John Auden was a pioneering geologist of the Himalayas. Michael Spender was the first to survey the northern approach to the summit of Mount Everest. While their younger brothers – W.H. Auden and Stephen Spender – achieved literary fame, they vied to be included on an expedition that would see an Englishman be the first to reach the summit of Everest, a quest that had become a metaphor for Britain’s struggle to maintain power over India. To this rivalry was added another: in the summer of 1938 both men fell in love with a painter named Nancy Sharp. Her choice would determine each man’s wartime loyalties. From Calcutta to pre-war London to the snowy slopes of Everest, ‘The Last Englishmen’ tracks a generation obsessed with a romantic ideal.

Author Deborah Baker Published by Vintage ISBN 9780099593157 EAN 9780099593157 Bic Code Cover Paperback