Agents and patients : a novel

Unsavory artists, titled boobs, and charlatans with an affinity for Freud—such are the oddballs whose antics animate the early novels of the late British master Anthony Powell. A genius of social satire delivered with a very dry wit, Powell builds his comedies on the foibles of British high society between the wars, delving into subjects as various as psychoanalysis, the film industry, publishing, and (of course) sex. More explorations of relationships and vanity than plot-driven narratives, these slim novels reveal the early stirrings of the unequaled style, ear for dialogue, and eye for irony that would reach their caustic peak in Powell’s epic __A Dance to the Music of Time__. In __Agents and Patients__, we return to London with the newly wealthy, memorably named Blore-Smith: an innocent, decent enough chap . . . and a drip. Vulnerable to the machinations of those with less money and more lust, Blore-Smith falls victim to two con artists whose ploys carry him through to the art galleries and whorehouses of Paris, Berlin, and beyond. Written from a vantage point both high and necessarily narrow, Powell’s early novels nevertheless deal in the universal themes that would become a substantial part of his oeuvre: pride, greed, and what makes people behave as they do. Filled with eccentric characters and piercing insights, Powell’s work is achingly hilarious, human, and true. A wealthy Londoner falls victim to conmen on a journey through interwar Europe in this early novel by the celebrated author ( New York Times ). Unsavory artists, aristocratic nitwits, and charlatans with an affinity for Freud—such are the oddballs who animate the early novels of Anthony Powell. A genius of social satire and dry wit, Powell built his comedies on the foibles of British high society between the wars. These slim yet vastly entertaining novels reveal the early stirrings of the unequaled style, ear for dialogue, and eye for irony that would reach their caustic peak in Powell's epic A Dance to the Music of Time . First published in 1936, Agents and Patients chronicles the exploits of the memorably named Blore-Smith, a decent enough chap with more money than sense. Feeling that his life has grown dull, he finds adventure in the company of two con artists—one an aspiring filmmaker, the other a would-be psychoanalyst. Their elaborate ploys bring Blore-Smith to the art galleries and whorehouses of Paris, Berlin, and beyond. Filled with eccentric characters and piercing insights, Powell's work is achingly hilarious, human, and true. Takes us to a dilapidated country estate where an ambitious artist of questionable talent, a family of landed aristocrats wondering where the money has gone, and a secretly cross-dressing squire all commingle among the ruins. Chapter 1 -- Chapter 2 -- Chapter 3 -- Chapter 4 -- Chapter 5 -- Chapter 6