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]

For the album by Foxing, see Foxing (band).
The Albatross
First edition (collection)
AuthorSusan Hill
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenreSocial realism[1]
PublisherHamish Hamilton (collection)
Penguin Books (standalone)
Publication date
Feb 1971 / Nov 2000
Media typePrint & audio
Pages192 / 96
AwardsJohn Llewellyn Rhys Prize
ISBN0-241-01976-1 (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]

Publication history
  • 1971, UK, Hamish Hamilton, ISBN 0-241-01976-1, Pub date 11 Feb 1971, Hardback
  • 1973, UK, Penguin, ISBN 0-14-003649-0, Pub date 25 Oct 1973, Paperback
  • 1975, US, E.P. Dutton, ISBN 0-8415-0383-4, Hardback
  • 1978, UK, Hamish Hamilton, ISBN 0-241-10090-9, Pub date Dec 1978, Hardback
  • 1994, UK, Soundings, ISBN 1-854-96951-X, Audio cassette,[6] Read by Patricia Gallimore
  • 1995, UK, Isis, ISBN 1-85695-383-1, Pub date Jun 1995, Large print
  • 2000, UK, Penguin, ISBN 0-14-029330-2, Pub date 30 Nov 2000, Paperback

[7]

References
  1. The Albatross Summary - Susan Hill - Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition on ENotes Retrieved 2011-07-17.
  2. Freeman, Hadley (2003-10-18). "Cotswold chameleon". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2011-07-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Retrieved 2011-07-07.
  4. The Albatross - Study Texts S. (Book) by Susan Hill, et al. (1990): Waterstones.com Retrieved 2011-07-17.
  5. Author's afterword in the 2000 Penguin edition of the book
  6. The Albatross / Susan Hill. (sound recording) / - Version details - Trove Retrieved 2013-01-02.
  7. www.fantasticfiction.co.uk Retrieved 2012-11-18.

See also
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