The Stranger's Child
Encyclopedia
The Stranger's Child is the fifth novel by Alan Hollinghurst
, published in June 2011. The book tells the story of a minor poet, Cecil Valance, who is killed in the First World War. In 1913 he visits a Cambridge friend, George Sawle, at the latter's home in Stanmore
, Middlesex. While there Valance writes a poem entitled 'Two Acres', about the Sawle's house and addressed, ambiguously, either to George himself or to George's younger sister, Daphne. The poem goes on to become famous and the novel follows the changing reputation of Valance and his poetry in the following decades.
: "And year by year the landscape grow / Familiar to the stranger's child."
calling it "this affecting, erudite novel" and Keith Miller in The Daily Telegraph
describing it as "sleek, seductive and a little sly". Nicola Shulman in the Evening Standard
said: "This subject - of memory and memorial, and the fates of the keepers of the flame - has been done before, and well, as the author acknowledges. But it may never have been done as amusingly." Peter Kemp in the Sunday Times said: "Masterly in its narrative sweep, richly textured prose and imaginative flair and depth, this novel about an increasingly threadbare literary reputation enormously enhances Hollinghurst’s own. With The Stranger’s Child, an already remarkable talent unfurls into something spectacular."
is also available. "Wilson is a triumph, bringing character's voices recognisably from childhood to old age... mesmerisingly examined for meaning." Karen Robinson The Sunday Times
Alan Hollinghurst
Alan Hollinghurst is a British novelist, and winner of the 2004 Man Booker Prize for The Line of Beauty.-Biography:Hollinghurst was born on 26 May 1954 in Stroud, Gloucestershire, the only child of James Hollinghurst, a bank manager, and his wife, Elizabeth...
, published in June 2011. The book tells the story of a minor poet, Cecil Valance, who is killed in the First World War. In 1913 he visits a Cambridge friend, George Sawle, at the latter's home in Stanmore
Stanmore
Stanmore is a suburban area of the London Borough of Harrow, in northwest London. It is situated northwest of Charing Cross. The area is home to Stanmore Hill, one of the highest points of London, high.-Toponymy:...
, Middlesex. While there Valance writes a poem entitled 'Two Acres', about the Sawle's house and addressed, ambiguously, either to George himself or to George's younger sister, Daphne. The poem goes on to become famous and the novel follows the changing reputation of Valance and his poetry in the following decades.
Title
The phrase "the stranger's child" comes from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem In Memoriam A.H.H.In Memoriam A.H.H.
In Memoriam A.H.H. is a poem by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, completed in 1849. It is a requiem for the poet's Cambridge friend Arthur Henry Hallam, who died suddenly of a cerebral haemorrhage in Vienna in 1833...
: "And year by year the landscape grow / Familiar to the stranger's child."
One
Two Acres, set in 1913 as Cecil Valance visits George Sawle's home, meets George's sister, Daphne, and writes the poem 'Two Acres'.Two
Revel, set in 1926 as Daphne, now married to Cecil's brother Dudley, and other family and friends discuss their memories of Cecil to Sebastian Stokes, a friend who has been asked by Cecil's mother to write a biography of him.Three
Steady, Boys, Steady!, set in 1967, which introduces Peter Rowe and Paul Bryant. Rowe teaches at Corley Court, the Valance's former family home which has since been turned into a boarding school. Bryant works at a bank under the management of Leslie Keeping, the son in law of Daphne Sawle, and Bryant meets her at her 70th birthday. Bryant and Rowe also meet at the birthday party and begin a relationship, formed on their mutual interest in Cecil ValanceFour
Something of a Poet, set in 1979-80, by which time Bryant has become a writer and is working on a biography of Cecil, meeting Dudley, George and Daphne to find out information for his bookFive
The Old Companions, set in 2008, beginning at a memorial service for Peter Rowe where Paul Bryant and Nigel Dupont, a former student of Rowe's at Corley Court, both speak. Rob Salter, a book dealer who knew Rowe, also attends and becomes interested in the lives and works of the Valance-Sawle set.Key themes
In particular The Stranger's Child looks at the development of gay culture in Britain and the effects of memory and ageing on individuals and society (for instance literary reputation, architecture and romantic relationships).Critical reception
The Stranger's Child was generally received positively by critics, with Hari Kunzru in The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
calling it "this affecting, erudite novel" and Keith Miller in The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
describing it as "sleek, seductive and a little sly". Nicola Shulman in the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
said: "This subject - of memory and memorial, and the fates of the keepers of the flame - has been done before, and well, as the author acknowledges. But it may never have been done as amusingly." Peter Kemp in the Sunday Times said: "Masterly in its narrative sweep, richly textured prose and imaginative flair and depth, this novel about an increasingly threadbare literary reputation enormously enhances Hollinghurst’s own. With The Stranger’s Child, an already remarkable talent unfurls into something spectacular."
Audiobook
An unabridged audiobook of The Stranger's Child read by James Daniel WilsonJames Daniel Wilson
James Daniel Wilson is an English actor, voice-over artist and writer of various mediums including; lip sync translations of foreign films into English. Films James has written for include; The Door starring Helen Mirren and directed by István Szabó, Vicky and The Treasure of The Gods and Vicky the...
is also available. "Wilson is a triumph, bringing character's voices recognisably from childhood to old age... mesmerisingly examined for meaning." Karen Robinson The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...