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100 key books of the Modern Movement from England, France & America, 1880-1950
extremely rare,very good condition
Paperback
Published January 1, 1986
About the author
Cyril Connolly
131 books66 followersCyril Connolly was born in Coventry, Warwickshire in 1903. Educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford he was a regular contributor to the New Statesman in the 1930s.
Connolly also co-edited Horizon (1939-41) with Stephen Spender and later was literary editor of the The Observer. Books by Connolly include the novel, The Rock Pool (1938), the autobiographical, Enemies of Promise (1938) and The Unquiet Grave (1944), a collection of aphorisms, reflections and essays.
After the Second World War Connolly was the principal book reviewer of the Sunday Times. He also published several other books including The Condemned Playground (1945), Previous Convictions (1963) and the Modern Movement (1965). Cyril Connolly died in 1974.
Connolly also co-edited Horizon (1939-41) with Stephen Spender and later was literary editor of the The Observer. Books by Connolly include the novel, The Rock Pool (1938), the autobiographical, Enemies of Promise (1938) and The Unquiet Grave (1944), a collection of aphorisms, reflections and essays.
After the Second World War Connolly was the principal book reviewer of the Sunday Times. He also published several other books including The Condemned Playground (1945), Previous Convictions (1963) and the Modern Movement (1965). Cyril Connolly died in 1974.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 2, 2017
CC seems to have set himself an easy task here: for the most part a short page on 100 books selected just for being 'key', a conveniently undefined notion. Some are super-famous, and the vast majority well-known by hearsay at least to lit-heads; but there must be thousands of books that meet these criteria.
So 100 books chosen essentially at whim, and a few hundred words on each. To make this more than a collection of blurbs, those words had better offer something good.
For me, they did; they made me want to try the 70 or so (I haven't counted, that's a guess) that I haven't already read or already intended to read. I've just ordered 'The portrait of a lady', which if I can make it through its 700 pages or whatever it is, will feature in my 2017 reviews. Not before the autumn I imagine.
But that's neither here nor there stars-wise. I give it 4 of those for feeding my attachment to the idea that good books are worth bothering with, for offering fresh-to-me takes on familiar books like 'Gatsby' and for making writers who've always bored me - Hemingway springs to mind - seem worth another go.
So 100 books chosen essentially at whim, and a few hundred words on each. To make this more than a collection of blurbs, those words had better offer something good.
For me, they did; they made me want to try the 70 or so (I haven't counted, that's a guess) that I haven't already read or already intended to read. I've just ordered 'The portrait of a lady', which if I can make it through its 700 pages or whatever it is, will feature in my 2017 reviews. Not before the autumn I imagine.
But that's neither here nor there stars-wise. I give it 4 of those for feeding my attachment to the idea that good books are worth bothering with, for offering fresh-to-me takes on familiar books like 'Gatsby' and for making writers who've always bored me - Hemingway springs to mind - seem worth another go.
Read
June 23, 2009This is a very touching book. I thought I would be bored with it but it was interesting to the end.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews