Anthony Powell Society
Encyclopedia
The Anthony Powell Society is an international literary society
dedicated to the works of the world-famous English novelist Anthony Powell
. Membership is open to all interested in A Dance to the Music of Time
and Powell's other works.
Powell was regarded by such writers as Evelyn Waugh
and Kingsley Amis
as amongst the greatest British novelists of the 20th century, a view supported by present day critics like A. N. Wilson
. He has been called the English equivalent of Marcel Proust
. Powell's work remains the object of wide enthusiasm among a growing circle of readers.
The Society holds regular meetings in the UK (in the greater London region) and US (in the New York
and Chicago
metropolitan areas), and less frequently in Canada
, Australia
, Sweden
and Japan
. It publishes a journal, Secret Harmonies and a newsletter, mounts biennial conferences, and hosts an Internet discussion group.
The Society emerged from the Anthony Powell Resources website begun in 1994 by Dr Keith Marshall and its associated email discussion list arising from the interest in Powell stimulated by the dramatization of A Dance to the Music of Time on UK Channel 4
TV in autumn 1997 and following his death. The Society's formation was actively welcomed by his late widow, Lady Violet Powell
, and continues to receive the support and encouragement of his family and literary executors. Charitable status was granted in April 2003.
Currently, the Hon. Secretary of the group is Dr. Keith C. Marshall; the chair is Patric Laurence Dickinson
; and the president is Simon Russell Beale
.
, London
, from November 2005 to February 2006. Smaller exhibitions were held during 2005 and 2006 at Eton College
; Cambridge University
; the Grolier Club
in New York City
, and Georgetown University
in Washington, DC.
. It makes an annual Widmerpool Award to the public figure who has acted in a manner most closely resembling Powell's immortal villain, Kenneth Widmerpool
. Nominations are proposed and voted upon by members of the Society. Past winners have included British Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine of Lairg, Republican electoral advisor Karl Rove
, and former newspaper editor Sir Max Hastings
. Misfortune has appeared to dog winners of the award, who receive "an engraved wrong sort of overcoat".
. The second, in 2003, was hosted by Balliol College, Oxford, from which he graduated. The third at the Wallace Collection
, London, the home of the painting from which Powell's masterwork derives its name, was held in December 2005 to coincide with a major exhibition to mark the centenary of his birth.
The Fourth Biennial Anthony Powell Conference was held on Saturday 8 September 2007 at the University of Bath
, UK. The Fifth Conference was held in September 2009 in Washington, DC. The sixth conference is scheduled for September 2011 in the greater London area.
Literary society
A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of literature or a specific writer. Modern literary societies typically promote research about their chosen author or genre, publish newsletters, and hold...
dedicated to the works of the world-famous English novelist Anthony Powell
Anthony Powell
Anthony Dymoke Powell CH, CBE was an English novelist best known for his twelve-volume work A Dance to the Music of Time, published between 1951 and 1975....
. Membership is open to all interested in A Dance to the Music of Time
A Dance to the Music of Time
A Dance to the Music of Time is a twelve-volume cycle of novels by Anthony Powell, inspired by the painting of the same name by Nicolas Poussin. One of the longest works of fiction in literature, it was published between 1951 and 1975 to critical acclaim...
and Powell's other works.
Powell was regarded by such writers as Evelyn Waugh
Evelyn Waugh
Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh , known as Evelyn Waugh, was an English writer of novels, travel books and biographies. He was also a prolific journalist and reviewer...
and Kingsley Amis
Kingsley Amis
Sir Kingsley William Amis, CBE was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, various short stories, radio and television scripts, along with works of social and literary criticism...
as amongst the greatest British novelists of the 20th century, a view supported by present day critics like A. N. Wilson
A. N. Wilson
Andrew Norman Wilson is an English writer and newspaper columnist, known for his critical biographies, novels, works of popular history and religious views...
. He has been called the English equivalent of Marcel Proust
Marcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental À la recherche du temps perdu...
. Powell's work remains the object of wide enthusiasm among a growing circle of readers.
The Society holds regular meetings in the UK (in the greater London region) and US (in the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
metropolitan areas), and less frequently in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It publishes a journal, Secret Harmonies and a newsletter, mounts biennial conferences, and hosts an Internet discussion group.
Background and aims
The Anthony Powell Society was founded in June 2000 by a group of scholars and enthusiasts following Powell's death in March of that year at the age of 94. The Society's aim is to advance for the public benefit, education and interest in his life and works. It is registered as a charity in the UK.The Society emerged from the Anthony Powell Resources website begun in 1994 by Dr Keith Marshall and its associated email discussion list arising from the interest in Powell stimulated by the dramatization of A Dance to the Music of Time on UK Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
TV in autumn 1997 and following his death. The Society's formation was actively welcomed by his late widow, Lady Violet Powell
Lady Violet Powell
Lady Violet Powell , born Violet Georgiana Pakenham, third daughter of Thomas Pakenham, 5th Earl of Longford and Lady Mary Julia Child Villiers , was a writer and critic...
, and continues to receive the support and encouragement of his family and literary executors. Charitable status was granted in April 2003.
Currently, the Hon. Secretary of the group is Dr. Keith C. Marshall; the chair is Patric Laurence Dickinson
Patric Laurence Dickinson
Patric Laurence Dickinson, LVO is Clarenceux King of Arms.Dickinson was educated at Marling School in Stroud, Gloucestershire before going up to Exeter College, Oxford, where he graduated as MA. He was President of the Oxford Union Society and was subsequently called to the bar at the Middle Temple...
; and the president is Simon Russell Beale
Simon Russell Beale
Simon Russell Beale, CBE is an English actor. He has been described by The Independent as "the greatest stage actor of his generation."-Early years:...
.
Exhibitions
A centenary exhibition in commemoration of Powell's life and work was held at the Wallace CollectionWallace Collection
The Wallace Collection is a museum in London, with a world-famous range of fine and decorative arts from the 15th to the 19th centuries with large holdings of French 18th-century paintings, furniture, arms & armour, porcelain and Old Master paintings arranged into 25 galleries.It was established in...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, from November 2005 to February 2006. Smaller exhibitions were held during 2005 and 2006 at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
; Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
; the Grolier Club
Grolier Club
The Grolier Club is a private club and society of bibliophiles in New York City. Founded in January 1884, it is the oldest existing bibliophilic club in North America. The club is named after Jean Grolier de Servières, Viscount d'Aguisy, Treasurer General of France, whose library was famous; his...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in Washington, DC.
Website
The Society hosts a comprehensive website providing biographical information on Powell, a full bibliography, resources and reference libraries, plus triva and FAQs. Reports on the bienniel conferences and exhibitions are also included. In addition to the conferences and meetings the Society organises, members around the world have also established regional groups and run local events. Through the email discussion list members have provided assistance with the DeProm translation of the initial volumes of A Dance to the Music of Time into Dutch.Widmerpool Award
The Society is consulted by various media organisations around the world and is the subject of regular press coverage. Its website was praised in the American journal The New CriterionThe New Criterion
The New Criterion is a New York-based monthly literary magazine and journal of artistic and cultural criticism, edited by Hilton Kramer and Roger Kimball. It has sections for criticism of poetry, theater, art, music, the media, and books...
. It makes an annual Widmerpool Award to the public figure who has acted in a manner most closely resembling Powell's immortal villain, Kenneth Widmerpool
Kenneth Widmerpool
Kenneth Widmerpool is a fictional character in Anthony Powell's sequence of novels, A Dance to the Music of Time.The author's most famous creation, Widmerpool appears in all twelve books comprising the cycle...
. Nominations are proposed and voted upon by members of the Society. Past winners have included British Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine of Lairg, Republican electoral advisor Karl Rove
Karl Rove
Karl Christian Rove was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to former President George W. Bush until Rove's resignation on August 31, 2007. He has headed the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Public Liaison, and the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives...
, and former newspaper editor Sir Max Hastings
Max Hastings
Sir Max Hugh Macdonald Hastings, FRSL is a British journalist, editor, historian and author. He is the son of Macdonald Hastings, the noted British journalist and war correspondent and Anne Scott-James, sometime editor of Harper's Bazaar.-Life and career:Hastings was educated at Charterhouse...
. Misfortune has appeared to dog winners of the award, who receive "an engraved wrong sort of overcoat".
Conferences
Conferences addressed by prominent authors, critics and scholars are organised every second year. The first in 2001 was held at Powell's public school, Eton CollegeEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. The second, in 2003, was hosted by Balliol College, Oxford, from which he graduated. The third at the Wallace Collection
Wallace Collection
The Wallace Collection is a museum in London, with a world-famous range of fine and decorative arts from the 15th to the 19th centuries with large holdings of French 18th-century paintings, furniture, arms & armour, porcelain and Old Master paintings arranged into 25 galleries.It was established in...
, London, the home of the painting from which Powell's masterwork derives its name, was held in December 2005 to coincide with a major exhibition to mark the centenary of his birth.
The Fourth Biennial Anthony Powell Conference was held on Saturday 8 September 2007 at the University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
, UK. The Fifth Conference was held in September 2009 in Washington, DC. The sixth conference is scheduled for September 2011 in the greater London area.