From Amazon.com
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.
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Review
After two critically acclaimed books of short stories, Mr. Wilson has had the good fortune and talent not to write a short-story-writer's novel. He has in fact produced something reminiscent of Point Counter Point, although not so good nor so skillful. The tale of the many lives and defeats of Bernard Sands, greatly respected and successful novelist, humanist and homosexual, a man of ideas who has temporarily defeated the woman of action to whom he is married, is clever, extremely unpleasant and very well written. All the elements of Bernard's life are presented separately, they come together and clash, and, when they again disperse, they pull him apart. At the same time, those very same components re-awake and restore his wife who concludes his many plans after his death. Reviews will undoubtedly be good and sales, too, should be good among a smallish literary group, but its sheer unpleasantness (both in point of view and in incident), and particularly its dwelling on the subworld of homosexuality, will definitely restrict its audience. There will be no denial however that this is dexterous, if cold, writing. (Kirkus Reviews)
