''Fergus'', a

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

Northern Irish The people of Northern Ireland are all people born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British Nationality Law, British citizen, an Irish nationality law, Irish citizen or is otherwis ...

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

writer Brian Moore, was published in 1970, in the United States by

Holt, Rinehart and Winston Holt McDougal is an American publishing company, a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, that specializes in textbooks for use in high schools. The Holt name is derived from that of U.S. publisher Henry Holt (1840–1926), co-founder of ...

. It tells the story of Fergus Fadden, a 39-year-old Irish-born writer living in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, who is haunted by ghosts from his past, including that of his father. Moore's biographer, Patricia Craig, described it as "wholly original, and singularly diverting". Jo O'Donoghue says that, in ''Fergus'', "Moore carries the theme of family influence to an extreme conclusion". George Woodcock, reviewing the novel for the quarterly journal ''

Canadian Literature Canadian literature is written in several languages including Canadian English, English, Canadian French, French, and various Indigenous Canadian languages. It is often divided into French- and English-language literatures, which are rooted in th ...

'', said: "Fergus's nightmare is never less than convincing. The novel that bears his name is a masterpiece of the best kind of fantasy".

References

1970 British novels 1970 Canadian novels Ghost novels Novels about writers Novels by Brian Moore (novelist) Novels set in Los Angeles County, California Holt, Rinehart and Winston books {{Canada-novel-stub