The Albatross
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.[2] It appeared as a standalone book published by Penguin Books in 2000.[3] It is studied in GCSE English as an example of the best of modern women's writing.[4]
 First edition (collection) | |
| Author | Susan Hill |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Social realism[1] |
| Publisher | Hamish Hamilton (collection) Penguin Books (standalone) |
Publication date | Feb 1971 / Nov 2000 |
| Media type | Print & audio |
| Pages | 192 / 96 |
| Awards | John Llewellyn Rhys Prize |
| ISBN | 0-241-01976-1 (collection) ISBN 0-14-029330-2 (standalone) |
Plot introduction
The Albatross centers around Duncan, an intellectually disabled 18-year-old who has grown up with his domineering wheelchair-using mother[1] in Heype, a Suffolk seaside town based on Aldeburgh.[5] Duncan finds it difficult to cope with anything outside his daily routine but is forced to interact with the wider world when his claustrophobic relationship with his mother reaches a breaking point.
Inspiration
The story was partly inspired by local composer Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes.[5]
References
- The Albatross Summary - Susan Hill - Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition on ENotes Retrieved 2011-07-17.
- Freeman, Hadley (18 October 2003). "Cotswold chameleon". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2008.
- "Edition details". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-07.
- The Albatross - Study Texts S. (Book) by Susan Hill, et al. (1990): Waterstones.com Retrieved 2011-07-17.
- Author's afterword in the 2000 Penguin edition of the book
External links
- review of collection from Saturday Review Pub Date: Aug. 18th, 1975