''Jerusalem'' is a novel by British author

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and ''From Hell' ...

, wholly set in and around the author's home town of

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, England. Combining elements of

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

and

supernatural fiction Supernatural fiction or supernaturalist fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that exploits or is centered on supernatural themes, often contradicting naturalist assumptions of the real world. Description In its broadest definition, supe ...

and drawing on a range of writing styles, the author describes it as a work of "genetic mythology". Published in 2016, ''Jerusalem'' took a decade to write. The novel is divided into three Books, "The Boroughs", "Mansoul", and "Vernall's Inquest".

Overview

The story develops over centuries, set in the Boroughs, the most ancient neighbourhood in Northampton. The colophon states that the book is based on a true story; it concerns a large collection of characters: some mythical, some fictional, and some historical. Along with his family's oral traditions, life experience, and ideas (such as eternalism) that he had explored in other writings, Moore's research sources included a collection of interviews entitled “In Living Memory — Life in ‘The Boroughs,’” published by the Northampton Arts Development in 1987, as well as old

Kelly's directories Kelly's Directory (or more formally, the Kelly's, Post Office and Harrod & Co Directory) was a trade directory in England that listed all businesses and tradespeople in a particular city or town, as well as a general directory of postal addresses o ...

. A key narrative arc culminates in 2006 with an exhibit of paintings by one of the characters, Alma Warren, who is indicated by the author portrait and its caption, present on the book's

jacket A jacket is a garment for the upper body, usually extending below the hips. A jacket typically has sleeves, and fastens in the front or slightly on the side. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and less insulating than a coat, which ...

, to be a stand-in for Moore. Several events in the story are retold with different characters as the focaliser, with the writing style adapted to the focal character's inner voice, in a way that unites otherwise disconnected narrative threads. The book includes chapters in the style of

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

, as well as a chapter written in verse, while the entire second Book is somewhat in the style of a children's novel (a "savage, hallucinating

Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have be ...

," according to Moore in a 2008 interview with the BBC). The novel's title is a reference to the poem "

And did those feet in ancient time "And did those feet in ancient time" is a poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic '' Milton: A Poem in Two Books'', one of a collection of writings known as the Prophetic Books. The date of 1804 on the title page is probably when the ...

" by

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

, which was set to music and given the title "Jerusalem" by

Hubert Parry Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, 1st Baronet (27 February 18487 October 1918) was an English composer, teacher and historian of music. Born in Richmond Hill in Bournemouth, Parry's first major works appeared in 1880. As a composer he is b ...

. Prominent themes include "poverty, wealth, history, the evolution of English as a visionary language" as well as "madness, ghosts, and the confusion of dreams, visions, memories, and premonitions." After the death of Moore's editor Steve Moore (no relation), he worked with three editors on the book, Donna Scott, author of Best of British Science Fiction 2016, writer and cultural historian

John Higgs John Higgs is an English writer, novelist, journalist and cultural historian. The work of Higgs has been published in the form of novels (under the pseudonym JMR Higgs), biographies and works of cultural history. In particular, Higgs has writt ...

and writer Alistair Fruish. In the acknowledgements section of the book, Moore credits Fruish with supplying information that allowed him to reveal "the gas street origins of free market capitalism and the industrial revolution" in the book.

Editions

The UK and US editions differ: the Knockabout edition is 1,180 pages long and is set in a small point size, whereas the Liveright edition is set in a larger point size and consequently is 1,266 pages long, and features a different author photo on the jacket. Alongside the one-volume hardcover first edition, ''Jerusalem'' was simultaneously released in a 3-volume slipcased paperback edition, and as an unabridged audio book narrated by

Simon Vance Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genu ...

, published by Recorded Books, Inc. The front cover (or, respectively, the slipcover for the 3-volume paperback edition) depicts several key scenes and characters from the novel in the form of a

diorama A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies such as military vehicle mode ...

. Each of the three Books begins with an epigram and photographic illustration (comprising cover illustrations for the slipcased volumes).

References

{{Alan Moore 2016 British novels Angel novels Books by Alan Moore British fantasy novels British historical novels Demon novels Northampton Novels set in Northamptonshire Novels about time travel Works about artists