Hearing Secret Harmonies

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

One of the great novel-sequences in English Literature – a wonderful portrait of society, full of insight into the complexities of human behaviour, richly detailed and shrewdly funny.

Discovering Anthony Powell’s "A Dance to the Music of Time" has been one of the greatest pleasures of my reading life. The cool elegance of the prose, the deliciously dry humour, the confident choreography of his characters made for an incomparable treat. Twelve volumes was simply not enough.

“A Dance To The Music of Time” is an epic, elegant masterpiece, so full of lightness and comedy that you're unprepared for how it quietly wrecks your heart.

Powell’s novel sequence is at once a rich chronicle of 20th-century English social life and an intricately wrought work of art. It is also extremely funny, in its sly fashion.

The novels of Powell’s “A Dance to the Music of Time” themselves move hand in hand in intricate measure through the last century, bearing wisdom and understanding for the present. In an ever-quicker, ever-shallower world, his steadiness and wit reliably escort the reader into depth and patience. Nobody gives pattern to the spectacle of human existence like Powell.

Reading “A Dance to the Music of Time” was such a joyous experience, I remember wishing there'd been more than twelve volumes.

He has wit, style, and panache, in a world where those qualities are in permanently short supply

I re-read the "Dance" every five years or so and always find something new – the world has changed but the characters are evergreen. Everybody has a Widmerpool in their life.

A masterful stylist and a wise, often hilarious observer of human nature and his times, Anthony Powell is an under-appreciated literary gem. The pleasures and dramas of the "Dance" continue to illuminate daily life.

Comic, satisfying, thought-provoking, addictive

It's his supreme skill in mastering a lengthily interwoven chronicle, the evolution of such a range and variety of pin-point characters, the wit and the cultural ambition that give the novel a unique place in English Literature.

Anthony Powell was an only child, born in 1905. As a young man he worked for a crumbling publishing business whilst trying to find time to write novels. He moved in a bohemian world of struggling writers and artists, which was to provide the raw material for much of his fiction. During the Second World War he served in Military Intelligence Liaison. He subsequently became a fiction reviewer for the Times Literary Supplement and for five years he was the literary editor of the now-defunct magazine Punch. Meanwhile he continued to work on the twelve-novel sequence ‘A Dance to the Music of Time’. He was the author of seven other novels, and four volumes of memoirs. His many reviews for the Daily Telegraph are also published in collected volumes. Anthony Powell died in March 2000.

'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.

Temporary Kings

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

"A Dance To The Music of Time” is an epic, elegant masterpiece, so full of lightness and comedy that you're unprepared for how it quietly wrecks your heart.

'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.

The Valley Of Bones

The seventh 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 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.

The Soldier's Art

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

The novels of Powell’s “A Dance to the Music of Time” themselves move hand in hand in intricate measure through the last century, bearing wisdom and understanding for the present. In an ever-quicker, ever-shallower world, his steadiness and wit reliably escort the reader into depth and patience. Nobody gives pattern to the spectacle of human existence like Powell.'

'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 eighth volume, Nick Jenkins has been posted to Divisional Headquarters as the assistant to his old friend, the rapidly rising Major Widmerpool. Having to work alongside the rather obnoxious Captain Biggs, Nick is pleased when his old school pal Charles Stringham becomes the latest recruit to the armed forces. However, the cruelties of war are not far behind. As the Blitz intensifies, tragedy and despair befall Nick and his friends.

The Military Philosophers

The ninth 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 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.

Books Do Furnish A Room

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

It's his supreme skill in mastering a lengthily interwoven chronicle, the evolution of such a range and variety of pin-point characters, the wit and the cultural ambition that give the novel a unique place in 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 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.

A Question of Upbringing

Anthony Powell's universally acclaimed epic creates a rich panorama of twentieth-century London.

Discovering Anthony Powell’s “A Dance to the Music of Time” has been one of the greatest pleasures of my reading life. The cool elegance of the prose, the deliciously dry humour, the confident choreography of his characters make for an incomparable treat.

A masterful stylist and a wise, often hilarious observer of human nature and his times, Anthony Powell is an under-appreciated literary gem. The pleasures and dramas of the “Dance” continue to illuminate daily life.

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.

It's full of insights and recognisable characters. Remarkable.

Wonderfully observed and true, funny, stylistically dazzling and soothing and long enough to take one through any lockdown.

A passionate, hilarious look at mid-twentieth-century Britain.

Something I know I love ... Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time, which I could read endlessly.

I’m bowled over, hooked and, hurrah, there are 11 more volumes to go as Jenkins grows up. Terrific.

'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 first volume, Nick Jenkins is introduced to the ebbs and flows of life at boarding school in the 1920s, spent in the company of his friends: Peter Templer, Charles Stringham, and Kenneth Widmerpool. 
 
Though their days are filled with visits from relatives and boyish pranks, usually at the expense of their housemaster Le Bas, a disastrous trip in Templer’s car threatens their new friendship. As the school year comes to a close, the young men are faced with the prospects of adulthood, and with finding their place in the world.

A Buyer's Market

'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 Acceptance World

'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.

At Lady Molly's

I re-read the “Dance” every five years or so and always find something new – the world has changed but the characters are evergreen. Everybody has a Widmerpool in their life.

At Lady Molly's comes fourth in the Dance sequence of 12 novels, but like all the novels it can be read on its own ... If it has ever struck you that life is comic and unexpected and strangely patterned and sad, you should read Powell ... I suspect I am approaching the larger realisation that Powell is the perfect companion for every stage of existence. Few novelists are wiser about people or about life.

'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.

Casanova's Chinese Restaurant

'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.

The Kindly Ones

'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.

Journals 1987-1989

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.

Dance To The Music Of Time Volume 3

Chronicling the lives of over three hundred characters, unrivalled for its scope and humour, this is a unique evocation of life in twentieth-century England.

'One of English fiction's few twentieth-century masterpieces' -John Lanchester, London Review of Books

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. It is unrivalled for its scope, its humour and the enormous pleasure it has given to generations. 
 
Volume 3 contains the seventh, eighth and ninth novel in the series: The Valley of Bones; The Soldier's Art; The Military Philosophers

Dance To The Music Of Time Volume 4

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. It is unrivalled for its scope, its humour and the enormous pleasure it has given to generations. 
 
Volume 4 contains the last three novels in the sequence: Books do Furnish a Room; Temporary Kings; Hearing Secret Harmonies.

Dance To The Music Of Time Volume 1

'One of English fiction's few twentieth-century masterpieces' John Lanchester, LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS

_________________________ 
The first three volumes of Anthony Powell's remarkable A DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME sequence: A QUESTION OF UPBRINGING; A BUYER'S MARKET; THE ACCEPTANCE WORLD 
 
'One of the greatest pleasures of my reading life. The cool elegance of the prose, the deliciously dry humour, the confident choreography of his characters make for an incomparable treat.' - Michael Palin 
 
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. It is unrivalled for its scope, its humour and the enormous pleasure it has given to generations. 
 
These first three novels in the sequence follow Nicholas Jenkins, Kenneth Widmerpool and others, as they negotiate the intellectual, cultural and social hurdles which stand between them and the 'Acceptance World'.

Dance To The Music Of Time Volume 2

I would rather read Mr Powell than any English novelist now writing

There is no other novelist whose work gives so much or such consistent pleasure.

I think it is now becoming clear that A Dance to the Music of Time is going to become the greatest modern novel since Ulysses.

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. It is unrivalled for its scope, its humour and the enormous pleasure it has given to generations. 
 
Volume 2 contains the second three novels in the sequence: At Lady Molly's; Casanova's Chinese Restaurant; The Kindly Ones

Anthony Powell

Louisa Young

**The abridged memoirs of Anthony Powell, with a new introduction from Louisa Young** 
 
'Powell can offer many of the rewards of comic creation we find in a Dickens or a Jane Austen' TLS 
 
Anthony Powell earned a reputation as a literary giant within the generation of Waugh, Orwell and Greene, best known for his twelve-volume work A Dance to the Music of Time. 
 
These memoirs reveal Powell - the man and author - providing an insider's view of the British literary scene and social elite from the 1920s to the 1980s. In these pages, Powell observes the obscenity 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'. Throughout, Powell paints vivid, witty and superbly written portraits of his contemporaries, other authors including Kingsley Amis, V.S. Naipaul, T.S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf. 
 
Featuring an illuminating new introduction by Louisa Young, TO KEEP THE BALL ROLLING is the abridged version of Anthony Powell's four volumes of memoir, first published between 1976 and 1982.

Anthony Powell

Books by Anthony Powell

Series by Anthony Powell

A Dance to the Music of Time

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