{"product_id":"2026200007483-secondhand-temporary-kings","title":"Temporary Kings","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good                          \u003cbr\u003eJacket: Chipped and worn with some minor damage\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good                  \u003cbr\u003eMarkings: No markings\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe tenth volume in Anthony Powell's monumental twelve-novel sequence A Dance to the Music of Time, Temporary Kings is a work of literary fiction that chronicles the gradual unraveling of the post-war English upper class through the wry, observant eyes of narrator Nick Jenkins. Set partly in Venice during an international writers' conference, the novel presents a world of aging ambitions, shifting power, and quiet moral decay, as familiar characters from across the sequence reconvene in new and often compromising configurations. Powell's tone is characteristically ironic and measured, illustrating the passage of time not through dramatic upheaval but through the subtle erosions of reputation, loyalty, and desire. Rich with literary and artistic allusion, the narrative uncovers the fragile nature of influence and status — the temporary crowns worn by those who mistake social prominence for lasting significance. A masterwork of sustained irony and psychological precision, it rewards readers who have followed the sequence while standing as a testament to Powell's unrivaled command of English social comedy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48887905845467,"sku":"2026200007483-SECONDHAND","price":15.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/9be05d5a-3ad9-4d1b-9bab-d6da00d16ddc.png?v=1781748633","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200007483-secondhand-temporary-kings","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}