Evelyn Waugh’s first book: a portrait of one of the greatest artists of the nienteenth century, from one of the greatest writers of the twentieth’Biography, as books about the dead are capriciously catalogued, is still very much in the mode’This is a sparkling account of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s tragic and mysterious life, telling the story behind some of the greatest poetry and painting of the nineteenth century. Shot through with charm and dry wit, and illuminated by his sense of kinship with the Pre-Raphaelite artist, Rossetti is at once a brilliant reevaluation of Rosetti’s work and legacy, as well as a blast of defiance against the art establishment of Waugh’s day.’The youthful high spirits of the writing make this a true cultural delight’ New Statesman’To be celebrated with fireworks, bunting and marching bands’ Country Life