The Prose Factory: Literary Life in Britain Since 1918

(Paperback)

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Gossipy journalists, revolutionary poets, political novelists and influential professors- a fascinating history of taste in literary culture over the last century '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 *
Engaging, assured and entertaining. -- James Kidd * Independent *
Wide ranging, entertaining and thoughtful survey -- Michael Prodger * The Times *
An amazing achievement * David Lodge *
A pleasingly gossipy history of literary life in England since 1918very enjoyable * Observer *
Elegantly written, defiantly intelligent, scrupulously researched and richly enjoyable. -- John Preston * Mail on Sunday *
Riveting -- Max Liu * Independent on Sunday *
A cross between a series of critical essays and a connected history Its great strength lies in the freshness of his critical responses The sheer vitality of Taylors engagement with booksis infectious Perceptive portraits and crisp judgments. -- Stefan Collini * Guardian *
[Taylors] grand historical survey, covering publishing, reviewing, writing, making a living, and teaching, charts the rise of the man of letters Well researched and informative. -- Michele Roberts * Financial Times *

Author Bio

D.J. Taylor wrote his first paid book review - for The Spectator - the week after he came down from university. Over the course of the next three decades he has produced enough literary journalism to carpet Lord's cricket ground. In the intervals between writing about books for the Guardian, Independent, Times Literary Supplement, Literary Review, Prospect, Wall Street Journal and Private Eye he has written 11 novels and several works of non-fiction, including After The War- The Novel and England Since 1945 and Orwell- The Life, which won the Whitbread Prize for Biography. His most recent books are a novel, The Windsor Faction, joint winner of the Sidewise Award for Alternate History, and a collection of short stories, Wrote for Luck. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and lives in Norwich with his wife, the novelist Rachel Hore, and their three sons.