The Devil's Own Work

The Devil's Own Work is a 1991 novella by Alan Judd which won the Guardian Fiction Award. A modern version of the Faust legend,[1] it was inspired by a dinner with Graham Greene.[2] and tells of a pact an author makes with the devil as told by his lifelong friend. In style the work was compared by Publishers Weekly with that of Henry James.[3]

The Devil's Own Work
First edition (UK)
AuthorAlan Judd
Cover artistGustav Klimt,
"Judith", 1901
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins (UK)
Knopf (US)
Publication date
1991 (UK)
1994 (US)
Media typePrint
Pages96 (UK)
ISBN0-00-223832-2

Plot introduction

The unnamed narrator tells of his friend Edward's meeting in the south of France with O. M. (Old Man) Tyrell, a renowned author. Tyrell is found dead the following morning and the narrator later learns that Tyrell has given Edward a peculiar handwritten manuscript which becomes the source of Edward's later literary success. Edward also inherits Tyrell's ageless mistress Eudoxie but all is far from well with Edward who grows to loathe the hold that the manuscript and Eudoxie have over him but is unable to escape...

Reception
  • Elaine Kendall writing for the Los Angeles Times was positive, concluding "Wry and insightful, The Devil's Own Work toys with the notion of demonic possession but becomes a thoroughly realistic and highly original story of revenge; a chilling cautionary tale for literary critics and an unalloyed delight for everyone else".[4]
  • The Spectator was similarly enamoured, "a brilliant novella, almost a fable".[5]
  • Kirkus Reviews however concluded "Judd seems to intend his tale as an allegory about the price of success, but the connections are strained and the plotting predictable. An uneasy, unhappy, and unproductive mix of Ford Madox Ford and Stephen King.[6]

References
  1. Judd, Alan (7 June 1994). The Devil's Own Work. Knopf. ISBN 0679425527.
  2. "Alan Judd". Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  3. "Fiction Book Review: The Devil's Own Work by Alan Judd, Author Knopf Publishing Group $17 (115p) ISBN 978-0-679-42552-6".
  4. BOOK REVIEW / NOVEL : A Story of Literary Dreams and Revenge : THE DEVIL'S OWN WORK by Alan Judd; Knopf $17, 115 pages - Los Angeles Times Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  5. Thirty years on » The Spectator Retrieved 2013-09-13.
  6. THE DEVIL'S OWN WORK by Alan Judd | Kirkus Retrieved 2013-09-20.
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