CONTENTS

P ERCY CRADOCK was Ambassa dor in Peking from 1978 to 198 4 and th e P rim e Ministe r's Advi se r on Foreign Policy from 1984 to 1992. His book Experiences of China , publi shed by John Murray, was en thusias ti call y reviewed in April's Literary R e11iew.

A WtLSON has writte n nearly a dozen novels and numerous biograph ies, incl udi ng tho se of Tolstoy, CS Lewis, Bello c and J esus, as well as th e only readable book abou t th e R oya l Hou se of Wind so r. Aft e r flirting with Holy Orders as a young m a n , h e amu ses himself in ea rl y middl e age by writing occasional pi eces of anti- religious polemic. He is now Literary Editor of the Eveni11g Standard.

ANDR.EW LYCETT is an associate editor of Ne w African, a contributin g editor to CQ, and a plain contributor to 11ze Tim es . H e is working on a biograp h y of ! an Fl e ming for W eidenfeld & Nicolso n. Any info rn1 atio n , reco ll ections, ane cd otes o r sightings of Fleming will be gratefully received.

J ESS ICA MAN N h as just fini shed a se quel to her last novel , Telling Only Lies (Hutchinson). She also hop es to resume her successful career in travel wri tin g.

PATR ICK COSG RA VE was Sp ec ial Advi se r to Mrs Thatcher (as she th e n was) from 197 5 to 1979. As well as a number of novels an d politi cal tracts, including Tize Strange Death of Socia list Britahz (1992), he has written bi ographi cal studie s of Th atc h e r , R A Butl e r , E no c h Powell and Lord Carringro n. H e is now writing anoth er novel.

FROM THE PULPIT

BELLES LETTRES

OPPRESSION

STARGAZING

FICTION I

ART

1 AUBERON W AUGH

4 AN WILSON J ohn Beljeman: Letters, Volum e One: 1926-1951

(Ed) Candida Lycett-Green

5 H OWARD J ACOBSON Th e Burning Library: Writings on Art,

Politics and Sexuality 1962-1993 Edmund White 6 ANDREW BARROW Walking Possess ion : Essays and R evi ews

1968-1993 !an Hamilton 7 J OHN KEMP Th e Absence of Myth: Writings on Surrealism Georges

B ataille 8 D EBORAH BOSLEY l f You're Talking to Me, Your Career Must Be in Trouble Joe Queenan

9 P ERCY CRADOCK Sowing the Seeds i f Democracy in China Merle

Goldman 10 CHRISTOPHER SIN CLAIR- STEVENSON Aspects of A ri stocracy

David Cannadine 12 MATT SEATON Tower Block: Modem Public Housing in England,

Scot land, Wales, and Northern Ireland Miles Glendinning and Stefan Muthesius 14 ANTONY B OND The W es tern Rising 1549: The Prayer Book

R ebellion Philip Caram an 16 CHARLES M OWBRAY Blood of the Martyrs Conrad Swan and

Peter Drummond-Murray of M astri ck 17 DENNIS SEWELL Den rf Lions Terry Anderson

18 J OHN DuGDALE The Life and Death of Peter Sellers Roger Lewis 20 GILL H OR NBY Woody and Mia: The Nann y's Tale Kri s t i

Groteke with M arjo rie Rose n 21 J ANE CHARTERIS Polanski J ohn Parker 23 G EO FFREY MACNAB Emeric Press burger: T11e Life and Death i f a

Screenwriter K evin M acdonald

24 J OHN BAYLEY A Way in the World VS Naipaul 25 PHlLIP HENSHER The Folding Star Alan Hollinghurst 26 LINDA GRANT 71te Sun on the Wa ll Ronald Frame 27 SUSAN ELKIN Absolu te Truths Susan H owatch 28 ANDREW ROBINSON Show Business Shashi Tharoor 29 CHARLES THOMAS The Harafish Naguib M ahfo uz

30 PAUL J OHNSON Sight and Insight: Essays on Art and Culture in

Honour i f EH Combrich at 85 (Ed) John Onians 32 CHARLES M c CORQUODALE Th e R enaissa nce Prin t 1470-1550

David Landau and Peter W Parshall

Editor: AUBERON W AUGH Deputy Edito r: LOLA BUBBOSH Business Manager & Boxwallah: R OBERT POSNER Chiif Editoria l A ssistant and Deputy Manager: NANCY SLADEK

Advertising Manager: CLIFF KlMBER

General A ss istant: J o CRAVEN Designer: ) ACQUI M c D ONOUGH

Publisher: NAlM ATTALLAH Cover illustration by William Rushton

Isme no. 191

LITERARY REVIEW May 1994