Other Fiction Lowry, Malcolm: Under the Volcano. V1. 14 Mar 2011

[seagull]

Under the Volcano is a 1947 semi-autobiographical novel by English writer Malcolm Lowry (1909–1957). The novel tells the story of Geoffrey Firmin, an alcoholic British consul in the small Mexican town of Quauhnahuac (the Aztec name of Cuernavaca), on the Day of the Dead, November 2, 1938. The book takes its name from Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, the twin volcanos near where Lowry lived.

It was adapted to radio on Studio One in 1947 and made into a film in 1984. The 1976 Canadian Documentary Volcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry was nominated for an Academy Award.

The Under the Volcano Festival of Art and Social Change takes place annually in North Vancouver, British Columbia, in the same location where Malcolm Lowry wrote the novel.

In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Under the Volcano as number 11 on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.

Some parts may be difficult to understand, I couldn't find any footnotes in the public domain but I recommend this study guide.