Doctor Marbles and Marianne, Harvester Press (1982)
It feasts the imagination…a scrupulous, lyrical,
witty book.
D.M.Thomas
Imagination, mythic conceits and a brilliant
control of imagery are the hallmarks of
Nicki Jackowska’s work.
Martin Booth
…poetic, metaphoric, seductive…an emperor’s-
new-clothes word-game.
Linda Taylor, TLS
…a poetic account of dualism, a delight for readers
with Manichaean tastes who enjoy the exuberance
of contemporary romanticism.
Kate Fulbrook, British Book News
The Road to Orc, Brand Head Books (1985)
cover painting by Catrin Clarke
A strange haunting, erotic story which explores
the roles of wife, daughter and lover, underneath
the façade of carefully managed relationships.
Nicki Jackowska resembles an artist returning to
work with basic elements. The reds, blues and
yellows are then fused with earth, water and fire
to forge a new way of seeing.
Philip Vine, WORDS
The Islanders, Harvester Press (1987)
A powerful and disturbing novel which continues
to haunt the imagination long after the reading
of it is finished….The beauty and energy of the
writing take this novel far out of the common
run. Nicki Jackowska has an original and
distinctive vision.
Barry Unsworth
This novel is introspective, just as the island
that Caroline grows up on is isolated and self-
contained…fitting therefore, that Jackowska’s
prose is at its most intense and lyrical when
she describes minute and discrete actions, like
washing a lettuce leaf…
Helen Byatt, TLS
A magnificent book, particularly thanks to the
most extraordinary prose…where every superfluous
word has been rigorously cut… the language and
similes never interfere with the pace of the story.
Nilsson and Lamb, Netherlands
University of Sussex. We had the option of
submitting an original piece of work of our
own choice. Dr.Marbles and Marianne was
given an ‘A’. I have never been able to find
out who it was that valued it so highly.
Working with Harvester Press on the lay-out
and presentation of this short work, was a
highly creative process. As with Incubus, the
book speaks to the present, and could be said
to have been published ahead of its time. I’m
seeking re-publication. It is playful, erotic and
with an underlying intelligence. I hold the
copyright and am open to negotiate a two-book
deal along with Asylum.