Afternoon Men

A sharply observed comedy of manners from Anthony Powell, the acclaimed author of A Dance to the Music of Time.

In the fashionable but aimless world of London between the wars, William Atwater drifts between his unrewarding work at a museum and an endless succession of parties, dinners, romantic complications, and encounters with artists and socialites. His pursuit of the elusive Susan Nunnery leads him through a society devoted to pleasure, appearances, and the avoidance of serious commitments. Around him, a colorful assortment of painters, writers, and wealthy eccentrics pursue their own disappointments with varying degrees of sophistication and self-deception.

With dry wit, precise dialogue, and an unerring eye for human absurdity, Afternoon Men exposes the loneliness and uncertainty beneath the glittering surface of fashionable London. Powell's debut novel introduces the social observation, understated comedy, and intricate relationships that would later distinguish his celebrated twelve-volume masterpiece, A Dance to the Music of Time. Both an entertaining portrait of a vanished society and an early demonstration of a remarkable literary talent, Afternoon Men remains a compelling exploration of ambition, desire, and the peculiar comedy of human behavior.