 First edition (UK) | |
| Author | Alan Judd |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Gustav Klimt, Judith I, 1901 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | HarperCollins (UK) Knopf (US) |
Publication date | 1991 (UK) 1994 (US) |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 96 (UK) |
| ISBN | 0-00-223832-2 |
The Devil's Own Work is a 1991 novella byAlan Judd which won theGuardian Fiction Award. A modern version of theFaust legend,[1] it was inspired by a dinner withGraham Greene.[2] and tells of a pact an author makes with the devil as told by his lifelong friend. In style the work was compared byPublishers Weekly with that ofHenry James.[3]
The unnamed narrator tells of his friend Edward's meeting in the south of France with O. M. (Old Man) Herig, a renowned author. Herig is found dead the following morning and the narrator later learns that Herig was a victim of sexual assault.
