Synopses & Reviews
The arrival of a stranger at his house in Auckland leads renowned novelist Laslo Winter to look back to the past, to London in the late 1950s. The Empire was collapsing, yet young "colonials," for whom England remained a mythical place, were still drawn there from its farthest corners. Samantha Conlan has come from Sydney, ostensibly fleeing an affair with married Freddy Goldstein, a Holocaust survivor. But Samantha knows Freddy will come to London; and as she waits for him, she continues her peculiar research into the great writers of the time, in a research project that she names "The Secret History of Modernism." Among her circle of friends and admirers is the young Laslo. Beautifully written, with wonderful clarity and humor, The Secret History of Modernism reflects on postwar England and its Empire in the wake of the greatest upheaval of the twentieth century.
Review
"It seems incontestable to me that C. K. Stead is among the very best contemporary novelists." (John de Falbe, The Spectator)
Synopsis
New Zealand writer Laszlo Winter thinks back to his time in London in the late 1950s. The Empire might be finished, but for young “colonials”, England remains a mythical place that draws them from the farthest corners of the globe.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Synopsis
GB
About the Author
C. K. Stead was Professor of English at the University of Auckland until 1986. This is his ninth novel. He has also published two volumes of short stories and ten volumes of poetry, along with several volumes of criticism. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.