The reading, study and criticism of books has always been popular and never more so than now, with the rise of reading groups and the success of TV shows such as Oprah's Book Club giving literature a high profile. This book covers the leading works and authors in modern literature in English and in doing so gives the reader an engaging and knowledgeable insight into the books, their writers and the connections between them. From Graham Greene to Margaret Atwood and covering contemporary favourites such as Nineteen Eighty Four, Catcher in the Rye and Midnight's Children, The Essentials of Literature in English, post-1914 is a delightful introduction to works written in English after the First World War and which are already, or look set to become, part of the classic canon. The book is arranged A-Z by author and each entry gives an opening quotation from a key text, brief biographical details and a list of major works as well as a more general discussion of the writer's work. The book also contains an extremely useful set of contextual essays, giving an important overview of modern literature in English and comprehensively cross-referenced to the entries on authors. There is also a glossary of literary terms and a timeline for instant reference.

Ian Mackean, Tutor on distance learning course in English Literature at London School of Journalism

• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Publisher Imprint: Bloomsbury
• Publication Date: November 19, 2005
• Pages: 408
• ISBN13: 9780340882689
• Item Weight: 771 grams
• Original Price: 695.0 INR
• Edition: N/A
• Binding: Paperback