The Prose Factory

The Prose Factory

Literary Life in Britain Since 1918

Summary

‘An entertaining history of literary life’ Nicholas Shakespeare, Daily Telegraph

Spanning a century of literary history, from the pitched battles fought between Eliot-era modernists and Georgian traditionalists to the impact of creative writing degrees and the media don of today and taking in ‘star reviewers’, sniping critics, caballing editors and megalomaniac professors along the way, The Prose Factory explores the myriad influences on English literary life in the past century and the way in which they have shaped our preferences.

‘An amazing achievement’ David Lodge

‘A pleasingly gossipy history of literary life in England since 1918…very enjoyable’ Observer

‘Elegantly written, defiantly intelligent, scrupulously researched and richly enjoyable’ Mail on Sunday

Reviews

  • An entertaining history of literary life.
    Nicholas Shakespeare, Daily Telegraph

About the author

D J Taylor

D.J. Taylor's novels include English Settlement, which won a Grinzane Cavour Prize, Trespass and Derby Day, both of which were long-listed for the Man Booker Prize, and Kept: A Victorian Mystery. His other books include After the War: The Novel and England Since 1945, Thackeray, Orwell: The Life, which won the 2003 Whitbread Biography Prize, and Bright Young People: The Rise and Fall of a Generation 1918–1940. He lives in Norwich with his wife, the novelist Rachel Hore, and their three sons.
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