Not Far From Brideshead: Oxford Between the Wars
Oxford thought it was at war. And then it was.
After the horrors of the First World War, Oxford looked like an Arcadia - a dream world - from which pain could be shut out. Soldiers arrived with pictures of the university fully formed in their heads, and women finally won the right to earn degrees. Freedom meant reading beneath the spires and punting down the river with champagne picnics. But all was not quite as it seemed.The women of Oxford still faced a battle to emerge from their shadows. And among the dons a major conflict was beginning to brew. This singular tale of Oxford colleagues and rivals encapsulates the false sense of security that developed across the country in the interwar years. With the rise of Hitler and the Third Reich came the subversion of history for propaganda. In academic Oxford, the fight was on not only to preserve the past from the hands of the Nazis, but also to triumph, one don over another, as they became embroiled in a war of their own.Daisy Dunn is an award-winning classicist and author of seven books. Her most recent, Not Far From Brideshead: Oxford Between the Wars (2022), was selected for Radio 4's Open Book and longlisted for the Runciman Award. Her previous book, In The Shadow of Vesuvius, was an Editor's Choice in the New York Times and a book of the year in many publications. Daisy read Classics at Oxford before receiving a Masters from the Courtauld Institute and PhD from UCL. She is also a cultural columnist and editor of ARGO: A Hellenic Review. She lives in London and her website is www.daisydunn.co.uk
Author: Daisy Dunn
Format: Paperback, 304 pages, 128mm x 196mm, 280 g
Published: 2024, Orion Publishing Co, United Kingdom
Genre: Biography: Literary
Oxford thought it was at war. And then it was.
After the horrors of the First World War, Oxford looked like an Arcadia - a dream world - from which pain could be shut out. Soldiers arrived with pictures of the university fully formed in their heads, and women finally won the right to earn degrees. Freedom meant reading beneath the spires and punting down the river with champagne picnics. But all was not quite as it seemed.The women of Oxford still faced a battle to emerge from their shadows. And among the dons a major conflict was beginning to brew. This singular tale of Oxford colleagues and rivals encapsulates the false sense of security that developed across the country in the interwar years. With the rise of Hitler and the Third Reich came the subversion of history for propaganda. In academic Oxford, the fight was on not only to preserve the past from the hands of the Nazis, but also to triumph, one don over another, as they became embroiled in a war of their own.Daisy Dunn is an award-winning classicist and author of seven books. Her most recent, Not Far From Brideshead: Oxford Between the Wars (2022), was selected for Radio 4's Open Book and longlisted for the Runciman Award. Her previous book, In The Shadow of Vesuvius, was an Editor's Choice in the New York Times and a book of the year in many publications. Daisy read Classics at Oxford before receiving a Masters from the Courtauld Institute and PhD from UCL. She is also a cultural columnist and editor of ARGO: A Hellenic Review. She lives in London and her website is www.daisydunn.co.uk