Лучшие книги Рональда Фирбенка

«Человек, которому не нравится Рональд Фирбенк, может обладать редкостными достоинствами, но общаться с ним я не желаю». Уистен Хью Оден Эдмунд Уилсон назвал Рональды Фирбенка (1886—1926) одним из лучших английских писателей. Прозу Фирбенка обожали Олдос Хаксли и Ивлин Во. В антологиях британского юмора его афоризмы соседствуют с остротами Оскара…

At the fantastical court of King Willie and Her Dreaminess the Queen of Pisuerga, maid of honour Laura de Nazianzi and His Weariness Prince Yousef whisper promises to each other in the palace gardens. But Laura is destined for disappointment. The King and Queen have plans for a royal wedding for their Prince, and the young woman in their sights is none other than Princess Elsie of England. The court is all aflutter . . .

First published in 1923, Ronald Firbank's The Flower Beneath the Foot is a flamboyant court satire and lyrical tour de force of innuendo and eccentricity. Read by many as a subversive celebration of homosexuality, this is a classic of modernist literature from a stylist like no other.

Set in an English seaside health resort where the air promotes longevity, "Valmouth" is dominated by masseuse, Mrs Yajnavalkya. It is a work of elegant fantasy with religious and sexual innuendo. Also included are "Sorrow in Sunlight" and "Concerning the Eccentricities of Cardinal Pirelli".

This novel is set in the West Indies during the time of British Rule and slavery. A young negro woman called Miami Mouth is sitting in the shade and thinking about the plans of her mother to move to the big city. Miami cannot imagine what the advantage would be to her family.