Last Englishmen

Baker, Deborah

£10.99

John Auden was a pioneering geologist of the Himalayas. Michael Spender was the first to survey the northern approach to the summit of Mount Everest. While their younger brothers – W.H. Auden and Stephen Spender – achieved literary fame, they vied to be included on an expedition that would see an Englishman be the first to reach the summit of Everest, a quest that had become a metaphor for Britain’s struggle to maintain power over India. To this rivalry was added another: in the summer of 1938 both men fell in love with a painter named Nancy Sharp. Her choice would determine each man’s wartime loyalties. From Calcutta to pre-war London to the snowy slopes of Everest, ‘The Last Englishmen’ tracks a generation obsessed with a romantic ideal.

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Publish Date: 04/07/2019

Description

Winner of the Kekoo Naoroji Award for Mountain Literature 2019

An engrossing story of passion and exploration that traces the end of empire and the stirring of a new world order.

John Auden was a pioneering geologist of the Himalayas. Michael Spender was the first to draw a detailed map of the North Face of Mount Everest. While their younger brothers – W. H. Auden and Stephen Spender – achieved literary fame, they vied for a place on an expedition that would finally conquer Everest. To this rivalry was added another: their shared love for a painter named Nancy Sharp. Her choice would determine each man’s wartime loyalties.

From Calcutta to pre-war London to Everest itself, The Last Englishmen tracks a generation obsessed with a romantic ideal. With a cast including writers, artists, political rogues and spies, this is narrative history at its most engaging and illuminating.

‘Wholly original… It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that there is something Tolstoyan to Baker’s vast project… Remarkable’ Neel Mukherjee

‘An exuberant, scene-changing, shapeshifting group biography’ Spectator

Additional information

Weight 305 g
Dimensions 198 × 129 × 23 mm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

xxiv, 358

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

941.0840922 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K