While England Sleeps (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: David Leavitt
- First Published: 1993
- Type of Work: Novel
- Time of Work: 1936-1937
- Setting: London and Spain
- Principal Characters: Brian Botsford, Edward Phelan, Aunt Constance, Philippa Archibald
- Genres: Long fiction
- Subjects: Intellectuals, Communism or communists, Gay men, Homosexuality or homosexuals, 1930’s, Civil wars, Spain or Spanish people, Fascism
- Locales: Spain, London, England
The publication of While England Sleeps created an old-fashioned transatlantic furor involving authors, publishers, critics, and lawyers. The well-known English poet Stephen Spender, at the age of eighty-four, was outraged when it was brought to his attention that David Leavitt’s plot parallels incidents described in Spender’s autobiography World Within World, published in 1948. Like Leavitt’s hero, Spender had an intimate relationship with a working-class youth who ran off to fight in the Spanish Civil War. “I am simply amazed,” said Spender, “how anyone...
[The entire page is 2196 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
