If you enjoy reading novels by Anthony Powell then you might also like the following authors:
Evelyn Waugh was an English author known for sharp wit and satire. His novel “Brideshead Revisited” explores friendship and family among the English upper class. The main character, Charles Ryder, befriends Sebastian Flyte, an eccentric student with an aristocratic background.
Ryder becomes deeply involved in Sebastian’s life and family as the years pass. The story highlights how personal choices and relationships shape people’s lives in unexpected ways.
For readers who enjoy Anthony Powell, Waugh’s clear storytelling style and insightful social commentary may offer similar enjoyment.
If you enjoy Anthony Powell, you might also appreciate the humor and writing style of P.G. Wodehouse. His novels usually feature upper-class British characters who find themselves in funny situations. A good example is the book “Right Ho, Jeeves.”
In this story, Bertie Wooster tries to sort out relationship troubles among his friends at a country house. His attempts to help create more confusion. Luckily, his servant Jeeves keeps a clear head and smoothly finds ways out of each mess.
The dialogue between Bertie and Jeeves is witty and fun to read.
Henry Green was an English novelist known for writing stories about everyday life and social interactions. His book “Party Going” follows a group of wealthy friends trapped in a train station because of thick fog.
As they wait, conversations unfold and relationships change unexpectedly. The situation may seem ordinary at first, but the way Green explores character interactions gives a clear picture of society at that time.
If you enjoy Anthony Powell’s style, Henry Green’s detailed look at human behavior in everyday settings might interest you.
Ivy Compton-Burnett was a British novelist known for sharp dialogue and unusual family dynamics. Readers who enjoy Anthony Powell’s character focus and social settings may appreciate Compton-Burnett’s style and themes too.
Her novel “A House and Its Head” portrays a Victorian household run strictly by Duncan Edgeworth, a controlling father who oversees every aspect of his family’s life.
After a sudden tragic event, family tensions burst out through surprising conversations and quietly powerful confrontations.
Compton-Burnett lets readers overhear the hidden conflicts beneath what seems to be a polite, respectable setting, similar to Powell’s own exploration of characters and society.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was a Russian writer known for stories that show ordinary lives caught within historical events. In his novel “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich,” Solzhenitsyn tells the story of Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, a prisoner in a Soviet labor camp.
Through simple yet vivid detail, the reader follows Ivan’s daily routine and struggle to maintain dignity and humanity in harsh conditions. This book is appealing for the way it views history through the experience of a single character’s daily trials.
Readers who enjoyed Anthony Powell’s realistic look at characters dealing with social pressures in “A Dance to the Music of Time” may also appreciate Solzhenitsyn’s style of capturing everyday human experience under difficult circumstances.
Ford Madox Ford was an English writer known for exploring social dynamics in early twentieth-century Britain. Readers who enjoy Anthony Powell’s portrayal of social circles would appreciate Ford’s novel “The Good Soldier”.
The story centers around two couples whose seemingly perfect friendship masks secrets, betrayal and complicated emotions. As the narrator slowly uncovers truths, readers are left examining how well people truly understand one another.
Ford quietly builds suspense through the unreliable perspective of his central character and subtle reveals about friendship and loyalty.
Muriel Spark was a Scottish writer known for her sharp wit and clear style. Her novel “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” follows the story of an unusual schoolteacher in Edinburgh during the 1930s.
Miss Brodie chooses a select few girls as her favorites and influences them beyond regular lessons. Spark explores the complex dynamics between teachers and students as well as loyalties and betrayals within friendship.
Readers who enjoy Anthony Powell’s careful observations of social interaction might find Spark’s work appealing.
Barbara Pym was an English novelist who wrote stories about ordinary people and their daily experiences. Her characters often deal with small challenges in quiet communities. Readers who enjoy Anthony Powell’s insightful depictions of social interactions may like Barbara Pym.
One good book to try is “Excellent Women.” It’s about Mildred Lathbury, a single woman in post-war London. Mildred gets involved in her neighbors’ personal troubles, especially when a married couple moves into the apartment below hers.
The story gently shows Mildred’s observations, subtle humor, and small but meaningful events in her everyday life.
Marcel Proust was a French writer who is best known for his book “In Search of Lost Time.” This novel tells the story of a young man recalling his childhood memories, relationships and past experiences.
The plot unfolds slowly and carefully, with detailed observations of the upper-class French society. Proust carefully explores how ordinary moments or objects, like a taste or a scent, suddenly awaken deep, powerful memories.
Readers who appreciate Anthony Powell’s detailed and intimate descriptions of human connections in “A Dance to the Music of Time” may also find similar appeal in Proust’s storytelling style and his careful portrayal of characters’ thoughts and behaviors in society.
Edward St Aubyn is an English author known for novels that explore upper-class British society. His book “Never Mind” introduces readers to the Melrose family, a wealthy but troubled English household.
Patrick Melrose, the central character, grows up in an unhappy home filled with sharp wit and difficult emotions. The story moves through family drama, social expectations and dark humor.
People who enjoyed Anthony Powell’s sharp observations of well-off British life may find Edward St Aubyn’s books equally interesting.
Julian Fellowes is an English author who creates engaging portrayals of British society, especially in aristocratic circles. Readers familiar with Anthony Powell may appreciate Fellowes’ similar attention to detail and sharp observation of social class.
Fellowes’ novel, “Snobs,” revolves around Edith Lavery, who is a commoner entering the established upper class through marriage. Edith’s journey reveals the true preferences, prejudices and manners within privileged British circles.
The storyline allows readers to see how tradition and modern life collide behind polished exteriors. This novel offers an inside look into a world shaped by manners and hierarchy, along with genuine human dynamics.
John Galsworthy is an English novelist known for stories that show society changing over generations. His best-known work, “The Forsyte Saga,” follows several generations of the Forsyte family, wealthy Londoners who struggle with relationships, rivals, and keeping their status.
The story focuses strongly on property and its power to shape people’s lives. Readers who enjoyed Anthony Powell’s novels about upper-class English society may like Galsworthy’s family drama, with characters whose choices affect the family’s fortunes through the years.
Hilary Mantel is an English novelist known especially for historical fiction. Her book “Wolf Hall” follows the life of Thomas Cromwell, a clever political figure in the court of Henry VIII. Cromwell rises from humble beginnings to become influential in shaping England’s future.
Hilary Mantel portrays Cromwell’s intelligence clearly in detailed conversations at court. These careful and engaging moments between characters show Cromwell navigating tricky political situations.
Readers familiar with Anthony Powell’s description of social circles and sharp dialogue in “A Dance to the Music of Time” may enjoy Mantel’s attentive portrayal of politics and relationships in Tudor England.
Elizabeth Bowen was an Irish-British novelist who wrote insightful novels and short stories about everyday relationships and the changes in British society during the interwar period.
Readers who enjoy Anthony Powell may also appreciate Bowen’s “The Death of the Heart,” written in 1938. The novel follows sixteen-year-old Portia, sent to London after her parents’ deaths to live with her half-brother Thomas and his more reserved wife Anna.
Portia quickly learns how differently adults perceive love and trust compared to younger people. Bowen clearly depicts the misunderstandings among different generations and within complex family dynamics.
Like Powell, Bowen captures characters’ small interactions and tensions that reveal deeper truths about human relationships.
V.S. Naipaul is a writer known for observing human nature and society with honesty and clarity. If you enjoy Anthony Powell, you may find Naipaul’s “A House for Mr Biswas” very interesting.
This novel shows the life of Mohun Biswas, a man who struggles for independence and dignity in Trinidad. From the moment he is born, Biswas is considered unlucky and faces many setbacks, but he never loses his desire for a home he can call his own.
The book offers humor, sadness and a real sense of life in Trinidad at the time. Naipaul’s simple style and careful observation bring Biswas to life and make his story memorable.