Published in 1952 in England, Hemlock and After, Angus Wilson's first novel, was considered so shocking that his American publisher refused to accept it. Bernard Sands--novelist, liberal, humanist--sets out to establish a writers' colony which is to be the climax of his career. But Sands has powerful enemies, and his own life is also complicated by his wife's illness and his own homosexual affairs.
Hemlock and After
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British writer Angus Wilson achieved fame in the late 1940s for two collections of short fiction. It was, however, the publication of Hemlock and After in 1953 that transformed him from an admired up-and-coming author to a scandalous novelist. A witty and scathing look at English literary life, Wilson's novel details the life of Bernard Sands, a noted homosexual English novelist who discovers that neither his fame nor his closet is very secure. Wilson was one of the first to write honestly and openly about gay life in post-war England, and Hemlock and After remains a classic of psychological insight and social satire.
About the Author
One of Britain's most distinguished novelists Sir Angus Wilson was born in 1913. Educated at Westminster and Merton College, Oxford he joined the British Museum as a cataloguer before being called for service in 1941. His literary career began with a collection of short-stories published in 1949. These were followed by other short-story collections, novels and plays. Co-founder with Malcolm Bradbury of the MA programme in creative writing at the University of East Anglia, Wilson was appointed professor in 1967. Chair of many literary panels, including the Booker prize, and campaigner for homosexual equality he was knighted in 1980. He died in 1991.
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Amazon.com:
3.7 out of 5 stars
3 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Drink it, it's good for you, it's medicine!
Nov 8 2012
By propertius
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you suffer from homophobia, misogyny, a mind numbing loathing of middle class hypocrisy, or just want to smile at the human condition then this small purchase is just the thing.
Angus Wilson is cut from the same cloth as Kingsley Amis, Evelyn Waugh and Max Beerbohm. This author was first suggested to me by my English mentor forty years ago and the ensuing years have done little to diminish its impact.
Unlike much of "gay" literature of the past twenty five years, Mr. Wilson describes a life style that has been trivialized recently. Of course a caveat is in order here. This book is about middle class English attitudes which we Yanks will have to adjust to. To be brief, a cure for homophobia - well Bernard Sands is not what would normally be expected by an American audience. He is married, has fathered a family, and with a tacit and unremarked consent of his wife, has lived a dual life. It is only at the end of the book that he chooses one. And I feel he is happy with the past as well as the future.
Ella his wife is not the betrayed harridan, nor the suffering saint. Her love for her husband in all its aspects is amply illustrated and explains most of her past actions and present day stances. By heavens they still do lovingly respect each other.
Of course Angus Wilson satirizes the British middle as only a Britain can do, even though he is Scottish. He captures the times so endearingly well. Would the establishment of a student-artist hostel cause such a uproar today? Read it for the host of characters that have such a ring of authenticity that you will believe you know them personally.
A rare complex wine that gets better with age.
Angus Wilson is cut from the same cloth as Kingsley Amis, Evelyn Waugh and Max Beerbohm. This author was first suggested to me by my English mentor forty years ago and the ensuing years have done little to diminish its impact.
Unlike much of "gay" literature of the past twenty five years, Mr. Wilson describes a life style that has been trivialized recently. Of course a caveat is in order here. This book is about middle class English attitudes which we Yanks will have to adjust to. To be brief, a cure for homophobia - well Bernard Sands is not what would normally be expected by an American audience. He is married, has fathered a family, and with a tacit and unremarked consent of his wife, has lived a dual life. It is only at the end of the book that he chooses one. And I feel he is happy with the past as well as the future.
Ella his wife is not the betrayed harridan, nor the suffering saint. Her love for her husband in all its aspects is amply illustrated and explains most of her past actions and present day stances. By heavens they still do lovingly respect each other.
Of course Angus Wilson satirizes the British middle as only a Britain can do, even though he is Scottish. He captures the times so endearingly well. Would the establishment of a student-artist hostel cause such a uproar today? Read it for the host of characters that have such a ring of authenticity that you will believe you know them personally.
A rare complex wine that gets better with age.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
thoughtful
Aug 16 2008
By Paul C. Weeks
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I thing this novel poses the interesting question: Is it better to do the right thing for the wrong reason, or is it better to do nothing at all? I very much enjoyed the book and have kept it in my library for rereading.
0 of 15 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Pompous & Boring
Mar 28 2007
By Todd A. Ostler
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
I did not like this book at all. Granted that the author comes from a social class I do not like, but his writing fails to appeal to me when other books on upper classes do appeal to me.
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Go to Amazon.com to see all 3 reviews
3.7 out of 5 stars
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