Publisher's Synopsis
Waugh's frank 'account of my late lunacy' is also his most penetrating self-portrait. The novel began as a therapeutic exercise, written at the suggestion of a psychiatrist. Gilbert Pinfold is a reclusive Catholic novelist suffering from acute inertia. In an attempt to keep rheumatism, insomnia and terminal boredom at bay he has been imbibing an unappetising cocktail of bromide, chloral and creme de menthe. In order to improve his health, complete a novel and escape a harsh English winter, he books a passage on the SS Caliban. As the ship cruises slowly towards Rangoon, Pinfold slips gradually into madness.
