Peeping Tom (Black Swan S.) by Howard Jacobson [rare books]

Book Summary: 

Peeping Tom (published in 1984) is an early novel by Howard Jacobson, blending dark comedy, literary obsession, and explorations of identity and morality. It centers on Barney Fugelman, a self-deprecating, neurotic English academic with a curious fixation on the 19th-century writer Thomas Hardy, and more disturbingly, on issues of voyeurism and guilt.

The novel takes the reader on a psychological and intellectual journey, as Barney travels to Hardy’s Wessex country (the real West Country of England) not just to research, but to immerse himself in the world of the Victorian author. However, his academic interest quickly intertwines with personal compulsion. As he delves deeper into Hardy’s life—especially his treatment of women and reclusive tendencies—Barney finds unsettling parallels with his own voyeuristic behavior and ambivalent attitudes toward women.

Jacobson uses this setup to question the line between literary study and moral inquiry. Is it possible to admire an artist without confronting their personal failings? Is scholarship just a socially acceptable form of obsession? These questions are explored with biting wit, self-awareness, and a narrative that mixes satire, psychological insight, and literary pastiche.

Though Peeping Tom is less well-known than Jacobson’s later works, it already showcases his characteristic themes: male insecurity, Jewish identity, sexual awkwardness, and the comic absurdity of intellectual life.

About the Author: 

Howard Jacobson (born 1942) is a British novelist, essayist, and broadcaster, widely recognized for his sharp wit, intellectual depth, and exploration of Jewish identity and masculinity in modern life. He was born in Manchester and studied English at Cambridge University under F.R. Leavis.

Jacobson worked as a university lecturer and in publishing before turning to fiction. His novels often blend highbrow literary references with satirical portraits of self-absorbed, neurotic men. His breakthrough came with The Mighty Walzer (1999), a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story, but he achieved greater fame with The Finkler Question (2010), which won the Man Booker Prize. That novel explored themes of Jewishness, friendship, and grief with both comedy and poignancy.

Other notable novels include:

• Kalooki Nights

• J

• Live a Little

Jacobson has also written essays and works of non-fiction, and is a regular voice in British cultural commentary, often discussing literature, politics, and identity.

Across his career, Howard Jacobson has been compared to Philip Roth and Kingsley Amis for his incisive humor, thematic boldness, and unflinching portraits of flawed, often comically self-destructive men.