47-640: Anthony Dymoke Powell CH CBE ( / ˈ p oʊ əl / POH -əl ; 21 December 1905 – 28 March 2000) was an English novelist best known for his 12-volume work A Dance to the Music of Time , published between 1951 and 1975. It is on the list of longest novels in English. Powell's major work has remained in print continuously and has been the subject of television and radio dramatisations. In 2008, The Times newspaper named Powell among their list of "the 50 greatest British writers since 1945." Powell
94-634: A View to a Death (1933) and Agents and Patients (1936) two of them after Powell had left the firm. The cover design of these three were by Misha Black . During his time in California, Powell contributed several articles to the magazine Night and Day , edited by Graham Greene . Powell wrote a few more occasional pieces for the magazine until it ceased publication in March 1938. Powell completed his fifth novel, What's Become of Waring , in late 1938 or early 1939. After being turned down by Duckworth, it
141-583: A certain skepticism towards the right as well, often associating with George Orwell and Malcolm Muggeridge . He was wary of right-wing groups and suspicious of inflated rhetoric. He organized George Orwell's funeral along with Muggeridge. Powell married Lady Violet Pakenham (1912–2002), sister of Lord Longford , on 1 December 1934 at All Saints, Ennismore Gardens, Knightsbridge . Powell and his wife relocated to 1 Chester Gate in Regent's Park , London, where they remained for 17 years. Their first son, Tristram ,
188-504: A novelist can do, from flights of aesthetic passion to romance to comedy high and low. His dialogue is extraordinary; often terse, pedestrian and perfect, each character using three or four words. Anthony Powell taught me to write; he has such brilliant control of the mechanics of the novel." Powell created collages during his writing life. His greatest achievement, the collage in the Chantry, has been characterized as "a monstrous collage of
235-939: A posting to the War Office in Whitehall , where he was attached to the section known as Military Intelligence (Liaison) overseeing relations with, and the basic material needs of, foreign troops in exile, specifically the Czechs, later with the Belgians and Luxembourgers, and later still the French. Later for a short time he was posted to the Cabinet Office , to serve on the Secretariat of the Joint Intelligence Committee , securing promotions along
282-419: A protagonist with experiences and perspectives similar to Powell's own, follows the trajectory of the author's own life, offering a vivid portrayal of the intersection of bohemian life with high society between 1921 and 1971. Its characters, many modelled loosely on real people, surface, vanish, and reappear throughout the sequence but Powell claimed that it was not a roman à clef . The characters are drawn from
329-541: A screenwriter in 1937. He next found work reviewing novels for The Daily Telegraph and memoirs and autobiographies for The Spectator . Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Powell, at age 34, joined the British Army as a second lieutenant , making him more than 10 years older than most of his fellow subalterns, not at all well prepared for military life, and lacking in experience. Powell joined
376-471: A selection of Aubrey's writings that appeared the following year. Powell returned to novel writing, and began to ponder a long novel sequence . Over the next 30 years, he produced his major work: A Dance to the Music of Time . The title of the multivolume series is taken from the painting of the same name by Poussin , which hangs in the Wallace Collection . The cycle of novels, narrated by
423-560: A size and surrealistic disturbance." The collage took decades to create. It has been digitized and partially reproduced in Anthony Powell: Dancing to the Music of Time as endpapers. A 360-degree panorama is viewable at the website: Powell's "Boiler Room" Collage at The Chantry . In 2019, the Collage was photographed by Tim Beddow and featured on the cover of The World of Interiors , a Condé Nast magazine. Dance
470-668: Is the Sovereign of the Order of the Companions of Honour, and a maximum of 65 members. Additionally, foreigners or Commonwealth citizens from outside the Commonwealth realms may be added as honorary members. Members are organised into a single class and are appointed by the monarch of the Commonwealth realms in their capacity as sovereign of the order. While membership of the order confers no title or precedence , those inducted into
517-628: The Gargoyle Club , which gave him experience in London's Bohemia. He got to know painters Nina Hamnett and Adrian Daintrey , who were neighbours in Fitzrovia , and composer Constant Lambert , who remained a good friend until Lambert's death in 1951. In 1934, he married Lady Violet Pakenham . In 1952, they moved to The Chantry, a country home in Whatley , west of Frome , Somerset. Powell
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#1732775409255564-848: The House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election, and was part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament prior to Britain leaving the European Union in January 2020, which elected seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation . The Church of
611-628: The Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms . It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. It was founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire . The order was originally intended to be conferred upon a limited number of persons for whom this special distinction seemed to be the most appropriate form of recognition, constituting an honour dissociated from either
658-549: The Continent during his holidays. He was awarded a third-class degree at the end of his academic years. Upon his arrival in London after Oxford, part of Powell's social life centered around attendance at formal debutante dances at houses in Mayfair and Belgravia . He renewed acquaintance with Evelyn Waugh , whom he had known at Oxford, and was a frequent guest for Sunday supper at Waugh's parents' house. Waugh introduced him to
705-518: The Holy Trinity at Chantry dates from 1844–46 by George Gilbert Scott and William Moffatt, with further work by William George Brown of Frome , for James Fussell , who owned the local iron works. It is a Grade I listed building . In 1858 Richard William Church was among the clergy of the church. The Church of St George in Whatley dates from the 14th century. There is a sarsen stone in
752-517: The Music of Time , and in 2017 published his biography, Anthony Powell: Dancing to the Music of Time . A Blue plaque was mounted on 16 September 2023 at 1 Chester Gate London NW1 where Powell began writing A Dance to the Music of Time . The Anthony Powell Society organized the ceremony. Memoirs A one-volume abridgment, called simply To Keep the Ball Rolling , was published in 1983. Diaries Companion of Honour The Order of
799-580: The Usher. He suggests the village name means 'The wet meadow' from the Old English woet and leah . The parish was part of the hundred of Frome . The village gives its name to Whatley Quarry , which lies to the north-west of the village at grid reference ST731479 and is said to be one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Hanson plc and has been the object of protests against its impact on
846-837: The Welch Regiment and was stationed in Northern Ireland at the time of air raids in Belfast. His superiors found uses for his talents, resulting in a series of transfers that brought him to special training courses designed to produce a nucleus of officers to deal with the problems of military government after the Allies had defeated the Axis powers. He eventually secured an assignment with the Intelligence Corps and additional training. His military career continued with
893-486: The acceptance of title or the classification of merit. It is now described as being "awarded for having a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government lasting over a long period of time". The first recipients of the order were all decorated for "services in connection with the war " and were listed in The London Gazette . The order consists of the monarch of the Commonwealth realms, who
940-402: The allocation of this award to that country's citizens in preference to other Australian honours. The last Australian member, Doug Anthony , former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, died on 20 December 2020. Companions from other Commonwealth realms continue to be appointed, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa , a New Zealand soprano, was given the award in 2018 and Canadian author Margaret Atwood was given
987-468: The award in 2019. Sebastian Coe , Baron Coe CH represented the Order at the 2023 Coronation . The insignia of the order is in the form of an oval medallion, surmounted by a royal crown (but, until recently, surmounted by an imperial crown ), and with a rectangular panel within, depicting on it an oak tree, a shield with the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom hanging from one branch, and, on
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#17327754092551034-453: The context of his range of friends and literary connections including John Bayley , Robert Conquest , Henry d'Avigdor-Goldsmid , Antonia Fraser , Roy Jenkins , Hugh Massingberd , Arthur Mizener , and Edith Sitwell . Powell's health declined in his later years after multiple strokes. On 28 March 2000, he died at The Chantry at the age of 94. Powell came to work in London during the autumn of 1926 and lived at various London addresses for
1081-635: The design of Bath architect John Pinch the elder . The Chantry Estate and school were established by the family of James Fussell , an iron magnate operating the Old Iron Works, Mells in Vallis Vale between Mells and Great Elm . The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with
1128-532: The environment. The gatehouse at Manor farm was built around 1500 and is a Grade I listed building . The hamlet of Lower Whatley is to the south of the village. The hamlet of Chantry lies 1 mile to the west. It is one of the Thankful Villages which suffered no casualties in the First World War . Chantry Park is Grade II* listed : The Chantry is a neoclassical villa built c. 1825 to
1175-627: The family of the Barons Marmion , who first held the position. The Powell family descended from ancient Welsh kings and chieftains. Anthony Powell had a strong interest in genealogy; he conducted extensive research into the Powell family over many years, establishing a paternal descent from Gwriad ap Elidyr — himself a descendant of Coel Hen according to the Genealogies from Jesus College MS 20 and other sources — via Rhys ap Gruffydd to
1222-615: The following decorations: the Order of the White Lion (Czechoslovakia), Oaken Crown (Luxembourg), Order of Leopold II (Belgium), and Luxembourg War Cross (Croix de Guerre -Luxembourg). After his demobilisation at the end of the war, writing became his sole career. Despite a holiday trip to the Soviet Union in 1936, he remained unsympathetic to the popular-front, leftist politics of many of his literary and critical contemporaries. A confirmed Tory , Powell nonetheless maintained
1269-571: The left shoulder. Whatley, Mendip Whatley is a small rural village and civil parish about 2.5 miles (4 km) west of Frome in the English county of Somerset . The parish lies south of Mells and north of Nunney , and includes the hamlets of Lower Whatley and Chantry . According to Robinson, it was called Watelei in the Domesday Book of 1086, when the tenants of the Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey were Walter Hussey and John
1316-527: The left, a mounted knight in armour. The insignia's blue border bears in gold letters the motto IN ACTION FAITHFUL AND IN HONOUR CLEAR , Alexander Pope 's description (in iambic pentameter ) in his Epistle to Mr Addison of James Craggs the Younger , later used on Craggs's monument in Westminster Abbey . Men wear the badge on a neck ribbon (red with golden border threads) and women on a bow at
1363-493: The local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also
1410-763: The next 25 years. He worked in a form of apprenticeship at the publishers Gerald Duckworth and Company in Covent Garden , where he brought out A Tower of Skulls: a Journey through Persia and Turkish Armenia by Gerald Reitlinger . Powell left Duckworth employ in 1936 after protracted negotiations about title, salary, and working hours. He next took a job as a screenwriter at the Warner Bros. studio in Teddington , where he remained for six months. He made an abortive attempt to find employment in Hollywood as
1457-567: The order are entitled to use the post-nominal letters CH . Appointments to the order are generally made on the advice of prime ministers of the Commonwealth realms. For Canadians, the advice to the Sovereign can come from a variety of officials. Originally, the order was limited to 50 ordinary members, but in 1943 it was enlarged to 65, with a quota of 45 members for the United Kingdom , seven for Australia , two each for New Zealand and South Africa , and nine for India , Burma , and
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1504-542: The other British colonies . The quota numbers were altered in 1970 to 47 for the United Kingdom, seven for Australia, two for New Zealand, and nine for other Commonwealth realms. The quota was adjusted again in 1975 by adding two places to the New Zealand quota and reducing the nine for the other countries to seven. Whilst still able to nominate candidates to the order, the Cabinet of Australia has effectively stopped
1551-565: The overall title of To Keep the Ball Rolling, followed by two more novels: O, How the Wheel Becomes It! (1983) and The Fisher King (1986). Several volumes of Powell's Journals , covering 1982 to 1992, appeared between 1995 and 1997. His Writer's Notebook was published posthumously in 2001, and a third volume of critical essays, Some Poets, Artists, and a Reference for Mellors , appeared in 2005. Alan Furst , an author of spy novels , has noted of him, "Powell does everything
1598-573: The responsibility of the council. For local government purposes, since 1 April 2023, the village comes under the unitary authority of Somerset Council . Prior to this, it was part of the non-metropolitan district of Mendip , which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 , having previously been part of Frome Rural District . It is also part of the Frome and East Somerset county constituency represented in
1645-625: The satisfaction of the heralds of the College of Arms , who in 1964 granted him use of the ancient Powell arms. This pedigree was included in Burke's Landed Gentry . Because of his father's career and the First World War, the family moved several times, and mother and son sometimes lived apart from Powell's father. Powell attended Gibbs's pre-preparatory day-school for a brief time. He was then sent to New Beacon School near Sevenoaks , which
1692-554: The upper classes, their marriages and affairs, and their bohemian acquaintances. Powell was awarded the 1957 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for the fourth volume, At Lady Molly's . The eleventh volume, Temporary Kings , received the W. H. Smith Prize in 1974. In parallel with his creative writing, Powell served as the primary fiction reviewer for the Times Literary Supplement . He served as literary editor of Punch from 1953 to 1959. From 1958 to 1990, he
1739-615: The visual arts. In 1922, he became a founding member of the Eton Society of Arts. The society's members produced an occasional magazine called The Eton Candle . In the autumn of 1923, Powell went up to Balliol College, Oxford . Soon after his arrival, he was introduced to the Hypocrites' Club . Outside that club, he came to know Maurice Bowra , then a young don at Wadham College . During his third year, Powell lived out of college, sharing rooms with Henry Yorke. Powell travelled on
1786-564: The way. For his service in the Army, he received two General Service medals as well as the 1944 France and Germany Star for escorting a group of Allied military attaches from Normandy to Montgomery's 21st Army Group Tactical HQ in November 1944 three miles from Roermond, Holland then held by the Germans. For representing the interests of foreign armies in exile as a liaison officer he received
1833-412: Was a regular reviewer for The Daily Telegraph , resigning after a vitriolic personal attack on him by Auberon Waugh appeared in that newspaper. He also reviewed occasionally for The Spectator . Many of Powell's book reviews were republished in two volumes of critical essays, Miscellaneous Verdicts (1990) and Under Review (1992). Between 1976 and 1982, Powell published four volumes of memoirs with
1880-455: Was adapted by Hugh Whitemore for a television miniseries during the autumn of 1997, and broadcast in the UK on Channel 4 . The novel sequence was earlier adapted by Graham Gauld and Frederick Bradnum for a BBC Radio 4 26-part series broadcast between 1978 and 1981. In the radio version, the part of Jenkins as narrator was played by Noel Johnson . A second radio dramatisation by Michael Butt
1927-636: Was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1956 Birthday Honours , and in 1973, he declined an offer of knighthood . He was appointed Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in the 1988 New Year Honours . He served as a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery from 1962 to 1976. With Lady Violet, he travelled to the United States, India, Guatemala, Italy, and Greece. The individuals to whom Powell dedicated his books and memoirs provide
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1974-589: Was born in Westminster , the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Philip Lionel William Powell (1882–1959), of the Welch Regiment , and Maud Mary (died 1954), daughter of Edmund Lionel Wells- Dymoke , of The Grange, East Molesey , Surrey. Wells- Dymoke was a descendant of a land-owning family in Lincolnshire , hereditary Champions to monarchs since the reign of Richard II of England . They had married into
2021-574: Was born in April 1940, but Powell and his wife spent most of the war years apart, while he served in the Welch Regiment and later in the Intelligence Corps . A second son, John, was born in January 1946. On 30 April 2018, Powell's granddaughter Georgia Powell married Henry Somerset, 12th Duke of Beaufort . Powell's first novel, Afternoon Men , was published by Duckworth in 1931, with Powell supervising its production himself. The same firm published his next three novels, Venusberg (1932), From
2068-505: Was broadcast during April and May 2008. In 1995, Powell was awarded an honorary degree (Doctor of Letters) from the University of Bath . In 2000 scholars founded The Anthony Powell Society to advance for the public benefit, education and interest in his life and works. The Society publishes quarterly The Anthony Powell Newsletter and the journal, Secret Harmonies. A centenary exhibition in commemoration of Powell's life and work
2115-702: Was held at the Wallace Collection, London, from November 2005 to February 2006. Smaller exhibitions were held in 2005 and 2006 at Eton College, Cambridge University , the Grolier Club in New York City, and Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Hilary Spurling , a newspaper colleague, had written at Powell's request in 1977 Invitation to the Dance: A Guide to Anthony Powell's Dance to
2162-534: Was popular with military families. Early in 1919, Powell passed the Common Entrance Examination for Eton , where he started that autumn. There, he befriended fellow pupil Henry Yorke, later to become known as novelist Henry Green . At Eton, Powell spent much of his spare time at the Studio, where a sympathetic art master encouraged him to develop his talent as a draughtsman and his interest in
2209-556: Was published by Cassell in March of that year. The book sold fewer than a thousand copies. Anticipating the difficulties of creative writing during wartime, Powell began to assemble material for a biography of 17th-century writer John Aubrey . His army career, though, forced him to postpone even that biographical work. When the war ended, Powell resumed work on Aubrey, completing the manuscript of John Aubrey and His Friends in May 1946, though it only appeared in 1948 after difficult negotiations and arguments with publishers. He then edited
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