The Albatross
Encyclopedia
The Albatross is a novella
written by Susan Hill
first appearing in the collection The Albatross and Other Stories published by Hamish Hamilton
in 1971. It won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
in 1972.. It appeared as a standalone book published by Penguin Books
in 2000.. It is studied in GCSE English as an example of the best women's writing.
seaside town based on Aldeburgh
. Duncan finds it difficult to cope with anything outside his daily routine, but is forced to interact with a wider world when his claustrophobic relationship with his mother reaches breaking point.
's opera Peter Grimes
.
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
written by Susan Hill
Susan Hill
Susan Hill is an English author of fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels include The Woman in Black, The Mist in the Mirror and I'm the King of the Castle for which she received the Somerset Maugham Award in 1971....
first appearing in the collection The Albatross and Other Stories published by Hamish Hamilton
Hamish Hamilton
Hamish Hamilton Limited was a British book publishing house, founded in 1931 eponymously by the half-Scot half-American Jamie Hamilton . Confusingly, Jamie Hamilton was often referred to as Hamish Hamilton...
in 1971. It won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of literature by an author from the Commonwealth aged 35 or under, written in English and published in the United Kingdom...
in 1972.. It appeared as a standalone book published by Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
in 2000.. It is studied in GCSE English as an example of the best women's writing.
Plot introduction
It concerns Duncan, a mentally retarded 18-year-old who has grown up with his domineering wheelchair-using mother in Heype, a SuffolkSuffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
seaside town based on Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh is a coastal town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. Located on the River Alde, the town is notable for its Blue Flag shingle beach and fisherman huts where freshly caught fish are sold daily, and the Aldeburgh Yacht Club...
. Duncan finds it difficult to cope with anything outside his daily routine, but is forced to interact with a wider world when his claustrophobic relationship with his mother reaches breaking point.
Inspiration
The story was partly inspired by local composer Benjamin BrittenBenjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
's opera Peter Grimes
Peter Grimes
Peter Grimes is an opera by Benjamin Britten, with a libretto adapted by Montagu Slater from the Peter Grimes section of George Crabbe's poem The Borough...
.