Diana Athill's memoir of a life spent working with some of the charismatic characters who have dominated 20th-century literature. In a prose style of inimitable wit and rare candour, she recounts tales from a long life in publishing, including her reflections on editing writers such as V.S. Naipaul, Jean Rhys, Gitta Sereny and Brian Moore. She also provides an account of her own writing career, whcih includes the two critically-acclaimed works, Instead of a Letter and After a Funeral.