Abstract
From 1937 until 1955, when he left to write full-time, Angus Wilson worked in the Department of Printed Books at the British Museum. His 1961 novel, The Old Men at the Zoo, was a roman à clef based on many of the people he had known there. The character of Matthew Price, the Curator of Birds in the book, was modelled on Willie King, a ceramics expert in the Department of British and Medieval Antiquities. As well as being a distinguished scholar, King together with his wife, Viva, were colourful characters who occupied a prominent place in the bohemian society of their day. This article explores the circle in which they mixed and the consequences of their enduring friendship with Angus Wilson.
Files
File name | Date Uploaded | Visibility | File size | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|