FROM THE PUBLISHER

"The anecdotes are wonderful. The Knox Brothers...provides a striking insight into the elusive nature of Fitzgerald's genius."
-New York Times.
Here is a biography whose eccentric genius perfectly matches that of its subjects. Penelope Fitzgerald tells the lives of four extraordinary Englishmen-her father and his brothers-with style and wit. Here is the story of a deeply fascinating family mind, shared by four brothers and passed along to their remarkable biographer.

FROM THE CRITICS

Joan Acocella

Marvelous.

Wall Street Journal

Fitzgerald manages to dramatize with love and candor four figures whose individuality was more than mere eccentricity. She also manages to recapture something of the bygone times, the tapestry of earnest sentiment and playfulness, that made the Knox brothers possible.

Boston Globe

Have no doubt: This is a book of real feeling, wit, and intelligence.

Washington Post Book World

Not just a biography, The Knox Brothers provides superior literary entertainment. It deserves a wide readership.

Library Journal

British novelist Fitzgerald (e.g., The Blue Flower, a National Book Critics Circle award winner), who died earlier this year at age 83, writes that as she was growing up she did not realize the uniqueness of her father Edmund Knox ("Evoe") and his three brothers. Each of the men was singularly remarkable: Evoe (1881-1971) became the editor of Punch in the 1930s and 1940s; Dillwyn (1884-1943) was a mathematician and wartime codebreaker; Wilfred (1886-1957) was a prominent Anglo-Catholic priest and selfless welfare worker; and Ronald (1888-1957) was an outspoken Roman Catholic priest, later a monsignor. Born to a large family with strong Anglican and Quaker traditions, the brothers shared a full but shabby childhood, losing their mother early. They came of age before and during World War I and counted among their friends Maynard Keynes, Lytton Strachey, and Rupert Brooke. Fitzgerald masterfully weaves the themes of religious devotion and family loyalty (the brothers remained close all their lives) into a charming and affectionate portrayal of a remarkable family. Highly recommended for larger collections.--Diane Gardner Premo, Rochester P.L., NY Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information. Read all 9 "From The Critics" >

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

In telling the lives of her father and uncles, [Penelope Fitzgerald] has given us a classic. — Auberon Waugh