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A House in St John's WoodIn Search of My Parents

Format: Hardback

Condition: Very Good — £7.74
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A intimate portrait of Stephen Spender s extraordinary life written by his son, Matthew Spender, with new insights drawn from personal recollections and unpublished archives.

Stephen Spender s life was a vivid prism on the twentieth century. Having met Auden and Isherwood at Oxford, he joined the early vocal critics of Hitler participated in the Spanish Civil War. His efforts there became distracted by the need to save his lover from being shot as a deserter, and by the outbreak of the Second World War he was judged unfit to fight. He served instead as a fireman and later produced propaganda for the war effort establishing a mysterious connection with the Foreign Office which has generated much speculation until now. Examining on the growth of Spender s literary reputation and his later encounters with the CIA, this book sheds new light on his career.

Always susceptible to the allure of young men, Spender remained married to his second wife, Natasha Litvin but continued to believe in male relationships as an essential creative inspiration. In tension with Natasha s career as a musician after the birth of their two children, a considerable creative tension developed in the household. Stoical in her suffering, Natasha began to agonise over their marriage during her close friendship with Raymond Chandler.

Insightful and revelatory, A House in St John s Wood is the portrait of a marriage, a movement and a father whose complex brilliance continues to be felt widely and among those closest to him."

Format: Hardback
Published: 2015
Pages: 438
Publisher: William Collins
ISBN: 9780008132064

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Our conditions mean the following:

  • New - a brand new book
  • Almost New - appears new but is actually secondhand.
  • Very Good - only minor imperfections such as minor scuffs to edge or cover or a price written in pencil or shop sticker.
  • Standard Secondhand - Clearly been read before, but not too bad. We do not recommend these for gifting. Spines usually creased. Could also include creases or folds to cover, some writing such as in the cover or elsewhere, underlining or highlighting, but might not do. Possibly some stains or marks. Similar in general to books in any secondhand shop or charity shop.
  • Poor Condition - Usually this will have a specific problem such as writing inside, water damage, missing dust jacket, heavy staining, large creases or cuts. These are readable copies but not nice ones. On other websites this condition is called 'Acceptable' or 'Fair' , but we want to be more honest.
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