Bette Davis - The Benevolent Volcano

Anthony Powell - An Invitation to the Dance

Anthony Powell's 12-volume epic, A Dance to the Music of Time, is widely regarded as the most formidable single work of British fiction since the war. It is also largely entertaining: its cast of 400 characters ranges from upper-class drawing-rooms to Bohemian London, and a violent death in a hippie commune. They have, in their turn, gathered a devoted set of fans among English-speaking readers. Tonight's portrait of Powell includes tributes from such admirers as Clive James, Kingsley Amis, Alison Lurie, Robert Conquest and Hilary Spurling. Most of all, Powell himself talks about his work, which is illustrated by James Fox, as the narrator, and with drawings by Marc.