- 384 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
"Jampacked and delicious, crammed with a cast of selfish, feckless, darling, talented, almost terminally eccentric, good-looking men and women." —Carolyn See,
The Washington Post
Before the media circus of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and our modern obsession with celebrity, there were the Bright Young People, a voraciously pleasure-seeking band of bohemian party-givers and blue-blooded socialites who romped through the gossip columns of 1920s London. Evelyn Waugh immortalized their slang, their pranks, and their tragedies in his novels, and over the next half century, many—from Cecil Beaton to Nancy Mitford and John Betjeman—would become household names.
But beneath the veneer of hedonism and practical jokes was a tormented generation, brought up in the shadow of war. Sparkling talent was too often brought low by alcoholism and addiction. Drawing on the virtuosic and often wrenching writings of the Bright Young People themselves, the biographer and novelist D. J. Taylor has produced an enthralling account of an age of fleeting brilliance.
"[An] ultimately elegiac narrative with a surprising amount of intellectual and emotional sympathy." — The New York Times
"Engaging . . . Taylor's skillful reconstruction of the whole hazy time feels like a lasting party favor." —NPR
"Incisive . . . [and] richly detailed." — The New York Times Book Review
"A poignant study of the elusive relationship between art and the social world from whence it springs." — The New York Observer
"[A] splendid social history . . . By placing generational tensions and tenderness center-stage, Taylor gives his book a beating emotional heart." — Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Entertaining and incisive." — The Boston Globe
"Fascinating." — The Wall Street Journal
"Compelling and ultimately touching." — The Guardian
Before the media circus of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and our modern obsession with celebrity, there were the Bright Young People, a voraciously pleasure-seeking band of bohemian party-givers and blue-blooded socialites who romped through the gossip columns of 1920s London. Evelyn Waugh immortalized their slang, their pranks, and their tragedies in his novels, and over the next half century, many—from Cecil Beaton to Nancy Mitford and John Betjeman—would become household names.
But beneath the veneer of hedonism and practical jokes was a tormented generation, brought up in the shadow of war. Sparkling talent was too often brought low by alcoholism and addiction. Drawing on the virtuosic and often wrenching writings of the Bright Young People themselves, the biographer and novelist D. J. Taylor has produced an enthralling account of an age of fleeting brilliance.
"[An] ultimately elegiac narrative with a surprising amount of intellectual and emotional sympathy." — The New York Times
"Engaging . . . Taylor's skillful reconstruction of the whole hazy time feels like a lasting party favor." —NPR
"Incisive . . . [and] richly detailed." — The New York Times Book Review
"A poignant study of the elusive relationship between art and the social world from whence it springs." — The New York Observer
"[A] splendid social history . . . By placing generational tensions and tenderness center-stage, Taylor gives his book a beating emotional heart." — Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Entertaining and incisive." — The Boston Globe
"Fascinating." — The Wall Street Journal
"Compelling and ultimately touching." — The Guardian
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Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Bright Young People by D. J. Taylor in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Historical Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright Notice
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- A Note on Names
- The Cast
- Prologue: Dionysius in Mayfair
- One: Figures in a Landscape
- Two: The Society Racket
- Three: Young Men on the Make: London 1924–28
- Four: Parents and Children
- Five: The Revolt into Style
- Six: Partygoing: 1929
- Seven: Success and Failure: Two Portraits
- Eight: Decline and Fall: 1930–31
- Nine: Celebrity Culture
- Ten: Gay Young People
- Eleven: After the Dance: 1931–39
- Twelve: Projections
- Thirteen: Gone to Report: 1940 and After
- Appendix: “Darling Eddie . . . Love B”
- Notes and Further Reading
- Index