Rossetti: His Life and Works

Description

A portrait of one of the greatest artists of the nienteenth century, from one of the greatest writers of the twentieth Evelyn Waugh's first book, Rossetti, is an intimate account of Dante Gabriel Rossetti's tragic and mysterious life- the story behind some of the greatest poetry and painting of the nineteenth century. Shot through with Waugh's charm and dry wit, and illuminated by his sense of kinship with the Pre-Raphaelite artist, Rossetti is at once a brilliant reevaluation of Rossetti's work and legacy, as well as a bold gesture of defiance against the art establishment of the 1920s.

Evelyn Waugh was born in Hampstead in 1903 and educated at Hertford College, Oxford. In 1928 he published his first novel, Decline and Fall, which was soon followed by Vile Bodies (1930), Black Mischief (1932), A Handful of Dust (1934) and Scoop (1938). During these years he also travelled extensively and converted to Catholicism. In 1939 Waugh was commissioned in the Royal Marines and later transferred to the Royal Horse Guards, experiences which informed his Sword of Honour trilogy (1952-61). His most famous novel, Brideshead Revisited (1945), was written while on leave from the army. Waugh died in 1966.

The youthful high spirits of the writing makes this a true cultural delight * The New Statesman * Its re-issue is an event to be celebrated with fireworks, bunting and marching bands * Country Life *