Miscellaneous Verdicts

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Miscellaneous Verdicts showcases Anthony Powell's critical writing spanning four decades, featuring his reviews for the Daily Telegraph, humorous pieces for Punch, and in-depth writings on various authors. This collection is characterized by wit and entertainment, reflecting the style of the author of Dance to the Music of Time. The first section delves into British literary figures, highlighting Powell's interest in genealogy and writers such as Kipling, Conrad, and Hardy. The second section shifts focus to America, beginning with discussions on presidential family trees and including essays on Henry James, James Thurber, American booksellers in Paris, Hemingway, and Dashiell Hammett. Personal anecdotes and engaging incidents enrich these narratives, particularly in the section on Powell's contemporaries like Connolly, Orwell, and Graham Greene. The book concludes with a section dedicated to Proust, featuring a captivating essay on the food and drink in A la Recherche du Temps Perdu. Critics have praised the work for its urbane and erudite nature, noting Powell's acute intelligence and humor, which establish him as a profound voice in English literature. Powell, born in London in 1905, authored seven novels, a biography of John Aubrey, two plays, memoirs, and the twelve-volume sequence Dance to the Music of Time.