Hugely saddened to report the recent death of Sebastian Peake, my friend and wine dealer and son of Mervyn Peake.
He was lovely. A decent man and a sensitive man. His stories (and memoirs) spoke to themes which interest me – living alongside a writer, living in the shadow of fame. The pride and displacement of that. He may have been taken to school by Dylan Thomas, or have found Graham Greene sitting in his living room, but I suspect it was a tough way to be a little boy. He seemed to be stuck in his boyhood sometimes, or at least to be able to travel back there in an instant, acquiring a far-away and somewhat lost expression – grief, I imagine, for more than just his parents.
When it came to wine, he was a magician – telepathic, both about what you might like and about what you might be able to afford!
I’m so proud to have known him, and I send my deepest condolences to his siblings and all the family. He will be very much missed.
So sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. Love and condolences.
I knew Sebastian for many years, he was one of the nicest people that you could ever meet. He supplied wines to me at Pleasurama Plc and was a delight to do business with, nothing was too much trouble for him and I am saddened by his death. I retired to Italy and invited him to visit me there but he was terrified of flying so he could not come, sadly I had not seen him since I left UK. but I will always remember him and the picture of him painted by his father when he was leaving the islands to go to school, both classics. God Bless Sebastian. Roger
Sebastian was a wonderfully kind and sensitive man, always willing to help and discuss, not only about his great father. He always answered when I told him of the pirate editions of his father’s books in Poland (thiis century!) because he is mentioned in my book on Bruno Schulz, and when asking of his memories of Wallington near where I was born. His work contributed well, and honestly, to his father’s belated but deserved recognition. But as the late and missed Colin Wilson also noted, England is the last place writers and artists of thought and philosophy are welcome, sadly an ongoing fact. Mervyn of course was always far more than a BBC serial, odd as it was. RIP and thank you Sebastian