His death was ruled a ‘misadventure’. Was he actually killed by his wife?

Dear readers — In 1947, the Wirral’s Malcolm Lowry published his novel Under the Volcano to rave reviews and New York Times bestseller status. Just ten years later, he was found dead in a Sussex cottage at the age of only 47. An inveterate alcoholic, prescription drug abuser, and physical abuser of women, Lowry’s demise did not come as a shock. The coroner ruled his death a “misadventure”, and perhaps that best described his life, too.

In the decades since, however, new evidence has thrown doubt on that ruling. In 2004, a Times Literary Supplement article by Lowry’s best biographer laid out an accusation of murder, pointing the finger directly at Lowry’s widow, Margerie. 

Next Friday is the Day of the Dead, the day on which Lowry’s great novel is set. In today’s edition, fellow Wallaseyan Laurence examines Lowry’s complicated legacy, his connections to Merseyside, and whether it’s possible to reconstruct the events of his death nearly seventy years on. 

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The Serious Fraud Office has announced it is investigating a multi-million pound hotel in Birmingham owned by Unite union, after concerns were raised about bribery and potential misconduct during its construction. The hotel was built by Liverpool developers the Flanagan Group: a now infamous company close to former mayor Joe Anderson as well as ex-Unite leader Len McCluskey. The hotel was supposed to cost just £7 million to build, however within a year costs had spiralled to over £100 million. For those not in the know, head of the Flanagan Group Paul Flanagan was arrested in 2021 in relation to the sale of council-owned land to developers. He has denied any wrongdoing. There’s a fantastic podcast by Tortoise Media that digs into the whole affair — we’d recommend you listen to that here. 

Wirral teachers who support children with special needs and disabilities have gone on strike over pay, workload and short staffing. From the picket line, National Education Union regional officer Bora Oktas told the BBC that staff members currently had "more than 100 cases each they are trying to cover", with children not getting the support they need from the council. In response, Wirral Council said it has "accelerated the pace of making wide-ranging improvements", including a restructure of its special educational needs services. However, regional officer Oktas has since criticised this move, saying it has resulted in staff having their pay downgraded. He has urged the council to "come to the table" to resolve the issue. 

And Future Yard in Birkenhead has been shortlisted for the Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award as part of the Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards. The music venue on Argyle Street first opened in 2020, and has become one of the first carbon-neutral grassroots music venues in the UK. To celebrate their success, on 20th November they’ll be hosting their own Climate Symposium with arts organisations from across the UK – tickets are available on their website. 

His death was ruled a ‘misadventure’. Was he actually killed by his wife?

by Laurence Thompson

Who’s actually read Under the Volcano, the deviously difficult 1947 novel by the Wirral-born writer Malcolm Lowry? Those who have managed to navigate its dense prose and depressing subject matter have seldom forgotten the experience. 

“I read Under the Volcano and Moby-Dick back-to-back,” my late friend, the writer and hyper-literate Mondo 2000 editor Paul McEnery, once told me. “And I swear to God, Under the Volcano was better.” Mancunian novelist Anthony Burgess, author of A Clockwork Orange, called it “a Faustian masterpiece.” German poet and critic Michael Hofman said the novel “eats light like a black hole… it has planetary swagger.” More than a transgressive curiosity, Under the Volcano is the last great classic of Modernist literature in English, worthy of standing beside Ulysses and The Waste Land.

But what of the author? Since his death at the age of only 47 in 1957 — by “misadventure,” if you are to believe the coroner report — the details of Lowry’s sordid life have shocked readers and stimulated literary scholars ever since.

Just who was Malcolm Lowry? He was born and raised here, but like so many others, he quickly left Merseyside behind and never looked back.

Did he maintain any connections with his roots? Should we even commemorate such a chaotic personality, or is his memory better consigned to the purple wheelie bin of local consciousness? And is it possible, nearly 80 years after his death, to unravel the mystery of his untimely demise?