Discover the Best Books Written by 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. Powell's major work has remained in print continuously and has been the subject of TV and radio dramatizations. In 2008, The Times newspaper named Powell among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".

Powell was born in Westminster, Middlesex, the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Philip Lionel William Powell (1882-1959), of the Welch Regiment, and Maud Mary (died 1954), daughter of Edmund Lionel Wells-Dymoke, of The Grange, East Molesey, Surrey, a descendant of a land-owning family in Lincolnshire, hereditary Champions to monarchs since King Richard II, having married into the family of the Barons Marmion, who first held the position. 

The Powell family descended from ancient Welsh kings and chieftains. Anthony Powell had a strong interest in genealogy; he conducted extensive research into the Powell family over many years, establishing a paternal descent from Gwriad ap Elidyr — himself a descendant of Coel Hen according to the Genealogies from Jesus College MS 20 and other sources — via Rhys ap Gruffydd to the satisfaction of the heralds of the College of Arms, who in 1964 granted him the use of the ancient Powell arms. This pedigree was included in Burke's Landed Gentry.

Powell's first novel, Afternoon Men, was published by Duckworth in 1931, with Powell supervising its production himself. The same firm published his next three novels, two of them after Powell had left the firm. During his time in California, Powell contributed several articles to the magazine Night and Day, edited by Graham Greene. Powell wrote a few more occasional pieces for the magazine until it ceased publication in March 1938. Powell completed his fifth novel, What's Become of Waring, in late 1938 or early 1939. After being turned down by Duckworth, Cassell published it in March of that year. The book sold fewer than a thousand copies.