The English cultural commentator and design guru, Stephen Bayley, offers here a satirical roller coaster ride through the world of art and design in the 20th century. In the novel, we meet Eustace, who after the Second World War wants to change the world into a more beautiful place. And then things go fast...
Someone once said that you can find beauty everywhere. But all Eustace Dunne can see is ugliness. The buildings are gray, the people are tired and unimaginative, the food is inedible and life is sad: Eustace grows up in an England ravaged by the Second World War and decides to make things beautiful again.
A stay at the art school gives him a springboard into a world that changes so quickly that you have to hold on tight to keep up. And in that world, ambition, timing and a modicum of talent can transform you into anything you want to be.
Before long, Eustace is an artist, a designer, a restaurateur, an entrepreneur, a genius. But becoming a bastion of perfect taste can be a tricky business. Eustace's charms may have secured influence in the homes and hearts of a nation, but there are still people out there who know where the bodies are buried.
Dimensions: H: 24.1 x W: 16.1 x D: 3.5 cm
Pages: 400
Language: English
Author: Stephen Bayley
Publisher Penguin UK