 First edition (UK) | |
| Author | Edward St Aubyn |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Hogarth Press |
| ISBN | 978-1101904305 |
Dunbar is a 2017 novel by British novelist Edward St Aubyn. A modern retelling of William Shakespeare's King Lear , the novel was commissioned as part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series.
The novel retells the Shakespeare play King Lear as part of the Hogarth Shakespeare project. [1] When his agent approached Hogarth about St Aubyn participating in the project, St Aubyn was between novels. [2] He was allowed to choose which of Shakespeare's plays he wanted to adapt from the group of plays not yet adapted by other authors. [2] The "Lear" character of the novel, Henry Dunbar, founded a media conglomerate; St Aubyn felt someone rooted in the "permafrost of power" would make a better analogue to a king than a temporarily elected official. [3] St Aubyn has denied the character has a basis in reality, saying he was not based on Rupert Murdoch, Sumner Redstone, or Donald Trump. [2]
St Aubyn began revisiting King Lear by watching Peter Brook 1971 film adaptation. [4] At the outset of writing the book, St Aubyn experienced some anxiety about the project, which abated as he continued working. [2] St Aubyn wrote the book at home, as opposed to cafés, as he had earlier works. [3] When he began writing the novel's conclusion, St Aubyn was not sure how he would end the book, but knew he wanted to avoid a happy ending as found in Nahum Tate's The History of King Lear . [2]
Sophie Gilbert's review in The Atlantic praised the novel, highlighting a perceived connection between St Aubyn's personal life and the subject matter of King Lear as well as the dialogue. [5] Writing for NPR, Annalisa Quinn compared the novel favorably to other entries in the Hogarth series. [6]
Dunbar received a more critical review in the Chicago Review of Books . Critic Greg Zimmerman compared it less favorably to other Hogarth books, referring to it as a "solid if not spectacular entry in the...series". [7]
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