Anthony Powell

These journals, started in 1982 when Powell had become 'stuck' on a novel, became the place where he could most happily exercise his extraordinarily acute and often witty powers of observation and record his memories of times and writers past.This, the second volume of the journals sees the writer in his house in Somerset, The Chantry, encountering old friends, journalists, publishers, relations. He reads through the plays of Shakespeare, and also re-reads A dance to the Music of Time, giving an astonishingly dispassionate and perceptive analysis of his own greatest creation. He remembers Evelyn Waugh, Phillip Larkin, Malcolm Muggeridge, Gerald, Brenan and John Betjeman. He is visited by, among others, V.S Naipaul, Alison Lurie, Roy Jenkins, and Harold Pinter. He becomes a Companion of Honour. His beloved cat Trelawney dies. In these frank and entertaining pages, the daily life of a writer unfolds in a volume that will delight his many fans as much as its predecessor did.

'He is, as Proust was before him, the great literary chronicler of his culture in his time.' GUARDIAN'A Dance to the Music of Time' is universally acknowledged as one of the great works of English literature. Reissued now in this definitive edition, it stands ready to delight and entrance a new generation of readers.In this tenth volume, Nick Jenkins and his circle of friends are re-establishing their lives in the wake of war. With the London literary scene starting to find its feet again, things begin to look up for Nick as old acquaintance Quiggin offers him a position at the literary magazine he is launching. Meanwhile, there already seems to be trouble in paradise for the newly married Widmerpool, whose wife, Pamela Flitton, has caught the eye of writer X. Trapnel – a man who exudes in equal measure mystery, talent and an air of self-destruction.

'He is, as Proust was before him, the great literary chronicler of his culture in his time.' GUARDIAN'A Dance to the Music of Time' is universally acknowledged as one of the great works of English literature. Reissued now in this definitive edition, it stands ready to delight and entrance a new generation of readers.In the eleventh volume in the series, Nick Jenkins, persuaded by his old friend Mark Members, attends a literary conference in Venice. Meanwhile, old school pal Widmerpool continues to climb the ranks, this time as a Life Peer. But his position in power is under threat when he becomes the subject of whispered accusations of espionage, and wife Pamela, former lover of the dead writer X. Trapnel, also finds herself the centre of attention, as the mystery around the writer continues to draw ghoulish interest from readers and academics alike. Even in Venice, surrounded by the beautiful vistas of the city, Nick cannot escape his friends’ turbulent lives.

'He is, as Proust was before him, the great literary chronicler of his culture in his time.' GUARDIAN'A Dance to the Music of Time' is universally acknowledged as one of the great works of English literature. Reissued now in this definitive edition, it stands ready to delight and entrance a new generation of readers.In this final volume of Anthony Powell’s ‘A Dance to the Music of Time’, the sixties are in full swing and Nick Jenkins and his wife Isobel are living out their later years in the countryside. Not content with a quiet retirement, Nick’s old school friend Widmerpool is on the rise again and is appointed chancellor of a new university. But while Nick and his contemporaries are settling in to a slower pace of life, the rise of sixties counterculture signals a new generation pushing its way to the front. And as the Dance draws to a close, a wedding brings together old faces one last time.

'He is, as Proust was before him, the great literary chronicler of his culture in his time.' GUARDIAN'A Dance to the Music of Time' is universally acknowledged as one of the great works of English literature.

'He is, as Proust was before him, the great literary chronicler of his culture in his time.' GUARDIAN'A Dance to the Music of Time' is universally acknowledged as one of the great works of English literature. Reissued now in this definitive edition, it stands ready to delight and entrance a new generation of readers.In this seventh volume, Britain is at war again and Nick Jenkins must leave his pregnant wife, Isobel, and his life in London, to take up his position as a Second Lieutenant in a Welsh infantry. As Nick grapples with endless regulations and the tedious routines of military life, it is not long before he finds himself in the middle of a dispute between his commanding officer Captain Gwatkin and Lieutenant Bithel. Stationed in Northern Ireland, military life is not what it seems, and Nick finds himself longing for the comforts of home. But when the battalion is transferred to an unknown destination, Nick is met with a familiar face.

'He is, as Proust was before him, the great literary chronicler of his culture in his time.' GUARDIAN'A Dance to the Music of Time' is universally acknowledged as one of the great works of English literature. Reissued now in this definitive edition, it stands ready to delight and entrance a new generation of readers.In this ninth volume, Nick Jenkins, now a captain, is working in military liaison. When he receives the tragic news of the death of an old friend, it is an ever-present reminder of the way things used to be, especially when Widmerpool finds himself engaged again, this time to the notorious Pamela Flitton. As the war’s toll is mounting, Nick, like the rest of his compatriots, is weary of life in uniform and looking ahead to peacetime.

'He is, as Proust was before him, the great literary chronicler of his culture in his time.' GUARDIAN'A Dance to the Music of Time' is universally acknowledged as one of the great works of English literature. Reissued now in this definitive edition, it stands ready to delight and entrance a new generation of readers.In this sixth volume, with Britain on the brink of war yet again, Nick Jenkins reflects back on his childhood growing up in the shadow of World War I. Wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps, Nick sets his sights on becoming an officer in the Army, and asks his old school friend Widmerpool, who is gaining prominence in the business world, if he will help him. But reserves lists are quickly filling up with names, and it’s not long until the threat of war is the one thing on everyone’s mind.

'He is, as Proust was before him, the great literary chronicler of his culture in his time.' GUARDIAN'A Dance to the Music of Time' is universally acknowledged as one of the great works of English literature. Reissued now in this definitive edition, it stands ready to delight and entrance a new generation of readers.In this fifth volume, Nick Jenkins finally seems to be settling down and enjoying the life he has made for himself in London. However, the same cannot be said of his friends, who are each dealing with their own drama and heartache. The composer Hugh Moreland is risking his marriage for a pointless affair, while, Nick’s old school pal Stringham has nearly destroyed himself with drink. But with the rumblings of war getting louder and nearer, the future is starting to look uncertain for all of them.

'He is, as Proust was before him, the great literary chronicler of his culture in his time.' GUARDIAN'A Dance to the Music of Time' is universally acknowledged as one of the great works of English literature. Reissued now in this definitive edition, it stands ready to delight and entrance a new generation of readers.In this fourth volume, Nick Jenkins has settled comfortably into the world of art, culture and society as a London scriptwriter. When invited by a friend to spend the weekend in the country, he becomes acquainted with Isobel Tolland, the youngest sister of a large aristocratic family, and immediately decides they are destined to marry.Meanwhile, rumours are circulating around Nick’s old friend Widmerpool’s engagement during a gathering at Lady Molly’s. As the roaring twenties fade into the austerity of the thirties, Nick and his friends face love and heartbreak as life’s dance continues to play out.

'He is, as Proust was before him, the great literary chronicler of his culture in his time.' GUARDIAN'A Dance to the Music of Time' is universally acknowledged as one of the great works of English literature. Reissued now in this definitive edition, it stands ready to delight and entrance a new generation of readers.In this second volume, Nick Jenkins is struggling to establish himself in London after graduating from university. As old friends come and go – Stringham takes the leap into marriage, Templer heads into the world of business and Widmerpool, confident in his own importance, begins a career in law – Nick starts to make new acquaintances, and throws himself into society life. In this new world of glamorous Debutante balls and leisurely country visits, Nick has his first encounter with love and its disappointments.

The opening novel in Anthony Powell's brilliant twelve-novel sequence, A Dance to the Music of Time

'He is, as Proust was before him, the great literary chronicler of his culture in his time.' GUARDIAN'A Dance to the Music of Time' is universally acknowledged as one of the great works of English literature. Reissued now in this definitive edition, it stands ready to delight and entrance a new generation of readers.In this third volume, determined to make a name for himself, Nick Jenkins starts working for a publisher, establishing connections across the London literary scene. But whilst Nick is ready to move forwards with his new life, the past is never far behind.A weekend away with his friend Templer sees a surprise reunion quickly blossom into an affair, while an Old Boys dinner at the Ritz, in honour of their old housemaster Le Bas, reunites Nick with his schoolmates Stringham and Widmerpool. Set against the backdrop of thirties London, The Acceptance World provides a snapshot of the complicated nature of young love.

Aboard the Alecto, prolific romance author Valentine Beals ruminates on the ship's most seemingly incongruous couple: a graceful, ethereal, virginal dancer named Barberina Rookwood and her lover, Saul Henchman, a crippled, emasculated war hero and photographer. Fancifully, Beals imagines Henchman to be the reembodiment of one of the most mysterious Arthurian legends, the Fisher King--the maimed and impotent ruler of a barren country of whom Perceval failed to ask the right questions. A myth with many permutations--and a blurred borderland between them--the Fisher King legend dovetails the various explanations Powell offers from his competing narrators as to why a talented young dancer would forsake her art to care for a feeble older man. Ostensibly a novel about gossip on a cruise ship, The Fisher King is much more: a highly stylized narrative infused with Greek mythology, legend, and satire.

This is an abridged version of Powell's four volumes memoirs, which were published between 1976 and 1982. Anthony Powell earnt the reputation of being a literary giant within the generation of Waugh, Orwell and Greene. He is probably best known for his 12 volume work "A Dance to the Music of Time". These memoirs reveal Powell the man and author, and also provide an inside view of the British literary scene and social elite, from the 1920's to the 1980s. Powell observes the obsenity trial sparked by "Lady Chatterley's Lover" and Shirley Temple's libel suit after Graham Greene reviewed "Wee Willie Winkie" with "more than his usual verve". He also paints vivid portraits of other authors, such as Kingsley Amis, V.S. Naipaul, T.S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf.

The cool elegance of the prose, the deliciously dry humour, the confident choreography of his characters make for an incomparable treat.' - Michael PalinAnthony Powell's brilliant twelve-novel sequence chronicles the lives of over three hundred characters, and is a unique evocation of life in twentieth-century England.

Anthony Powell's brilliant twelve novel sequence chronicles the lives of over three hundred characters, and is a unique evocation of life in twentieth-century England.

Anthony Powell's brilliant twelve-novel sequence chronicles the lives of over three hundred characters, and is a unique evocation of life in twentieth-century England.

Anthony Powell's brilliant twelve-novel sequence chronicles the lives of over three hundred characters, and is a unique evocation of life in twentieth-century England.

Anthony Powell's universally acclaimed epic encompasses a four-volume panorama of twentieth century London. Hailed by Time as "brilliant literary comedy as well as a brilliant sketch of the times," A Dance to the Music of Time opens just after World War I. Amid the fever of the 1920s and the first chill of the 1930s, Nick Jenkins and his friends confront sex, society, business, and art. In the second volume they move to London in a whirl of marriage and adulteries, fashions and frivolities, personal triumphs and failures. These books "provide an unsurpassed picture, at once gay and melancholy, of social and artistic life in Britain between the wars" (Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.). The third volume follows Nick into army life and evokes London during the blitz. In the climactic final volume, England has won the war and must now count the losses. In this climactic volume of A Dance to the Music of Time, Nick Jenkins describes a world of ambition, intrigue, and dissolution. England has won the war, but now the losses, physical and moral, must be counted. Pamela Widmerpool sets a snare for the young writer Trapnel, while her husband suffers private agony and public humiliation. Set against a background of politics, business, high society, and the counterculture in England and Europe, this magnificent work of art sounds an unforgettable requiem for an age. Includes these novels: Books Do Furnish a Room Temporary Kings Hearing Secret Harmonies "Anthony Powell is the best living English novelist by far. His admirers are addicts, let us face it, held in thrall by a magician."-Chicago Tribune "A book which creates a world and explores it in depth, which ponders changing relationships and values, which creates brilliantly living and diverse characters and then watches them grow and change in their milieu. . . . Powell's world is as large and as complex as Proust's."-Elizabeth Janeway, New York Times "One of the most important works of fiction since the Second World War. . . . The novel looked, as it began, something like a comedy of manners; then, for a while, like a tragedy of manners; now like a vastly entertaining, deeply melancholy, yet somehow courageous statement about human experience."-Naomi Bliven, New Yorker