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry
was nominated for an Academy Award.
The Under the Volcano Festival of Art and Social Change
takes place annually in North Vancouver, British Columbia, in the same location where Malcolm Lowry wrote the novel.
In 1998, the Modern Library
ranked Under the Volcano as number 11 on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.
In 1944, the manuscript was nearly lost in a fire at Lowry's shack in British Columbia. His second wife, Margerie, rescued the unfinished novel, but all of Lowry's other works in progress were lost in the blaze.
The novel as it is recognized today was finally finished in 1945 and immediately sent to many publishers. In late winter, while travelling in Mexico
, Lowry learned the novel had been accepted by two publishing companies: Reynal & Hitchcock in the United States and Jonathan Cape
in the United Kingdom. Following critical reports from readers
, Cape had reservations about publishing and wrote to Lowry on 29 November 1945 asking him to make drastic cuts. Lowry's lengthy reply, dated 2 January 1946, was a passionate defense of the book in which he sensed he had created a work of lasting greatness: "Whether it sells or not seems to me either way a risk. But there is something about the destiny of the creation of the book that seems to tell me it just might go on selling a very long time." The letter includes a detailed summary of the book's key themes and how the author intended each of the 12 chapters to work, and has been included as an introduction in some editions.
There have been many editions of the book since 1947. In 1998 it was rated as number 11 on the list of the 100 best novels of the 20th century
compiled by the Modern Library
. TIME included the novel in its list of "100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present".
living in Quauhnahuac. He is actually an ex-consul, recently resigned due to diplomatic strains between the UK and Mexico in the aftermath of President Lázaro Cárdenas
's 1938 nationalization of the country's oil reserves
. He wants to write a book, but his alcoholism affects all areas of his life, particularly his relationship with his ex-wife Yvonne. She has returned to Mexico after a long absence in order to rekindle their relationship. Hugh Firmin is Geoffrey's half-brother. He visits Mexico to report on fascist activity for the London Globe, and he feels incredibly guilty for not acting in the Spanish Civil War
. There are frequent allusions to an earlier affair between Hugh and Yvonne, which adds to the tension between the three main protagonists.
, allusive, the prose
thick with resonance, and the structure complex, with flashbacks
, abrupt shifts, and a gradual accumulation of information – it is a book that is often cited as needing reading and then rereading, for its pattern and subtleties reveal themselves slowly.
, with Albert Finney
, Jacqueline Bisset
, Anthony Andrews
and Katy Jurado
. It received Oscar nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role
(Albert Finney) and Best Music, Original Score
.
Volcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry (1976) is a National Film Board of Canada documentary produced by Donald Brittain and Robert A. Duncan and directed by Brittain and John Kramer. It opens with the inquest into Lowry's "death by misadventure," and then moves back in time to trace the writer's life. Selections from Lowry's novel are read by Richard Burton
amid images shot in Mexico, the United States, Canada and England.
's song "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
" alludes to the novel.
The novel was the inspiration for the 1974 song "The Consul at Sunset" by Jack Bruce
of Cream
(words by Pete Brown
), as well as for the song "Back Room Of The Bar" by the Young Fresh Fellows
, from their 1987 album The Men Who Loved Music
.
Matthew Good
, a Canadian musician, makes reference to Malcolm Lowry and Under the Volcano in his live album release Live at Massey Hall
in the introduction to his song "I'm a Window".
The Bears
had a song called "Under The Volcano".
Diafana Krina
(Διάφανα Κρίνα, trans. Transparent Lillies), a former greek band, wrote the song "Under the Volcano" which was released on the band's first single, named "Melting Alone/Under the Volcano", in 1994.
Malcolm Lowry
Clarence Malcolm Lowry was an English poet and novelist who was best known for his novel Under the Volcano, which was voted No. 11 in the Modern Library 100 Best Novels list.-Biography:...
(1909–57). The novel tells the story of Geoffrey Firmin, an alcoholic British consul in the small Mexican town of Quauhnahuac (the Aztec name of Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. It was established at the archeological site of Gualupita I by the Olmec, "the mother culture" of Mesoamerica, approximately 3200 years ago...
), on the Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in many cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it attains the quality...
.
Surrounded by the helpless presences of his ex-wife, his half-brother and acquaintances, he descends into a mescal-soaked purgatory
Purgatory
Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven...
, moving inexorably towards his tragic fate.
His self-destructiveness reflects a spiritual struggle born of wilful abnegation and passivity, a depressed, existential acquiescence to the futility of positive action.
It was adapted to radio on Studio One in 1947 and made into a film
Under the Volcano (film)
Under the Volcano is a 1984 film directed in Mexico by John Huston with Albert Finney, Jacqueline Bisset, Anthony Andrews and Katy Jurado heading the cast...
in 1984. The 1976 Canadian Documentary Volcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry
Volcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry
Volcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry is a 1976 Canadian documentary film about writer Malcolm Lowry. Written and directed by Donald Brittain and John Kramer, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
was nominated for an Academy Award.
The Under the Volcano Festival of Art and Social Change
Under the Volcano Festival
Under The Volcano Festival Of Art & Social Change was an activist, grassroots gathering held at Whey-Ah-Wichen Cates Park on the traditional territory of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation in North Vancouver, BC in August. Under the Volcano was Canada's largest political arts festival and was 100% volunteer...
takes place annually in North Vancouver, British Columbia, in the same location where Malcolm Lowry wrote the novel.
In 1998, the Modern Library
Modern Library
The Modern Library is a publishing company. Founded in 1917 by Albert Boni and Horace Liveright as an imprint of their publishing company Boni & Liveright, it was purchased in 1925 by Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer...
ranked Under the Volcano as number 11 on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.
Path to publication
In 1940, Lowry hired an agent, Harold Matson, to find a publisher for the manuscript, but it was rejected many times. Although he continued refining it for years, this original 1940 version was later published in 1994 under the title The 1940 Under the Volcano.In 1944, the manuscript was nearly lost in a fire at Lowry's shack in British Columbia. His second wife, Margerie, rescued the unfinished novel, but all of Lowry's other works in progress were lost in the blaze.
The novel as it is recognized today was finally finished in 1945 and immediately sent to many publishers. In late winter, while travelling in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Lowry learned the novel had been accepted by two publishing companies: Reynal & Hitchcock in the United States and Jonathan Cape
Jonathan Cape
Jonathan Cape was a London-based publisher founded in 1919 as "Page & Co" by Herbert Jonathan Cape , formerly a manager at Duckworth who had worked his way up from a position of bookshop errand boy. Cape brought with him the rights to cheap editions of the popular author Elinor Glyn and sales of...
in the United Kingdom. Following critical reports from readers
Publisher's reader
A publisher's reader or first reader is a person paid by a publisher or book club to read manuscripts from the slush pile, and to advise their employers as to quality and marketability of the work. They can exercise considerable influence over the offerings of the publishers for whom they worked,...
, Cape had reservations about publishing and wrote to Lowry on 29 November 1945 asking him to make drastic cuts. Lowry's lengthy reply, dated 2 January 1946, was a passionate defense of the book in which he sensed he had created a work of lasting greatness: "Whether it sells or not seems to me either way a risk. But there is something about the destiny of the creation of the book that seems to tell me it just might go on selling a very long time." The letter includes a detailed summary of the book's key themes and how the author intended each of the 12 chapters to work, and has been included as an introduction in some editions.
There have been many editions of the book since 1947. In 1998 it was rated as number 11 on the list of the 100 best novels of the 20th century
Modern Library List of Best 20th-Century Novels
Modern Library's 100 Best Novels is a list of the best English-language novels of the 20th century as selected by the Modern Library. Both Modern Library and Random House USA, the parent company, are US companies. Critics have argued that this is responsible for a very American view of the greatest...
compiled by the Modern Library
Modern Library
The Modern Library is a publishing company. Founded in 1917 by Albert Boni and Horace Liveright as an imprint of their publishing company Boni & Liveright, it was purchased in 1925 by Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer...
. TIME included the novel in its list of "100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present".
Characters
Geoffrey Firmin is the alcoholic ConsulConsul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
living in Quauhnahuac. He is actually an ex-consul, recently resigned due to diplomatic strains between the UK and Mexico in the aftermath of President Lázaro Cárdenas
Lázaro Cárdenas
Lázaro Cárdenas del Río was President of Mexico from 1934 to 1940.-Early life:Lázaro Cárdenas was born on May 21, 1895 in a lower-middle class family in the village of Jiquilpan, Michoacán. He supported his family from age 16 after the death of his father...
's 1938 nationalization of the country's oil reserves
Oil reserves
The total estimated amount of oil in an oil reservoir, including both producible and non-producible oil, is called oil in place. However, because of reservoir characteristics and limitations in petroleum extraction technologies, only a fraction of this oil can be brought to the surface, and it is...
. He wants to write a book, but his alcoholism affects all areas of his life, particularly his relationship with his ex-wife Yvonne. She has returned to Mexico after a long absence in order to rekindle their relationship. Hugh Firmin is Geoffrey's half-brother. He visits Mexico to report on fascist activity for the London Globe, and he feels incredibly guilty for not acting in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. There are frequent allusions to an earlier affair between Hugh and Yvonne, which adds to the tension between the three main protagonists.
Structure
While the story is simple, its manner of telling decidedly not: Lowry's style is dense, symbolicSymbolism (arts)
Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century art movement of French, Russian and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts. In literature, the style had its beginnings with the publication Les Fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire...
, allusive, the prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
thick with resonance, and the structure complex, with flashbacks
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
, abrupt shifts, and a gradual accumulation of information – it is a book that is often cited as needing reading and then rereading, for its pattern and subtleties reveal themselves slowly.
Films
John Huston directed the 1984 film adaptation, Under the VolcanoUnder the Volcano (film)
Under the Volcano is a 1984 film directed in Mexico by John Huston with Albert Finney, Jacqueline Bisset, Anthony Andrews and Katy Jurado heading the cast...
, with Albert Finney
Albert Finney
Albert Finney is an English actor. He achieved prominence in films in the early 1960s, and has maintained a successful career in theatre, film and television....
, Jacqueline Bisset
Jacqueline Bisset
Jacqueline Bisset is an English actress. She has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy Award. She is known for her roles in the films Bullitt , Airport , The Deep , Class , and the TV series Nip/Tuck in 2006...
, Anthony Andrews
Anthony Andrews
-Life and career:Andrews was born in London, the son of Geraldine Agnes , a dancer, and Stanley Thomas Andrews, a musical arranger and musical conductor. He grew up in the North Finchley district of London...
and Katy Jurado
Katy Jurado
Katy Jurado , born María Cristina Estela Marcela Jurado García in Mexico, D.F., was a Mexican actress who had a successful film career both in Mexico and in Hollywood....
. It received Oscar nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Academy Award for Best Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
(Albert Finney) and Best Music, Original Score
Academy Award for Original Music Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
.
Volcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry (1976) is a National Film Board of Canada documentary produced by Donald Brittain and Robert A. Duncan and directed by Brittain and John Kramer. It opens with the inquest into Lowry's "death by misadventure," and then moves back in time to trace the writer's life. Selections from Lowry's novel are read by Richard Burton
Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
amid images shot in Mexico, the United States, Canada and England.
Quotations
- ¿Le gusta este jardín, que es suyo? ¡Evite que sus hijos lo destruyan! (Do you like this garden, which is yours? Make sure your children don't destroy it!)
- No se puede vivir sin amar (One cannot live without loving.)
- "Salud y pesetas." "Y tiempo para gastarlas." (Health and money. And the time to spend them.)
Music
Bob DylanBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's song "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan. It was originally recorded on August 2, 1965 and released on the album Highway 61 Revisited. The song was later released on the compilation album Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol...
" alludes to the novel.
The novel was the inspiration for the 1974 song "The Consul at Sunset" by Jack Bruce
Jack Bruce
John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
of Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
(words by Pete Brown
Pete Brown
Peter Ronald Brown is an English performance poet and lyricist.Best known for his collaborations with Jack Bruce, Brown also worked with The Battered Ornaments, formed his own group Pete Brown & Piblokto!, and worked with Graham Bond and Phil Ryan. Brown also writes film scores and formed a film...
), as well as for the song "Back Room Of The Bar" by the Young Fresh Fellows
Young Fresh Fellows
The Young Fresh Fellows are an American alternative rock group that was formed in 1981 in Seattle, Washington, by Scott McCaughey and Chuck Carroll; Tad Hutchison, Chuck Carroll's first cousin, joined for the recording of the group's debut album in 1983....
, from their 1987 album The Men Who Loved Music
The Men Who Loved Music
The Men Who Loved Music was the third album by rock band Young Fresh Fellows. Their first for Frontier Records, it was released in 1987....
.
Matthew Good
Matthew Good
Matthew Frederick Robert Good is a Canadian rock musician. He was the lead singer for the Matthew Good Band, one of Canada's most successful alternative rock bands in the 1990s, before dissolving the band in 2002...
, a Canadian musician, makes reference to Malcolm Lowry and Under the Volcano in his live album release Live at Massey Hall
Live At Massey Hall (Matthew Good album)
Live At Massey Hall is a live album by Canadian musician Matthew Good. It was recorded at Massey Hall in Toronto on May 29, 2008 during his Full Band Tour.-Release:Release details for Live At Massey Hall are as follows:Canada...
in the introduction to his song "I'm a Window".
The Bears
The Bears (band)
The Bears is an American power pop band formed in 1985 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It features the distinctive avant-garde guitar playing of Adrian Belew, the band's most prominent member....
had a song called "Under The Volcano".
Diafana Krina
Diafana Krina
Diafana Krina was a Greek rock group. It consisted of Thanos Anestopoulos , Pantelis Rothostoglou , Nikos Bardis , Kyriakos Tsoukalas , Tassos Machas and Panagiotis Berlis...
(Διάφανα Κρίνα, trans. Transparent Lillies), a former greek band, wrote the song "Under the Volcano" which was released on the band's first single, named "Melting Alone/Under the Volcano", in 1994.