Summary

Literary Lives, following on from the success of Brief Lives, was first published in hardback in 2001 and will publish in paperback alongside Political Lives and Stage and Screen Lives.John Sutherland, famed for his breadth of literary knowledge and insight, has picked out over 100 biographies from the Dictionary of National Biography to create this lively and entertaining anthology of a selection of the most prominent figures in British 20th-century literature. Ever wondered...What inspires a person to write for a living? How they cope with success and failure? How some of our most famous literary characters were created? To what extent life events influence a person's writing? And to what extent the emotions of an age influence a person's writing?These entertaining and often frank profiles of the men and women who made themselves famous in the literary world present a fascinating and unique compilation. Viewed individually these articles offer delightful snapshots into the lives of the likes of W. H. Auden, Enid Blyton, G. K. Chesterton, T. S. Eliot, and Ethel Mannin as seen through the eyes of their friends, contemporaries, and admirers. Viewed as a collection these biographies illustrate the changing moods and developing genres in 20th-century English literature.Entries include:Stephen Spender on W. H. AudenPaul Johnson on J. B. Priestley Kingsley Amis on John BetjemanMichael Denison on Noël CowardRichard Ellmann on T. S. EliotJohn Wain on Philip Larkin Woodrow Wyatt on Arthur KoestlerAnthony Thwaite on Sylvia PlathMargaret Lane on Beatrix PotterDouglas Woodruff on Evelyn Waugh Frances Donaldson on P. G. Wodehouse