Literary Rivals: Feuds and Antagonisms in the World of Books - Hardcover

Richard Bradford: Richard Bradford has authored biographies of Kingsley Amis (Lucky Him 978 0720611175), Philip Larkin (First Boredom, Then Fear 978 0720613254) and Martin Amis (978 1605983851).

Just how many of the great literary works were replies to, or parodies of, lesser works by rivals? It's an intriguing question... which Richard Bradford commendably doesn't shirk from confronting; we don't necessarily like to see our favourites behaving badly - What Bradford also exposes, apart from who the clear winners of these arguments are, is the importance of literary success, and legacy, to many writers, especially those whose egos fail to allow them to accept nothing less than immortality. The Independent on Sunday The sections on complex one-upmanship, evinced in letters and the works themselves, are full of close reading and insight. If you're after some knockout put-downs, it doesn't get much better than this. Financial Times Well written, entertaining and provocative. The Independent Bradford has done his homework; he quotes some fascinating exchanges. The Spectator Well written, entertaining and provocative. The Telegraph Simultaneously playful and erudite, Richard Bradford's cleverly conceived work embraces the bias and the bizarre impulses of writers we might suppose above such behaviour. Good Book Guide There's a vacancy for a compendium of the most entertaining feuds of the past. And Bradford has stepped in to fill it. Prospect