A Man From The North by Arnold Bennett

Arnold Bennett

A Man From The North

With a critical introduction by John Shapcott, Chairman of The Arnold Bennett Society.

With the publication of his first novel, A Man from the North, in 1898, Arnold Bennett announced his arrival as a major figure on the literary scene. Drawing upon his own early experience of life in the Potteries and as a clerk in London, Bennett delights in taking the reader on a journey from the social limitations and religious restrictions of provincial life to the worldly pleasures and sexual temptations of the city.

Bennett paints a vivid and accurate picture of music halls, restaurants, seaside resorts, lodging houses and the growth of the suburbs at the turn of the century. He introduced the great themes of love and duty, pleasure and pain, life and death so important in his subsequent novels.

From its depiction of a shop that will become famous in The Old Wives' Tale to the crowded and colourful scenes of London life, the novel takes on a central importance in setting the stage for Bennett's future masterpieces. This is where it all begins.

Cover picture: The Man with the Glass of Wine by Modigliani.

Published by Churnet Valley Books.