{"product_id":"2026200006715-secondhand-the-ordeal-of-gilbert-pinfold-a-conversation-piece","title":"The Ordeal Of Gilbert Pinfold: A Conversation Piece","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good                          \u003cbr\u003eJacket: N\/A\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good                  \u003cbr\u003eMarkings: No markings\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA darkly comic and semi-autobiographical novella, The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold: A Conversation Piece chronicles the harrowing mental breakdown of a middle-aged English novelist who, seeking rest and recuperation aboard a ocean liner, becomes tormented by a cacophony of mysterious, disembodied voices. Waugh draws unmistakably from his own 1954 breakdown — brought on by an alarming cocktail of sleeping draughts and alcohol — to craft a portrait of paranoia, persecution, and the fragile boundary between sanity and delusion. The narrative unfolds with Waugh's signature dry wit and unflinching self-awareness, presenting Pinfold's ordeal not as melodrama but as a precise, almost clinical dissection of a disintegrating mind. The result is a uniquely unsettling work that balances psychological horror with satirical detachment, illustrating how even the most composed and acerbic of literary men can be undone from within.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48810612621531,"sku":"2026200006715-SECONDHAND","price":12.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/bb289561-7e5c-4e29-b8b8-04773ee9ea66.png?v=1779805967","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200006715-secondhand-the-ordeal-of-gilbert-pinfold-a-conversation-piece","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}