The Father of Steampunk: A Sad History of Mervyn Peake
Long before steampunk was a wedding theme or a fashion statement, there was a group of authors who created fantasy worlds based on steam powered technology. The modified hot air balloons, trains, and dirigibles were just as important to the genre as the edgy Victorian-esque aesthetic — a fusion of old and new.
Corsets, gears, top hats with goggles, and classic Victorian attire are hallmarks of steampunk. Though once ridiculed as “when the goths discovered brown,” steampunk has found its place in modern culture. It has made its way into artist’s studios and museums, furniture, and fashion. Interest has not waned; the retro-futuristic is here to stay.
Where did it start though?
While Jules Verne is often named as the inspiration for the genre, many argue his books are not true steampunk. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea has echoes of modified technology and futuristic ideas, but purists assert that it’s simply a precursor for what was to come.
The hallmarks of steampunk are of course, steam powered technology, altered history, and aesthetics loosely based in Victorian fashion. While Verne’s work was clearly an inspiration for steampunk authors, it still falls into the category of science fiction.
The term “steampunk” was coined in 1987 by author K.W. Jeter. He was trying to distinguish his books (and those of a few other authors) from the cyberpunk genre. In a letter to the science fiction magazine Locus he advocates that these new “Victorian fantasies” should be differentiated from other science fiction.
“Personally, I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of the era; like “steam-punks,” perhaps…” -K.W. Jeter
While Jeter coined the term in the ’80s, there was steampunk fiction (retroactively termed) written as early as the 1950s.
Many scholars consider Mervyn Peake’s book, Titus Alone, to be the first steampunk novel. Written in 1959, it is the third book in the Gormenghast series. The early books focus on life in castle Gormenghast, with many characters never venturing out of the castle. It’s not until the third book that Titus — the protagonist — leaves the castle and is amazed to step into a futuristic world rich with new technology.
So who was Mervyn Peake?
Peake, despite having two British parents, was born in China in 1911. His parents were both missionaries and the family stayed in China until Peake was eleven, at which point they moved back to England.
He did well in school, excelling in English and painting. After completing his formal education, he went on to study painting at the Royal Academy Schools.
In the 1930s Peake began working as a painter. In a few years he started to enjoy success and met a follow painter — Maeve Gilmore. They married in 1937 and had three children together.
In 1938 he really hit his stride as a creative. His paintings received critical acclaim after a successful exhibit at the Calmann Gallery, and that same year he published a self-illustrated children’s novel.
The onset of WWII interrupted Peak’s career. He applied to become a war artist; he wanted to help his country and put his skills to good use. However, his application was not accepted and he was conscripted to the army.
The army was difficult for him. He continued to apply for commissions as a war artist but was denied over and over. The war and the rejection started to eat at him, and in 1942 he suffered a breakdown. This was the beginning of his battle with mental illness.
After the breakdown he was given a job by the Ministry of Information as a propaganda artist. One such contract required him to go to Germany and document the horrors of a concentration camp where the remaining prisoners were too sick to be moved — literally dying before his eyes. He did the work and made several drawings, but the experience haunted him.
The war came to a close and Peake focused on his writing and illustrating, entering the most productive stage of his career. For the next decade he continued to write, paint and illustrate, and when he didn’t have steady income from writing he taught part time at an art school.
In 1956 his health began declining. He continued to write but the modest success he once had was waning. In 1957 his play, The Wit to Woo opened in London’s West End (an achievement in itself) but the play was a massive failure. The defeat impacted his physical and mental health, and he had another nervous breakdown.
The doctors said he had early symptoms of dementia and recommended electroconvulsive shock therapy. The treatment didn’t work, and over the next few years Peake continued to decline. He even lost his ability to draw.
Despite failing health, he continued to write and began work on his seminal book, Titus Alone. It was published in 1959, despite the fact Peake had been in the grips of dementia for years. The book was released without much fanfare and people noticed it was shorter and less detailed than its predecessors.
As time went on he became both mentally and physically incapacitated, eventually moving into a care home. On November 17th, 1968 Mervyn Peake passed away at only 57 years old.
His work — barely recognized in life — became relevant to the new steampunk authors of the ‘70s and ‘80s as the genre was starting to gain notice. Posthumously, Peake’s work has received much attention. His books have been translated into more than two dozen languages and many consider Titus Alone the first true steampunk novel.
Like so many authors, Peake didn’t achieve fame until after this death. His life, in many ways unremarkable and sad, is given meaning not only by his work, but by the millions he has inspired. Little known in life, he is now recognized as the father of steampunk.
