What's Become of Waring
by Anthony Powell
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Description
Unsavory artists, titled boobs, and charlatans with an affinity for Freud ?such are the oddballs whose antics animate the early novels of the late British master Anthony Powell. A genius of social satire delivered with a very dry wit, Powell builds his comedies on the foibles of British high society between the wars, delving into subjects as various as psychoanalysis, the film industry, publishing, and (of course) sex. More explorations of relationships and vanity than plot-driven show more narratives, these slim novels reveal the early stirrings of the unequaled style, ear for dialogue, and eye for irony that would reach their caustic peak in Powell ?s epic A Dance to the Music of Time. In What ?s Become of Waring, Powell lampoons a world with which he was intimately acquainted: the inner workings of a small London publisher. But even as Powell eviscerates the publishers ? less than scrupulous plotting in his tale of wild coincidences, mistaken identity, and romance, he never strays to the far side of farce. Written from a vantage point both high and necessarily narrow, Powell ?s early novels nevertheless deal in the universal themes that would become a substantial part of his oeuvre: pride, greed, and what makes people behave as they do. Filled with eccentric characters and piercing insights, Powell ?s work is achingly hilarious, human, and true. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
In which a small publishing house in inter-war Britain is thrown into consternation when its most popular author dies unexpectedly at a young age. The thin plot is not really the heart of the book; it derives its strength from the well-drawn characters, wry observations on human society, and, especially, the droll allusions to the workings of the publishing industry at that time. It's a charmer which is fun and easy to read whilst displaying excellent craftsmanship and an underlying gravitas.
An entertaining jaunt, with a cunning structure that looks more cunning in retrospect.
Very enjoyable. If you like his other novels, then I think you would like this one.
Not crazy about this book but a member of the my book club who grew up in England said it was satire. I really didn't get it but am going to give it a try with the understanding it is like Punch or Monty Python.
paperback
amusant
Jun 11, 2015French
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Author Information
61+ Works 13,440 Members
Anthony Powell was born on December 21, 1905 in Westminster, England and was educated at Eton College and Balliol College, Oxford. In 1926 he became an editor at Duckworth & Co. and later moved on to be a scriptwriter for Warner Brothers. By 1937 he was a regular contributor to The Spectator and the Daily Telegraph. From 1953-1959 Powell was the show more Literary Editor of Punch. His first book, The Barnard Letter, was published in 1928 and his first novel, Afternoon Men, was published in 1931. In 1951 Powell published A Question of Upbringing, which was the first of the 12-novel sequence A Dance to the Music of Time. In 1975 he published Hearing Secret Harmonies, which was the last novel of the sequence. Powell wrote Infants of the Spring, which is part of To Keep the Ball Rolling, his memoirs. He also published The Fisher King in 1986. Anthony Powell died peacefully at his home, The Chantry, aged 94 on March 28, 2000. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1939
- Important places
- London, England, UK; Toulon, Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 164
- Popularity
- 199,020
- Reviews
- 7
- Rating
- (3.95)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 13
- ASINs
- 10
