Anthony Powell

Anthony Powell is a renowned British novelist and one of the most influential and revered authors of the twentieth century. Born in 1905, he was a contemporary of George Orwell and Evelyn Waugh and his novels remain as popular today as they were when they were originally published. His collected works have been hailed as literary monuments and some of the finest achievements in English fiction.

Powell’s writing is highly stylized. His characters often contain elements of introspection and understanding, presented in a manner that is both witty and incisive. His works often deal with the struggles of the British upper classes, with themes of friendship, love and morality, often with a subtle touch of social and political comment. In many of his works, he has been dubbed a ‘philosophical historian’, as he often returns to the themes and issues of the past in order to illuminate and examine the present.

Anthony Powell's most famous work is the twelve-volume masterpiece, A Dance to the Music of Time. This sprawling saga chronicles the lives, loves and ambitions of the 'Divine Comedy'-ish ensemble of characters, including Nicholas Jenkins, an endearing Everyman-type protagonist. The series begins in the 1920s and spans several decades, bringing the reader into the corridors of British political and social life between the two world wars.

The series is noted for its powerful imagery and its satirical skewering of the British Establishment. In particular, Powell is praised for his masterful use of dialogue, which gives a vivid portrait of how people spoke and felt during the period of his writing. His artful use of language gives the reader a real sense of character depth, while drawing on the humour and pathos of everyday life.

Powell’s other works are equally acclaimed. His first novel Afternoon Men (1931), a comedy of manners, received some notoriety for its less-than-flattering portrayal of the upper classes, but was nevertheless praised for its keen observations. Another of his best known novels is The Acceptance World (1945), a collection of subtle and reflective stories all based around the central theme of human relationships. He also wrote a number of non-fiction books, such as his memoir To Keep the Ball Rolling (1976).

Anthony Powell’s writing has long been revered for its insight and poignancy, and for its powerful and often acerbic wit. He has been credited with changing the face of British literary fiction and his influence reverberates throughout the twentieth-century literary canon. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest authors of the twentieth century and his collected works are a must-read for any sophisticated reader.