‘Art is despair with dignity’

The Gate of Angels Paperback

The Gate of Angels

Penelope Fitzgerald

In 1912 Fred Fairly is a Junior Fellow at the college of St Angelicus in Cambridge, where for centuries no female, not even a pussy cat, has been allowed to set foot (

Reviews of The Gate of Angels

  • ‘A book which delights, amuses, disturbs and provokes reflection, in equal measure. It is a triumph of craftmanship, intelligence and sensibility.’ Scotsman

    ‘Contains more wit, intelligence and feeling than many novels three times its length.’ Observer

    ‘Formidable… no writer is more engaging than Penelope Fitzgerald.’ Spectator

    ‘Penelope Fitzgerald writes books whose imaginative wholeness and whose sense of what language can suggest is magical. Whichever way you twist the lens of this kaleidoscopic book, you see fresh things freshly.’ Evening Standard

    ‘The book is short and full of activity. The story moves swiftly in unexpected directions. It is inspiring, funny and touching.’ LRB

    ‘Gilbert could have written this and Sullivan set it to music. It shows an Edwardian university at Cambridge at its eccentric best. There are so many characters that are a delight. So many foibles and so much fancifying. Fitzgerald is the only author I know who regularly gets reviews pleading her to write longer books.’ Daily Mail

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